INTRODUCTION

In this Webquest we are going to discover and learn some useful and interesting facts about Great Britain. You have been studying the English language for several years now, but how much do you know about the place where the language comes from.

FROM THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN

In 55 BC Julius Caesar landed near Dover with his Roman army, but it was only 150 years later that the Romans managed to conquer Britain and built settlements and forts. The Romans stayed 400 years. Hadrian's wall, which runs across the North of England, marks the northern border of the Roman colony. The wall was built in 1001 AD to keep the Scots out of England,

Other invaders were Saxons and Vikings and in 1066 came the final invader, this time from France, William of Normandy. The Normans soon gained the whole control of England and William became King of England.

The Normans wanted to conquer the whole of Britain but Scotland resisted.

In Wales they built many castles.

This is Kidvalley Castle. And this is Monarbier Castle. The welsh fought back from their own castles, but finally in 1282 they submitted to English Rule under Edward 1.

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN

AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island state. It occupies the territory of the British Isles and is composed of more than 5,500 islands, small and large. The two main islands are: Great Britain and Ireland. The UK consists of four parts: England, Scotland and Wales (which make up Great Britain) and Northern Ireland (situated in the northern part of Ireland). The UK is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north-west and the North Sea in the east. The English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the south separate the UK from Europe. Two islands (Great Britain and Ireland) are separated by the Irish Sea.

The UK is one of the world's smallest countries and has the territory of a bit more than 200,000 sq km. The population of the country is 57 million people.

The landscape varies from the north to the south. The highest mountains are found in Scotland (Ben Nevis, 1,343 m) and Wales (Snowdon, 1,085 m). There are no long rivers (the longest are the Severn and the Thames). But the country has many beautiful lakes especially in the Lake District and Scotland.

The largest cities of the UK are London (the capital city), Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Glasgow and some others.

The weather in the country is so changeable that the English people say they have no climate but only weather. The climate is described as cool, temperate and humid.

GOOD LUCK!