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Think Shakespeare, Agatha Christie & afternoon tea...
Think windswept moors, quaint villages, rolling hills
and green hedgerows. Think exciting cosmopolitan cities
and a great tradition of theatre, literature and architecture.
Think the United Kingdom...
The United Kingdom is made up
of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland four
unique countries, each with their own customs, cultures and
traditions. Occupying an area of 244,820 square kilometers,
Britain is home to more than 59 million people. Stretching from
the rugged Shetlands and the lochs and moors of Scotland in the
far north to the Channel Islands off the south coast, and from
the rolling hills and green hedgerows in the east to the dramatic
beauty of the mountains, valleys and lakes of Wales in the west,
Britain offers a huge diversity of landscapes. During the 18th
century, the UK developed a huge empire that stretched from
America to India and encompassed Australia and Canada. The
country was also one of the key players in the Industrial
Revolution when steam power, steam trains, coalmines and water
power suddenly changed the means of transport and production.
The worlds first industrial cities appeared in the British
Midlands.
The United Kingdom has an unrivalled legacy
in the fields of theatre, literature and architecture. Chaucer, Shakespeare,
and Dickens appear on English literature courses worldwide and Shakespeares
plays are enjoyed by countless numbers of people whether in the bards
home town of Stratford-upon-Avon or in their local town hall! Stately homes and
fine churches and cathedrals dot the country. Because of its colonial past, Britain
is a veritable treasure trove of masterpieces from every age and every continent.
Unmissable destinations in the UK include the wild highlands of
Scotland; the cosmopolitan, chaotic city of London; Stonehenge -
the most famous prehistoric site in Europe; the town of Bath with
its famous Roman Baths and its elegant, honey-coloured Georgian
architecture; and the breathtakingly pretty, gilded stone villages
of the Cotswolds, an upland region northeast of Bristol. Other
attractions include the city of York, the Lake District and the
university town of Oxford. Partake in afternoon tea in Shrewsbury,
sample fish and chips in Brighton or enjoy a hot whisky in Glasgow.
Britain offers a range of unforgettable experiences each one
entirely different from the next.
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