The document provides information about the geography and political divisions of Northern Ireland. It notes that Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom and is bounded by the North Channel, Irish Sea, and Republic of Ireland. It consists of 6 counties that were formerly part of the province of Ulster. The land is mainly low plains and hills with Lough Neagh being the largest lake. Agriculture and pastoral farming are important economic activities.

1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland
• Britain – or Great Britain (GB)
– is the name for England,
Wales and Scotland.
• The British Isles is the name for
England, Scotland, Wales, both
parts of Ireland, the Isle of Man
and the Channel Islands.
• The United Kingdom (UK) is
England, Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland.

2. Geographical location
• The British Isles consist of two
large islands, Great Britain and
Ireland, and about 5 000 small
islands. Their total area is over
244 000 square kilometers.
• The British Isles are separated
from the Continent by the
North Sea, the English
Channel and the Strait of
Dover. The western coast of
GB is washed by the Atlantic
Ocean and the Irish Sea.

3. “ Union Jack “ ”
• Britain’s flag is called the
“Union Jack”. It is really three
flags on top of each other –
the red cross on white
background of St George for
England, the white “X” on
blue background of St
Andrew for Scotland, and the
red “X” on white background
of St Patrick for Ireland.

4. • Of course, each country in
Britain has its own flag.
• It’s worth remembering that
the Union Jack is more
popular in England than in
other parts. The reason is that
the Welsh, Scottish and Irish
do not like being reminded of
the time when they lost their
independence.

5. By the way the British like to have fun
with their flag…

6. THE
WEATHER
This is the most important topic in
the land. On the Continent, people
usually say, ‘He is the type who
would discuss the weather with’, to
describe someone who is very
boring. In England, this is an ever-
interesting. Ever thrilling topic, and
you must be good at discussing the
weather.
39 percent think the weather is the
most annoying aspect of living in
Britain.
In Britain, it is considered rude to
ask personal questions. At the
same time silence is also rude. So
the weather is a very convenient
topic ‘to fill the gap’.

7. UNDERGROUND
It is usually referred to officially as 'the Underground' and colloquially as the Tube,
although the latter term originally applied only to the deep-level bored lines, along
which run slightly lower, narrower trains along standard-gauge track, to distinguish
them from the sub-surface "cut and cover" lines that were built first. More recently this
distinction has been lost and the whole system is now referred to as The Tube, even in
recent years by its operator in official publicity.
London Underground was formed in 1985,
but its history dates back to 1863 when the
world's first underground railway opened.
Today, London Underground is a major
business with three million passenger
journeys made every day, serving 275
stations and over 408 km of railway.

8. London is the capital of UK
• London is a political,
economic and cultural
capital of the UK.
• Once London was a
small Roman town on
the bank of the Thames.
Slowly it grew into one
of the world’s major
cities.
• London with suburbs has
a population of about 11
million people.

9. Different areas of London seem like different
cities.
The West End is a rich man’s world of shops,
offices and theatres.
The City of London is the district where most
offices and banks are concentrated. The Royal
Exchange and the Bank of England are here, too.
The East End is the district where mostly working
people live.

10. Northern Ireland is composed of 26 districts,
derived from the boroughs of Belfast and
Londonderry and the counties of Antrim,
Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry,
and Tyrone. Together they are commonly
called Ulster, though the territory does not
include the entire ancient province of
Ulster.
• Northern Ireland is bounded on the north
and northeast by the North Channel, on the
southeast by the Irish Sea, and on the
south and west by the Republic of Ireland.
It includes Rathlin Island in the North
Channel and several smaller offshore
islands. Northern Ireland is also known as
Ulster, because it comprises six of the nine
counties that constituted the former
province of Ulster. The total area of
Northern Ireland is 14,148 sq km (5463 sq
mi).

11. Land and Resources
• The country consists mainly of a
low, flat plain in the approximate
center of which is Lough Neagh
(about 390 sq km/about 150 sq
mi), the largest lake in the British
Isles. Other important lakes are
Lough Erne and Upper Lough
Erne. Apart from several isolated
elevations, three major areas of
considerable height are the
Sperrin Mountains in the
northwest, the Antrim Plateau
along the northeastern coast, and
the Mourne Mountains in the
southeast. The highest point in
the country is Slieve Donard (852
m/2796 ft), a peak in the Mourne
Mountains.
• The former rises in the Mourne
Mountains and empties into
Lough Neagh

12. • The most valuable natural
resources of Northern
Ireland are its fertile soil
and rich pasturelands.
Natural waterpower is
abundant. The chief
minerals are basalt,
limestone, sand and
gravel, granite, chalk,
clay, and shale; bauxite,
iron ore, and coal also are
found in small amounts.
Peat is important as a
fuel.

13. Plants and Animals
• The emblem of the
Northern Ireland is
shamrock.
• The only distinctive plant
is a species of wild orchid,
Spiranthes stricta, found
in the valleys of the
Upper and Lower Bann
rivers. Distinctive species
of animal life include the
pollan, a freshwater
variety of whitefish found
in Lough Neagh and
Lough Erne.