Great Britain and the United States-an insight into an English - speaking world

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island covers the area of 244thousand square kilometers and it consists of England, Scotland, Wales, the northern part of the island of Ireland and a few smaller islands. Great Britain is separated from Europe by the English Channel. The British Isles are washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The biggest rivers are the Severn, the Thames and the Trent. The capital of the United Kingdom is London. The climate in Britain is mild. However, it is often rainy, foggy and windy.

The United States of America is situated in the southern part of North America. It consists of fifty states. Its borders are shared with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. It covers the area of about 9,5 million square kilometers. The eastern banks of the United States are washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the western banks by the Pacific. The longest river is Mississippi. The Capital of the U.S. is Washington D.C. and other major cities are New York, Los Angeles , Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Boston and Detroit. There are almost all types of climate inthe United States from the Arctic cold of Alaska to the sub-tropical warmth of Hawaii.

Generally, people associate Britain with the royal family, with London and its famous buildings such as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben or the Tower of London, with Oxford and Cambridge-two prestigious universities and with Stratford-upon-Avon - the birthplace of William Shakespeare.

I suppose the most popular symbols of Great Britain are the Union Jack (the pattern on the national flag), the famous telephone boxes, the double-decker buses in London, the soldiers traditionally dressed in their scarlet tunics and busbies made of the bearskins, friendly British 'bobbies', the BBC, pubs, five o'clock tea and 'fish and chips'.

The USA makes me think of of unrivalled superpower, the American President, a high standard of living, big cars, metropolitan cities such as New York, Los Angeles, cowboys and Indians, American pop culture and fast food.

The most popular American symbols are : the Statue of Liberty-a symbol of democracy, freedom and justice, Wall Street in New York- the financial center of the world, Hollywood-the glamorous center of the film industry, McDonald's-the bigges global food chain, Coca- cola -the most popular American drink, CNN-an american broadcasting company that sends television programmes all over the world and of course American 'hard currency'-the dollar.

Summing up, both countries are certainly worth visiting. Remember: "Travel broadens the mind"