II. Reading. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , the USA, Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand are English speaking countries

 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the USA, Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand are English speaking countries. They are situated in different parts of the world and differ in many ways.

The nature of these countries, their weather and climate and way of life of their people differ. Each country has its own history customs, traditions, its own national holidays. But they all have a common language. English, the language of the people who left England to make their names in new countries.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of 4 parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The British Isles are a group of islands lying off the north-west coast of the continent of Europe. There are no high mountains, no very long rivers, no great forests in the UK.

It is interesting to know that all parts of the UK have their symbols. The symbol of England is a red rose. More than that, there are other national symbols of England. They are the St. George's cross (usually seen as a flag) and the Three Lions crest (usually seen as a badge). The symbol of Scotland is a thistle. The symbol of Wales is a daffodil. The symbol of Northern Ireland is a shamrock and a red hand.

Except for the United Kingdom there are some other countries in the world where people speak English and this language is one of the official languages. The largest and most important of them are the USA, Canada, the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand. The United States of America is one of the largest countries in the world. People of various nationalities live in the USA: the English, the German, the Chinese, the Hindu, the Greek and so on.

The USA has 50 states. The flag of the USA has 13 red and white stripes, which symbolize the original 13 states. 50 stars on the blue field in the left upper corner are for each of the 50 states of the country in our days. The USA as any other country has its own symbols, traditions and holidays - for example, the 4th of July, or Independence Day, Thanksgi-ving Day. The national symbol of America is the bald eagle. Another American symbol is Uncle Sam.

The world's second-largest country is Canada. The total area of Canada equals to almost 10 million square kilometres. The climate in Canada isn’t mild. It has four very distinct seasons, it can be very hot in summer –
to 35 °C above zero and higher, and quite cold in winter – 25 °C below
zero and even colder. Though Canada is one of largest countries in the world, its population isn’t dense. There are only about 30 million people living in Canada which is very little if we compare the territory of Canada with the UK where 61 million people live.

Canada has two official languages - English and French. Many Canadians speak both languages very well. The leading cities of Canada are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. The official head of Canada is the Queen of the United Kingdom. But practically there is a Prime Minister of the Canadian government to rule the country. Besides Canada has a democratic parliament, which is situated in Ottawa and consists of the House of Commons and the Senate.

The official emblems of Canada are the beaver and the maple leaf. The colours of Canada are white and red.

Australia, a continent and a state, is situated in the Southern Hemisphere, in the southern part of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is about 8 million square kilometres. Australia occupies the Tasmania Island and a number of smaller islands too. Australia is the sixth largest country in area. It has a wide climate range, from tropical in the north to temperate in the south-east.

Australia is divided into 8 administrative areas. The population of Australia equals to about 18 million people and 70 percent of them live in urban areas – in Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and other large cities. The capital of Australia, Canberra, is not very large, but it is lovely.

Australia has a multicultural society. People of about 200 nationalities live there. The aborigines, the Australian natives, represent about
1.5 percent of the population.

The Australian flag is blue. There is the flag of the UK on the Australian banner, a large seven-pointed star beneath it and the Southern Cross constellation.

The most popular Australian animals as well as informal Australian symbols are the koala, emu and kangaroo.

New Zealand is the country in the Pacific Ocean where people speak English as an official language. It is located not far from Australia – only the Tasman Sea separates them by a distance of about 1,600 km. New Zealand occupies two large islands - the North Island and the South Island as well as numerous small islands. New Zealand isn’t very large in area.

Many people live in urban areas, and about 50 percent of them live in the largest cities – Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Dunedin. The first of them is an important seaport and industrial centre. And Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. New Zealand stays in close association with the United Kingdom as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. And the formal head of the state is the Queen of the United Kingdom.

The New Zealand flag represents the Southern Cross, the stars of it are red with white edgings. The flag of the United Kingdom in the left upper corner shows the recognition to the historical foundations and the fact that New Zealand was once a British colony and dominion.

The national emblem of New Zealand is a flightless bird kiwi. The
silver fern is a sporting emblem.