THE UNITED KINGDOM
The British Isles: (geographical term) Great Britain, Ireland (=Emerald Isle), great number of islands that surrounds the two big ones
The UK: =The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (political term)
Great Britain: England, Scotland Wales
Many years ago these were separate countries, each with its own language and government, but now they are united and English is spoken everywhere. The Welsh language is taught in schools in Wales.
Great Britain is the largest island in Europe. It is in the north-west of Eorope and is separated from the Continent by the North Sea and the English Channel which, at its narrowest, is only 21 miles across. Between GB and Ireland lies the Irish Sea.
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England : 46 counties, the capital is London
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Scotland : 33 counties, the capital is Edinburgh
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Wales : 13 counties, the capital is Cardiff
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Northern Ireland (or Ulster) : 6 counties, the capital is Belfast
Each country includes several small islands, e.g. The Isle of Wight (England), Anglesey
(Wales) and the island groups of the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands (Scotland)
The most famous English river is The Thames . It is 215 miles long. The Severn, the longest river in the United Kingdom, is 240 miles long.
Other important rivers: Trent, Mersey, Tyne, Tees, Firth, Clyde
Lakes can be found in the north of England (Lake District), in Scotland and in Ulster. The most beautiful lakes, like Loch Lomond and Loch Katrine , are in Scotland and the
Lake District , where the most famous are Windermere and Derwentwater.
British mountains are low. The highest, in Scotland, is Ben Nevis (4406 ft / 1343 m) followed by Snowdon in Wales (1085 m).
Other ranges are the Grampians in Scotland and the Cambrian mountains in Wales.
The Highland areas lie in the north and west and constitute most of Scotland and Wales.
The Pennine chain is a region of low mountains extending from the Cheviot Hills to the
River Trent.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The USA is the 4th largest country in the world, with a total area of over 9.5 million square kilometers.
„Continental US”:
48 states without Alaska and Hawaii (Altogether there are 50 states.)
Capital: Washington D. C.
The USA stretches from the Atlantic Ocean on the east to the American Pacific islands on the west. Bordered on the north by Canada and on the south by Mexico, it is a vast nation on a vast continent.
Four landforms are present in the landscape of the United States:
1.
Level land called plains are found in many parts of the country: Coastal Plains lie along the Atlantic Ocean. Other plains cover an immense area in the interior of the country and are called the Great Plains . These grasslands are sometimes called the „breadbasket” of the USA, because of the great harvests from the rich farmlands.
2.
High, flat lands, usually found between mountains, are called plateaux.
3.
There are many mountains especially in the west and south-west. The Rocky
Mountains extend all the way from New Mexico to Alaska. Many people from all over the world like to spend their holidays in these beautiful mountain areas.
The Appalachian Mountains separate the Atlantic Coast from the Central
Plains.
4.
Hills are present in many parts of the country.
Many rivers cross the country. The most important are the Mississippi, Missouri, Rio
Grande flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, the Potomac, Hudson, Savannah flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, the Colorado, Sacramento and Columbia flowing into the Pacific
Ocean, and the Yukon , in Alaska, flowing into the Bering sea.
The main lakes in the USA are the Great Lakes in the north: Lake Superior, Lake
Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The Niagara takes the water of
Lake Erie into Lake Ontario forming the Niagara Falls.