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UNITED KINGDOM
Country
Overview
(provided by worldtravelguide.net)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
consists of England (including the Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man), Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The
British landscape can be divided roughly into two kinds
of terrain – highland and lowland. The highland area
comprises the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern
Ireland, northern England and north Wales. Sandstone and
limestone hills, long valleys and basins such as the Wash
break up the lowland area on the east coast. Despite its
small size, England is a country of much diversity.
London, the capital, draws increasing numbers of visitors,
not only to the well-documented attractions of the West
End with its theatres, cinemas, shopping streets, restaurants,
hotels and nightclubs, but to its historic treasures such
as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament
and Buckingham Palace. In addition, London has the vast
green spaces of Hampstead Heath, Hyde and Richmond parks;
vibrant street markets in Camden, Brick Lane or Portobello
Road and many distinctive old pubs.
A short drive away from London are the elegant southern
coast resorts of Eastbourne and Brighton; the beautiful
villages of the New Forest; historic religious centres such
as Winchester, Canterbury or Salisbury. Cornwall and Devon
continue to draw visitors with their rolling hills, beautiful
stretches of coastline and picturesque fishing villages.
Similarly, the honey-stoned cottages of Moreton-in-Marsh
or Bourton-on-the-Water are picture-postcard material. Cumbria,
more popularly known as ‘The Lake District’,
has the stunning lakes of Windermere or Derwent Water and
the cathedral city of Carlisle, close to Hadrian’s
Wall.
Scotland is a beautiful and sparsely populated country with
rolling lowland, dramatic mountains, lochs and many offshore
islands. Edinburgh is the capital and its Castle is not
only Scotland’s number one tourist attraction but
also home to the Scottish Crown Jewels. Its vast profile
sits at the head of the Royal Mile which stretches down
to the Palace of Holyrood House, the Queen’s official
residence in Scotland. Edinburgh’s cultural life,
with its Festival as the highpoint of the year, features
much theatre, music and dance unrivalled outside London.
The Scottish highlands – the towns of Oban and Fort
William and the islands of Skye and Mull – are a stunning
wilderness of mountains and moorlands, lochs and rivers.
Wales is a country of great geographical variation with
many long stretches of attractive and often rugged coastline.
Cardiff is the principality’s capital and principal
seaport. The castle, much of which dates back to the Middle
Ages, was extensively added to during the 19th century,
thus creating a strongly Victorian Gothic result. Much of
Wales has a strong non-conformist ‘chapel’ tradition.
Llandudno, Rhyl, Pembrokeshire and Porthmadog are among
the better-known resort areas.
Northern Ireland contains some beautiful scenery, from the
rugged coastline in the north and northeast to the gentle
fruit-growing regions of Armagh. To the southeast of the
province, Belfast provides shopping and city entertainment
in the shape of theatres, cinema, a wide range of restaurants,
the Grand Opera House and all the other attractions of any
capital city.
The rest of the British Isles comprises the Channel Islands
of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney (lying off the coast of Normandy). |
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