Dates
1642 – The English Civil War begins
1649 – The execution of Charles I.
1660 – The Restoration of the monarchy
1861 – death of Prince Albert
1897 – Victoria celebrates 60 years on the throne
1936 – Edward VIII becomes king
1936 – Edward VIII abdicates
1952 – Elizabeth II become queen
1981 – Prince Charles marries Princess Diana
1996 – Prince Charles and Princess Diana divorce
1997 – Princess Diana dies
2002 – Elizabeth II celebrates 50 years on the throne
Charles I.
• 1629 dismissed the parliament
• 1642 Civil war – Royalists (king power) X Roundheads (parliament power)
• Roundheads – won it → 11 years England republic
• 1660 Charles II became king
Victoria
• her husband Prince Albert dead in 1861 → depression
• 20 years performed no duties
• 1897 – Jubilee 60 years on throne
Edward VIII
• 1936 on throne but his love is twice-divorced American woman
• he abandon throne → brother George VI
Princess Diana
• drop in popularity of royal family after her death
The American Declaration of Independence
• on 4th July, in 1776
• document of 13 colonies
author: Thomas Jefferson (John Adams and Benjamin Franklin )
56 signatures
• history:
high taxation + Americans can’t to be in Congress → 1773 – Boston Tea Party → fights → on 4th July, in 1776 was signed Declaration → 1783 – piece
The American Constitution
• the oldest constitution on the world
• the highest law
• author: Delegates of the Philadelphia Convention
signed on 17th September, in 1787 in Phildelphia
• officially adopted in 1790 by the original 13 states
• separate to: executive (President), legislative (Congress) and judicial (Supreme Court)
II. Amendments
• to have a guns
• people above 18 years can buy a gun (20 years – specials guns)
Celebrations
Burns Night Supper
• January 25th, in Scotland
• celebrate the birthday of Scotland’s national poet Robert Burns
• 3 toasts: to haggis with whisky, to the ladies, The Immortal Memory of Robert Burns
St. Patrick’s Day
• March 17th, in Ireland
• celebrate day of patron of Ireland
• parades, fireworks, green color
Independence Day
• July 4th, in USA
• celebrate independence (separate and freedom) of 13 colonies of Great Britain
• barbecue, parades, fireworks, American football
Tsotsi
The plot of this film takes place in South Africa of
these days. Tsotsi is black and poor young man. He lives in Soweto, which is a
place in Johannesburg, where poor people live. There are only black people in
Soweto, because of apartheid, which was here in the past. He didn’t have happy
childhood. His mother died of illness and his father was very cruel so Tsotsi
ran away from home and lived in big pipe with other children without home.
In these days he lives in a small “room” made from
junk. He is a gang leader. They steal to survive. They aren’t afraid to kill
somebody. Once Tsotsi wounds a woman and steals her car. Suddenly he discovers
a baby in the back seat, but it was too
late to return. He left the car, took the baby into big paper bag and went
home.
He wanted to take care of the baby, however he didn’t
know how. He found some young woman in his neighbourhood. She also has a baby,
but her husband is dead. Tsotsi with “his” baby in the bag follows her in
secrecy to her house. He threatens her with gun, so she full of fear fed the
baby. He repeated this several times. Although the woman knew from news, who Tsotsi
was, she didn’t call police. Tsotsi decided to return the baby back, maybe due
to the woman, who had asked him for that. He gives the baby to its real parents
and gives up to police, which surrounded him. And this is the end of the story.
I like this film, but it’s sad, because it could
be real and that’s horrible.
Educational systems
U.S. SYSTEM
School attednance is mandatory from 6 to 16. The schools are either public (publicly owned and funded by states) or private (students pay high tuition). School boards are groups of people who control the school.
There are 6 sections of education:
1. Children aged 2-4 attend a pre-school.
2. For children aged 5-6, there are kindergartens.
3. Boys and girls go to an elementary school from 6 to 12 years (1st to 6th grade).
4. From 11 to 15 (6th to 8th grade) they attend a junior high (or middle school).
5. The next four years there is a high school. The students of each grade have names: 9th freshman, 10th sophomore, 11th junior, 12th senior. There are no entrance exams, the students goes to the school of his / her school district. Some courses are required, some are elective. The student also take part in extracurricular activities – sports, clubs, bands, choir. There are rivalries among the sport clubs, which have cheerleaders, mascots, club colors... There is no exam to graduate. Ending a required class, the students gets a H. S. Diploma (passing grades are A, B, C, D, fail is F).
6. People who want a higher education attend colleges or universities. About ⅓ of high school graduates go there. SAT means Scholastic Aptitude Test, which is needed for entering a college or university. At so called community colleges, which are for 2 years, the student gets an AA degree (Associate of Arts). Apart from the tests, to enter a college or university good grades, teacher’s recommendation, essays and interviews are required. The undergraduates are students, who study for 4 years – they get a B.A. or B.S. degree (Bachelor of Arts or Science). The graduate students (1-3 years more) get a Master’s degree. For a Doctoral degree, you must study 1-5 years more. Your most important subject is called the major, the 2nd most important elective subject is called the minor. The most prestigious U.S. universities are Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Princeton...
BRITISH SYSTEM
Children from 5 years attend an infant school and at 7 they go to junior school. These are primary schools.
The secondary schools, where you go from 11, are either state or private. State schools are paid for by public money, they are divided into comprehensive (studying all subjects, anyone can go there – 90% go) and grammar (based on academic ability). Private (or independent) schools are preparatory (Prep, ages 5-7) and public. In public schools, the students pay tuition, wear uniforms, many schools are not co-educational (boys + girls), some are boarding schools (students live there). Famous public schools are Eton College, Harrow, Westminster... At 16, every student takes an exam to get GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education, or A level (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level).
About 30% of students go to college or university for higher education. The most prestigious British universities are Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Edinburgh... The universities built in 19th century are called „red brick“ universities.
CZECH SYSTEM + COMPARISON
In the Czech Republic, there is a 9-year mandatory school attendance. Before, the children usually attend a kindergarten. At 6 years, they go to an elementary school, which is divided into first (1st to 5th class) and second (6th to 9th class) part. Then they can choose a high school (in Czech called middle school). There are grammar schools and specialised high schools. We also have state and private schools. Some grammar schools open classes for 8-year study, available for those who ended the first part of elementary school, and other various types of study. Usually there are entrance exams for a high school, and every high school ends with an exam called maturita. This is an oral exam in four subjects – one is Czech language and literature, one is a foreign language and the others are usually elective.
A student with maturita can go to a college or university (in Czech called high school) for higher education. An entrance exam is required at most universities, but an interview or essay at only few of them. In the last semester of the study, we have to write a diploma work. Then we can get a Bachelor’s (3 years), Master’s or Engineer’s (5 years) or Doctor’s degree. The oldest university in the Czech Republic is the Charles’ University (UK) in Prague. The other prestigious ones are for example Czech High Technical Education (ČVUT) in Prague, Masaryk’s University (MU) in Brno, and other technical, natural scientific and humanitarian universities in the whole country.
Compared with the U.S. system, there are many differences. We don’t have pre-school and kindergarten separated, the compulsory 9 years are at one school. At high schools, there are no names of the classes, no school districts, and usually no sport clubs with cheerleaders. Unlike the American system, there are entrance and graduation exams. Also the marking is different, as we use numbers 1-5 instead of letters. At universities, no majors and minors are used. And there is one more difference connected with education – almost every student of high school attends dancing lessons for one year and learns to dance classics, which does not exist in America!
The British system has more in common with ours than the U.S. However, our grammar schools are not based on academic ability, but they are used by more than 10% of students. Private schools are not many in the CR (and no Preps at all), uniforms are not used and a great majority of schools is co-educational and not boarding. There are differences between GCSE and maturita – the form of the test, the age when it is taken... And in the Czech Republic, we don’t call any school a „red brick“ university!
School attednance is mandatory from 6 to 16. The schools are either public (publicly owned and funded by states) or private (students pay high tuition). School boards are groups of people who control the school.
There are 6 sections of education:
1. Children aged 2-4 attend a pre-school.
2. For children aged 5-6, there are kindergartens.
3. Boys and girls go to an elementary school from 6 to 12 years (1st to 6th grade).
4. From 11 to 15 (6th to 8th grade) they attend a junior high (or middle school).
5. The next four years there is a high school. The students of each grade have names: 9th freshman, 10th sophomore, 11th junior, 12th senior. There are no entrance exams, the students goes to the school of his / her school district. Some courses are required, some are elective. The student also take part in extracurricular activities – sports, clubs, bands, choir. There are rivalries among the sport clubs, which have cheerleaders, mascots, club colors... There is no exam to graduate. Ending a required class, the students gets a H. S. Diploma (passing grades are A, B, C, D, fail is F).
6. People who want a higher education attend colleges or universities. About ⅓ of high school graduates go there. SAT means Scholastic Aptitude Test, which is needed for entering a college or university. At so called community colleges, which are for 2 years, the student gets an AA degree (Associate of Arts). Apart from the tests, to enter a college or university good grades, teacher’s recommendation, essays and interviews are required. The undergraduates are students, who study for 4 years – they get a B.A. or B.S. degree (Bachelor of Arts or Science). The graduate students (1-3 years more) get a Master’s degree. For a Doctoral degree, you must study 1-5 years more. Your most important subject is called the major, the 2nd most important elective subject is called the minor. The most prestigious U.S. universities are Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Princeton...
BRITISH SYSTEM
Children from 5 years attend an infant school and at 7 they go to junior school. These are primary schools.
The secondary schools, where you go from 11, are either state or private. State schools are paid for by public money, they are divided into comprehensive (studying all subjects, anyone can go there – 90% go) and grammar (based on academic ability). Private (or independent) schools are preparatory (Prep, ages 5-7) and public. In public schools, the students pay tuition, wear uniforms, many schools are not co-educational (boys + girls), some are boarding schools (students live there). Famous public schools are Eton College, Harrow, Westminster... At 16, every student takes an exam to get GCSE – General Certificate of Secondary Education, or A level (General Certificate of Education Advanced Level).
About 30% of students go to college or university for higher education. The most prestigious British universities are Oxford, Cambridge, St. Andrews, Edinburgh... The universities built in 19th century are called „red brick“ universities.
CZECH SYSTEM + COMPARISON
In the Czech Republic, there is a 9-year mandatory school attendance. Before, the children usually attend a kindergarten. At 6 years, they go to an elementary school, which is divided into first (1st to 5th class) and second (6th to 9th class) part. Then they can choose a high school (in Czech called middle school). There are grammar schools and specialised high schools. We also have state and private schools. Some grammar schools open classes for 8-year study, available for those who ended the first part of elementary school, and other various types of study. Usually there are entrance exams for a high school, and every high school ends with an exam called maturita. This is an oral exam in four subjects – one is Czech language and literature, one is a foreign language and the others are usually elective.
A student with maturita can go to a college or university (in Czech called high school) for higher education. An entrance exam is required at most universities, but an interview or essay at only few of them. In the last semester of the study, we have to write a diploma work. Then we can get a Bachelor’s (3 years), Master’s or Engineer’s (5 years) or Doctor’s degree. The oldest university in the Czech Republic is the Charles’ University (UK) in Prague. The other prestigious ones are for example Czech High Technical Education (ČVUT) in Prague, Masaryk’s University (MU) in Brno, and other technical, natural scientific and humanitarian universities in the whole country.
Compared with the U.S. system, there are many differences. We don’t have pre-school and kindergarten separated, the compulsory 9 years are at one school. At high schools, there are no names of the classes, no school districts, and usually no sport clubs with cheerleaders. Unlike the American system, there are entrance and graduation exams. Also the marking is different, as we use numbers 1-5 instead of letters. At universities, no majors and minors are used. And there is one more difference connected with education – almost every student of high school attends dancing lessons for one year and learns to dance classics, which does not exist in America!
The British system has more in common with ours than the U.S. However, our grammar schools are not based on academic ability, but they are used by more than 10% of students. Private schools are not many in the CR (and no Preps at all), uniforms are not used and a great majority of schools is co-educational and not boarding. There are differences between GCSE and maturita – the form of the test, the age when it is taken... And in the Czech Republic, we don’t call any school a „red brick“ university!
UK: Geography
Britain lies off the north-west coast of the Europe across the English Channel, the Strait of Dover and the North Sea. It consists of two large islands (Great Britain and Irealnd0 and about 5000 smaller ones (e.g. the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly, the Isle of Man, Anglesey, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands and the Channel Islands). Its neighbours are Ireland to west and France to south-east. It covers the are of about two and a half square kilometres. Britain consists of four countries: England (London capital), Scotland (Edinburgh), Wales (Cardiff) and North Ireland (Belfast). London, the capital is the centre of government for the whole of Britain but local authorities are also partly responsible for education, health care, roads, the police and some other things. England is mostly rolling land, rising to the Uplands of southern Scotland. The main mountain regions here are the Cornish Heights (south-west England), the Cambrians (Wales), the Cambrian Mountains (in the Lake District), the Pennines (the Backbone of England). The Cheviot Hills are on the border between England and Scotland. The Highlands of Scotland are the highest mountains in Britain (with the highest mountain Ben Nevis – 1342 km). Coast is heavily indented especially on the west. The longest rivers are the Severn (354 km), Thames (336 km), Clyde in Scotland, the Humber and the Mersey. Rivers are very important as sources of energy (Tweed). There are beautiful lake areas in Cumbria (Lake Windermere), the Highlands of Scotland (Loch Lomond and Loch Ness) and in Ireland (Lough Neagh). Lakes are not important for freight transport but thy are a big tourist attraction. Britain also has a dense network of canals, which are important for freight transport – Manchester Ship canal. British Isles have milder climate due to the Gulf Stream, which comes from the Gulf of Mexico to Western Europe. That is why winter temperatures are higher and summer temperatures are lower.
Population:
Population is about 57 million people. The density is one of the highest in the world – 232 people to one square kilometre. Most inhabitants live in urban areas. In Britain we can find the following ethnic groups: English (81.5%), Scottish (9.6%), Irish (2.4), Welsh (1.9), Ulster (1.8), Indian, Pakistan and others (Jews, Italian, Chinese, Caribbeans, Cypriots). The majority of people speak English. There are minority languages, which are of Celtic origin – Welsh, Scottish and Irish Gaelic.
National economy:
The main industries are steel, metals, vehicles, ship building, shipping, banking, insurance, textiles, chemicals, electronics, aircraft, machinery, distilling. Important centres of industry are Yorkshire, London, Manchester, South Wales, etc. 30% of land is arable and the main agricultural products are grains, sugar beet, fruit, and vegetables. British cattle and sheep breeding earn lots of money. Britain’s natural riches are mainly coal (black coal in Midland have world significance, this area is called also Black-land), tin, oil and gas (in North Sea), limestone, iron, salt, clay, chalk, zinc and lead. Major economic activities are manufacturing and trade. Main exports: machinery, chemicals, clothing, cars, lorries, jet aircraft, ships, drugs, scientific instruments, arms, books, whisky (scotch whisky). The valid currency in Britain is one pound, which has hundred pence. The best known newspapers and magazines in Britain are The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mirror. There are two main public institutions ensuring television and radio broadcasting in Great Britain: BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority). The best known channels are BBC I, BBC II, ITV and Channel IV. There are also many local televisions, which brings local news, such as Grenada television in Liverpool.
Government:
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. Parliamentary democracy is practised there. Parliament consists of two houses – the House of Lords (hereditary for life) and the House of Commons. There are 635 seats here. Elections take place after five years. The Prime Minister selects the other ministers. Twenty of them form the Cabinet. The second most powerful party forms the Opposition. British national flag is sometimes called “Union Jack”. It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland. Each country has its cross in the flag: England has St. George’s Cross (white oblong and red cross), Scotland has St. Andrew’s Cross (blue with white diagonal) and Ireland has St. Patrick’s Cross (white with red diagonal). National anthem is “God Save the Queen!”. Each part of Great Britain also has its own symbol: England has the red rose, Wales has the leek and daffodil, and Scotland has the thistle and Ireland the shamrock.
Places of interest:
Population:
Population is about 57 million people. The density is one of the highest in the world – 232 people to one square kilometre. Most inhabitants live in urban areas. In Britain we can find the following ethnic groups: English (81.5%), Scottish (9.6%), Irish (2.4), Welsh (1.9), Ulster (1.8), Indian, Pakistan and others (Jews, Italian, Chinese, Caribbeans, Cypriots). The majority of people speak English. There are minority languages, which are of Celtic origin – Welsh, Scottish and Irish Gaelic.
National economy:
The main industries are steel, metals, vehicles, ship building, shipping, banking, insurance, textiles, chemicals, electronics, aircraft, machinery, distilling. Important centres of industry are Yorkshire, London, Manchester, South Wales, etc. 30% of land is arable and the main agricultural products are grains, sugar beet, fruit, and vegetables. British cattle and sheep breeding earn lots of money. Britain’s natural riches are mainly coal (black coal in Midland have world significance, this area is called also Black-land), tin, oil and gas (in North Sea), limestone, iron, salt, clay, chalk, zinc and lead. Major economic activities are manufacturing and trade. Main exports: machinery, chemicals, clothing, cars, lorries, jet aircraft, ships, drugs, scientific instruments, arms, books, whisky (scotch whisky). The valid currency in Britain is one pound, which has hundred pence. The best known newspapers and magazines in Britain are The Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mirror. There are two main public institutions ensuring television and radio broadcasting in Great Britain: BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and IBA (Independent Broadcasting Authority). The best known channels are BBC I, BBC II, ITV and Channel IV. There are also many local televisions, which brings local news, such as Grenada television in Liverpool.
Government:
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. Parliamentary democracy is practised there. Parliament consists of two houses – the House of Lords (hereditary for life) and the House of Commons. There are 635 seats here. Elections take place after five years. The Prime Minister selects the other ministers. Twenty of them form the Cabinet. The second most powerful party forms the Opposition. British national flag is sometimes called “Union Jack”. It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland. Each country has its cross in the flag: England has St. George’s Cross (white oblong and red cross), Scotland has St. Andrew’s Cross (blue with white diagonal) and Ireland has St. Patrick’s Cross (white with red diagonal). National anthem is “God Save the Queen!”. Each part of Great Britain also has its own symbol: England has the red rose, Wales has the leek and daffodil, and Scotland has the thistle and Ireland the shamrock.
Places of interest:
The USA
The United States of America has 50 sates. 48 states are situated in the southern part of North America. Alaska is situated in the North and Hawaii in the Mid-Pacific. Its neighbours are Canada in the north, Mexico in the south.
Central plains are bounded by the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Mountains in the west, the Appalachian Mountains in the east and alluvial plains around the Gulf of Mexico. The highest mountain in the USA is Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range, which is 6 194 m high..
The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. The border with Canada is in its central part made by the Great Lakes Region. The Great Lakes are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Between Erie and Ontario are all over the World known Niagara falls. There are many national parks in the USA, e. g. Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains NP, Grand Canyon NP, etc.
The USA population is about 250.000.000. Around 79 per cent of inhabitants live in urban areas. Now there are 79 per cent of white people, 12 per cent of black people and about and the rest are Asian and Pacific islanders, Indians and Eskimos. The main language spoken here is American English but various ethnic minorities speak their original languages (Chinese, Spanish) American English differs from British English in vocabulary (for example: In British English flat, in American apartment, or lift x elevator or post x mail or cinema x the movies), pronunciation and spelling (colour X color, catalogue x catalog )
Now I would like tell you something about the history of the USA. I will start with:
First settlements - Till 1400 native Indians were the only inhabitants in the USA. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America. The first English colony was founded in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607. In 1620 the ship named Mayflower brought 102 English men, women and children to the north-east coast where they founded the colony called Plymouth. They were members of a religion sect called Pilgrim Fathers, but in winter about one half of them died. The next year in October 1621 they celebrated good harvest and the day of celebrations they called Thanksgiving day. During the 17th century many colonists settled in the country. From these settlements became the 13 colonies under British rule.
The War of Independence - British government started to charge new taxes on the imported goods (for example: sugar, coffee, textiles etc.) to cover the costs of the war against France. The colonists refused to pay taxes, so British soldiers were sent to Boston. In 1773 a group of patriots, dressed as Indians, threw the cargo of British tea into the Boston Harbour. This event is known as Boston Tea Party. Americans began boycotting British trade. In 1775 at Lexington the War began. Later George Washington took over the command of a Continental Army. The Continental Congress began to work as a national government and on July 4th, 1776 they agreed on th Declaration of Independence written mainly by Thomas Jefferson. This is the day, when the USA was founded. The War of independence lasted till 1783. The new constitution was adopted in 1787.
Civil War- About 60 years of never ending discuses about slaves freedom led to the Civil War between the North and the South. It started in 1861 after Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. Southern states protested against Lincoln being president and wanted to separate from the Union. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which granted freedom to all slavers. In April 1865 the Union Forces won the War. Only shortly after that Lincoln was assassinated in the theatre.
The American flag has 13 red and white stripes and on the blue field in the top corner there are 50 white stars. Each star represents one of the 50 states and each strip represents one of original state.
The USA can be divided into four parts:
The 1st area The North and the North East with centres of heavy and light industry.
The biggest cities here are New York - the biggest port and Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4th July 1776.
The 2nd The Middle west, the area of Great Lakes. Here agriculture is closely connected with industry. The biggest city here is Chicago. There is situated the highest skyscraper in the USA. It is named Sears Tower.
The 3rd area is the agricultural South with the mainly black population. There is also situated the capital - Washington, D. C. in this area. Other big city here is New Orleans, the home of jazz.
The 4th area is the Far West, which is the largest area, but has the smallest number of population. San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego are the largest cities here. There is also situated Las Vegas where you can win much money.
Central plains are bounded by the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Mountains in the west, the Appalachian Mountains in the east and alluvial plains around the Gulf of Mexico. The highest mountain in the USA is Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range, which is 6 194 m high..
The largest rivers are the Mississippi and the Missouri. The border with Canada is in its central part made by the Great Lakes Region. The Great Lakes are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. Between Erie and Ontario are all over the World known Niagara falls. There are many national parks in the USA, e. g. Yellowstone NP, Rocky Mountains NP, Grand Canyon NP, etc.
The USA population is about 250.000.000. Around 79 per cent of inhabitants live in urban areas. Now there are 79 per cent of white people, 12 per cent of black people and about and the rest are Asian and Pacific islanders, Indians and Eskimos. The main language spoken here is American English but various ethnic minorities speak their original languages (Chinese, Spanish) American English differs from British English in vocabulary (for example: In British English flat, in American apartment, or lift x elevator or post x mail or cinema x the movies), pronunciation and spelling (colour X color, catalogue x catalog )
Now I would like tell you something about the history of the USA. I will start with:
First settlements - Till 1400 native Indians were the only inhabitants in the USA. In 1492 Christopher Columbus discovered America. The first English colony was founded in Virginia at Jamestown in 1607. In 1620 the ship named Mayflower brought 102 English men, women and children to the north-east coast where they founded the colony called Plymouth. They were members of a religion sect called Pilgrim Fathers, but in winter about one half of them died. The next year in October 1621 they celebrated good harvest and the day of celebrations they called Thanksgiving day. During the 17th century many colonists settled in the country. From these settlements became the 13 colonies under British rule.
The War of Independence - British government started to charge new taxes on the imported goods (for example: sugar, coffee, textiles etc.) to cover the costs of the war against France. The colonists refused to pay taxes, so British soldiers were sent to Boston. In 1773 a group of patriots, dressed as Indians, threw the cargo of British tea into the Boston Harbour. This event is known as Boston Tea Party. Americans began boycotting British trade. In 1775 at Lexington the War began. Later George Washington took over the command of a Continental Army. The Continental Congress began to work as a national government and on July 4th, 1776 they agreed on th Declaration of Independence written mainly by Thomas Jefferson. This is the day, when the USA was founded. The War of independence lasted till 1783. The new constitution was adopted in 1787.
Civil War- About 60 years of never ending discuses about slaves freedom led to the Civil War between the North and the South. It started in 1861 after Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. Southern states protested against Lincoln being president and wanted to separate from the Union. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 which granted freedom to all slavers. In April 1865 the Union Forces won the War. Only shortly after that Lincoln was assassinated in the theatre.
The American flag has 13 red and white stripes and on the blue field in the top corner there are 50 white stars. Each star represents one of the 50 states and each strip represents one of original state.
The USA can be divided into four parts:
The 1st area The North and the North East with centres of heavy and light industry.
The biggest cities here are New York - the biggest port and Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4th July 1776.
The 2nd The Middle west, the area of Great Lakes. Here agriculture is closely connected with industry. The biggest city here is Chicago. There is situated the highest skyscraper in the USA. It is named Sears Tower.
The 3rd area is the agricultural South with the mainly black population. There is also situated the capital - Washington, D. C. in this area. Other big city here is New Orleans, the home of jazz.
The 4th area is the Far West, which is the largest area, but has the smallest number of population. San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego are the largest cities here. There is also situated Las Vegas where you can win much money.
The United Kingdom
The official name of this country is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
It is situated on the British Isles, which lie off the north-west coast of Europe. It consists of two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and about 5,000 smaller ones (e.g. the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Scilly, the Isle of Man, Anglesey, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands and the Channel Islands). Its neighbours are Ireland to west and France to south-east. It covers the area of 244,805 square kilometres. We can get there either by air or by ferry (or by faster hovercraft) from Calais to Dover across the Strait of Dover, which is the shortest way. We can get there also through the tunnel under the English Channel. In the east is the North Sea, in the west is the Atlantic Ocean, between Ireland and Great Britain is the Irish Sea and between Great Britain and France is the English Channel. The Great Britain includes four countries: England with its capital London, Scotland with Edinburgh, Wales with Cardiff and Northern Ireland with Belfast.
England is mostly rolling land, rising to the Uplands of southern Scotland. In the north of England are the Pennies (the Backbone of England) – they run north-south through the central part of northern England. There are also the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland and the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District which is very romantic place for holidays. The South is also a holiday resort so there is a very high density. The patron of whole England is St. George. Scotland is historically and culturally separate country from England. It is the land of many special traditions, which cannot be found elsewhere in the world – playing the pipes, quality tweeds, woollen knitwear, wearing kilts etc. It is a large and magnificent lake and mountains area. The biggest lake is Loch Lomond and Loch Ness is famous for its „Loch Ness Monster“. The Grandpians are the highest mountains in Britain (with the highest mountain Ben Nevis – 1,342m). Wales is also hilly land with its mountain range Snowdonia. Because of number of castles it is often called the land of castles. In Northern Ireland (or Ulster) there are some political problems. They want to separate from Great Britain and IRA did some bomb attacks and terrorist actions in London. There are two longest rivers in Great Britain – Severn and Thames.
A lot of people think that the people who lived in Great Britain are English. But only people in England are English, people in Scotland are Scottish, people in Wales are Welsh and people in Northern Ireland are Irish. Population is about 57,000,000 people. The density is one of the highest in the world – 232 people to one square kilometre.
British national flag is sometimes called „Unions Jack“. It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland. Each country has its cross in the flag but Welsh’s flag (the dragon) miss. National anthem is „God save the Queen!“
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Power is represented by a Monarch and Parliament. A Monarch (a king or a queen) is Head of State but can only reign with a support of Parliament. The role of a sovereign is to represent state and appoint all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister but it is just formal. The present Monarch is the Queen Elizabeth II. She had four descendants – Charles – Prince of Wales, Andrew, Edward and Anne. She had of course a husband – Duke of Edinburgh and a sister – Margaret. The very popular member of the royal family is the Queen Mother (or Queen Mum) who is 97 years old. The heir of the throne is William who is Prince Charles’s and Lady Diana’s son because there were some scandals about Charles.
Parliament has two chambers – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The first one contains more than 1,000 members but only 250 of them take an active part in the work. They consist of hereditary peers, life peers, 24 bishops and 2 archbishops. The hereditary peers inherit their post from generation to generation and they are mostly noblemen. The life peers become peers when they do something important for the state. The House of commons contains 650 elected members and each MP represents a definite part of a county. They are elected at General Election or By – Election, which is decided on a simple majority. It is held every 5 years and everyone over the age of 18 can vote.
Both Parliament and the Queen represent legislative power. New bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons. If they are approved by the majority of the members the bills go to the House of Lords to be approved and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then does it become the law.
The British democratic system depends on the two strongest parties – Conservative and Labour. The party, which wins the majority of seats, forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. The present Prime Minister is Tony Blair from Labour Party. The second largest party in the election becomes the Opposition and its role is to criticise the Government. The Prime Minister chooses 20 Ministers to form Cabinet. The leader of the Opposition form Shadow Cabinet.
The United Kingdom constitution is unwritten. It is based on agreement, tradition and common law.
It is situated on the British Isles, which lie off the north-west coast of Europe. It consists of two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and about 5,000 smaller ones (e.g. the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Scilly, the Isle of Man, Anglesey, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands and the Channel Islands). Its neighbours are Ireland to west and France to south-east. It covers the area of 244,805 square kilometres. We can get there either by air or by ferry (or by faster hovercraft) from Calais to Dover across the Strait of Dover, which is the shortest way. We can get there also through the tunnel under the English Channel. In the east is the North Sea, in the west is the Atlantic Ocean, between Ireland and Great Britain is the Irish Sea and between Great Britain and France is the English Channel. The Great Britain includes four countries: England with its capital London, Scotland with Edinburgh, Wales with Cardiff and Northern Ireland with Belfast.
England is mostly rolling land, rising to the Uplands of southern Scotland. In the north of England are the Pennies (the Backbone of England) – they run north-south through the central part of northern England. There are also the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland and the Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District which is very romantic place for holidays. The South is also a holiday resort so there is a very high density. The patron of whole England is St. George. Scotland is historically and culturally separate country from England. It is the land of many special traditions, which cannot be found elsewhere in the world – playing the pipes, quality tweeds, woollen knitwear, wearing kilts etc. It is a large and magnificent lake and mountains area. The biggest lake is Loch Lomond and Loch Ness is famous for its „Loch Ness Monster“. The Grandpians are the highest mountains in Britain (with the highest mountain Ben Nevis – 1,342m). Wales is also hilly land with its mountain range Snowdonia. Because of number of castles it is often called the land of castles. In Northern Ireland (or Ulster) there are some political problems. They want to separate from Great Britain and IRA did some bomb attacks and terrorist actions in London. There are two longest rivers in Great Britain – Severn and Thames.
A lot of people think that the people who lived in Great Britain are English. But only people in England are English, people in Scotland are Scottish, people in Wales are Welsh and people in Northern Ireland are Irish. Population is about 57,000,000 people. The density is one of the highest in the world – 232 people to one square kilometre.
British national flag is sometimes called „Unions Jack“. It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland. Each country has its cross in the flag but Welsh’s flag (the dragon) miss. National anthem is „God save the Queen!“
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. Power is represented by a Monarch and Parliament. A Monarch (a king or a queen) is Head of State but can only reign with a support of Parliament. The role of a sovereign is to represent state and appoint all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister but it is just formal. The present Monarch is the Queen Elizabeth II. She had four descendants – Charles – Prince of Wales, Andrew, Edward and Anne. She had of course a husband – Duke of Edinburgh and a sister – Margaret. The very popular member of the royal family is the Queen Mother (or Queen Mum) who is 97 years old. The heir of the throne is William who is Prince Charles’s and Lady Diana’s son because there were some scandals about Charles.
Parliament has two chambers – the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The first one contains more than 1,000 members but only 250 of them take an active part in the work. They consist of hereditary peers, life peers, 24 bishops and 2 archbishops. The hereditary peers inherit their post from generation to generation and they are mostly noblemen. The life peers become peers when they do something important for the state. The House of commons contains 650 elected members and each MP represents a definite part of a county. They are elected at General Election or By – Election, which is decided on a simple majority. It is held every 5 years and everyone over the age of 18 can vote.
Both Parliament and the Queen represent legislative power. New bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons. If they are approved by the majority of the members the bills go to the House of Lords to be approved and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then does it become the law.
The British democratic system depends on the two strongest parties – Conservative and Labour. The party, which wins the majority of seats, forms the Government and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. The present Prime Minister is Tony Blair from Labour Party. The second largest party in the election becomes the Opposition and its role is to criticise the Government. The Prime Minister chooses 20 Ministers to form Cabinet. The leader of the Opposition form Shadow Cabinet.
The United Kingdom constitution is unwritten. It is based on agreement, tradition and common law.
New York
Tourist Attractions: Some big tourist attractions of New York City are the Times Square, Central Park, and the Statue of Liberty, etc. The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of freedom in this world. This was a gift from France to the United States. Click here to find out about some of the other tourist attractions of New York City. Tourist Attractions of New York City
Museums: One of the world famous museums of New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The American Museum of Natural History, located in New York City, is also world famous. Click here to find out about some more museums located in New York City. Museums of New York City
Amusement Parks: The United States has more theme parks and family entertainment centers than any other country of the world. Some of the big amusement parks in New York City are Astroland and Deno's Wonder World Amusement Park. Amusement Parks of New York City
Beaches: Some beaches in New York City are the Orchard Beach and Promenade, Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, and Manhattan Beach.
Outdoor Activities: You can enjoy various outdoor activities in New York City ranging from golf, hiking and climbing, water sports to winter sports. If you love horse-riding, the Bronx Equestrian Center is just the right place for you. They provide guided horseback tours of the park and horse-riding lessons.
Where is It: Lying in the Mid Atlantic and Northeastern regions of United States, New York City is located on the mouth of the River Hudson. This most populated city if United States is primarily built on the three islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island.
How to Commute: New York City transportation constitutes of one of the oldest transportation infrastructures in United States. John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, La Guardia Airport, and Teterboro Airport are the four main airports of the city. The city has the largest chain of public transports. New York City subway is the most preferred mode of transportation to reach the tourist destinations of the city.
Where to Stay: New York City is one of the top tourist destinations of the world with outstanding exhibitions, attractions, and global cuisine. There are a variety of New York City hotels to choose from as well as spas, stylish restaurants, and rooftop lounges. Radisson Lexington Hotel New York, Hotel Wolcott in New York City, Comfort Inn JFK, Howard Johnson Express Queens, 70 Park Avenue, Affinia 50 and Affinia Dumont are some of the most famous New York City hotels.
What to See: New York City attractions include a large number of attractive sites which are extremely popular among tourists from all over the world. These attractions include the Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and the American Museum of Natural History. Some of the other attractions in the city of New York include the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and others.
About City In terms of size and population, New York City is the largest city in the US, located in the state of New York, near the Hudson River. New York City consists of five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Among its many attributes, the headquarters of the United Nations is situated in New York City. Nicknamed "The Big Apple", the New York City is one of the most important business, commerce and entertainment Capital of the world. New York City guide provides an extensive coverage of New York City, the largest city in the US. New York City guide also provides its users the benefit of booking flights and hotels in New York City as well as any other place in the world. Start a virtual tour of New York City with our New York City Guide.
Museums: One of the world famous museums of New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The American Museum of Natural History, located in New York City, is also world famous. Click here to find out about some more museums located in New York City. Museums of New York City
Amusement Parks: The United States has more theme parks and family entertainment centers than any other country of the world. Some of the big amusement parks in New York City are Astroland and Deno's Wonder World Amusement Park. Amusement Parks of New York City
Beaches: Some beaches in New York City are the Orchard Beach and Promenade, Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk, and Manhattan Beach.
Outdoor Activities: You can enjoy various outdoor activities in New York City ranging from golf, hiking and climbing, water sports to winter sports. If you love horse-riding, the Bronx Equestrian Center is just the right place for you. They provide guided horseback tours of the park and horse-riding lessons.
Where is It: Lying in the Mid Atlantic and Northeastern regions of United States, New York City is located on the mouth of the River Hudson. This most populated city if United States is primarily built on the three islands of Manhattan, Staten Island, and Long Island.
How to Commute: New York City transportation constitutes of one of the oldest transportation infrastructures in United States. John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, La Guardia Airport, and Teterboro Airport are the four main airports of the city. The city has the largest chain of public transports. New York City subway is the most preferred mode of transportation to reach the tourist destinations of the city.
Where to Stay: New York City is one of the top tourist destinations of the world with outstanding exhibitions, attractions, and global cuisine. There are a variety of New York City hotels to choose from as well as spas, stylish restaurants, and rooftop lounges. Radisson Lexington Hotel New York, Hotel Wolcott in New York City, Comfort Inn JFK, Howard Johnson Express Queens, 70 Park Avenue, Affinia 50 and Affinia Dumont are some of the most famous New York City hotels.
What to See: New York City attractions include a large number of attractive sites which are extremely popular among tourists from all over the world. These attractions include the Statue of Liberty, the Rockefeller Center, Grand Central Terminal and the American Museum of Natural History. Some of the other attractions in the city of New York include the Empire State Building, Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and others.
About City In terms of size and population, New York City is the largest city in the US, located in the state of New York, near the Hudson River. New York City consists of five boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, and the Bronx. Among its many attributes, the headquarters of the United Nations is situated in New York City. Nicknamed "The Big Apple", the New York City is one of the most important business, commerce and entertainment Capital of the world. New York City guide provides an extensive coverage of New York City, the largest city in the US. New York City guide also provides its users the benefit of booking flights and hotels in New York City as well as any other place in the world. Start a virtual tour of New York City with our New York City Guide.
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