The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and sports activities презентация

Great Britain is the heart of the British Commonwealth of Nations. Great Britain has ranked among the leading nations of the world for more than 500 years. The British people have been leaders in many fields — in science, exploration, government, and arts. The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales. Northern Ireland, which covers about one fifth of Ireland also, is the part of the United Kingdom. London is the capital and largest city. The face of the land varies from one part of the country to another. Great manufacturing cities and thriving farms lie on the green plains of England. Deposits of coal and other valuable minerals are mined in the steep hills and mountains of Wales. The Scottish Lowlands support manufacturing and shipbuilding industries. The low grasslands and mild climate of Northern Ireland provide excellent grazing for livestock.

Great Britain occupies the territory of 244,100 sq. km. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The average population density is 230 per sq. km – one of the highest in the world. The population of Great Britain is over 56,000,000. The state is divided into 55 counties. London is the capital of Great Britain.

The English are great lovers of competitive sports. They like to play games, to watch competitions or at least to talk about, them. Britain was the home of many of the modern world's most popular sports. Football is the best example, but among the others are tennis, horse racing, and rugby.

The game peculiarly associated with England is cricket. It's played in schools, colleges, universities and between club teams all over the country. They say, that cricket embodies the spirit of England. Every Sunday morning from May to the end of September many Englishmen get up very early, and take a lot of sandwiches with them. It is necessary because the games are very long. Games between two village teams last for only one afternoon. Games between counties last for three days, with 6 hours play on each day. When England plays with one or other cricketing countries such as Australia and New Zealand it is called a test match and lasts for five days.

Football is the most popular British sport. It is played from late August until early May. There are a lot of amateur football (or «soccer») clubs, but professional football is a big business. Every large town has at least one professional football club. The Cup Final match is the great event of the football year. The most popular football clubs in Great Britain are: Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Everton and many other.

Rugby football (or «rugger») is played with an eggshaped ball, which may be carried and thrown (but not forward). There is a professional League rugby in the north, but mainly rugby is played by amateurs. The most popular rugby teams are: Leicester Tigers, Wasps and Saracens.

Tennis is a very popular game. The great event of the tennis year is the Wimbledon Tournament (Wimbledon is a suburb south of London) in which champions compete from all over the world.

Horse racing is another spectator sport. The general public like races of horses and dogs because they provide suitable pretexts for betting.