United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago (is a chain or cluster of islands) including Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel. The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres comprising of the island of Great Britain, the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland) and smaller islands
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations of varying powers in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. The UK is a developed country, with the world's sixth largest economy by nominal GDP. It is a Member State of the European Union, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G8, G20, NATO, OECD, and the World Trade Organization.
England has some of the top universities in the world; University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London and University College London.
Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 million tourists arriving in 2004, the United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world. London, by a considerable margin, is the most visited city in the world with 15.6 million visitors in 2006, ahead of 2nd placed Bangkok (10.4 million visitors) and 3rd placed Paris (9.7 million).
Important destination:-
LONDON
London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. London is a leading global city being one of the world's largest financial centres. London's influence in politics, finance, education, entertainment, media, fashion, the arts and culture in general contributes to its global position. It is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. Thames, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which are major tourist attractions.
Place to visit
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis.
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1705 on a site which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known as "The Queen's House". During the 19th century it was enlarged, principally by architects John Nash and Edward Blore, forming three wings around a central courtyard. Buckingham Palace finally became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837. The last major structural additions were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside. However, the palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb in World War II; the Queen's Gallery was built on the site and opened to the public in 1962 to exhibit works of art from the Royal Collection.
Many smaller reception rooms are furnished in the Chinese regency style with furniture and fittings brought from the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and from Carlton House. The Buckingham Palace Garden is the largest private garden in London.
The state rooms, used for official and state entertaining, are open to the public each year for most of August and September, as part of the Palace's Summer Opening.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London.
The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. The bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee. Originally it was painted a mid greenish-blue colour.
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south-east London, England, located in the Royal Borough of Greenwich .Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time. The town became the site of a royal palace, the Palace of Placentia from the 15th century, and was the birthplace of many in the House of Tudor, including Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The palace fell into disrepair during the English Civil War and was rebuilt as the Royal Naval Hospital for Sailors by Sir Christopher Wren and his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. These buildings became the Royal Naval College in 1873, and they remained an establishment for military education until 1998 when they passed into the hands of the Greenwich Foundation.
The London Eye
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames in London, England. The entire structure is 135 metres tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres .
It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe, and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually. It is the 20th tallest structure in London and offers the highest public viewing point in the city, although this will be superseded by The Shard skyscraper viewing deck when it opens to the public in February 2013.
The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.
Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly. In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.
Its status as a major traffic intersection has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue of the Greek god Anteros . It is surrounded by several noted buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus tube station, part of the London Underground system.
SCOTLAND
Scotland is a well-developed tourist destination, with tourism generally being responsible for sustaining 200,000 jobs mainly in the service sector, with tourist spending averaging at £4bn per year. Tourists from the United Kingdom make up the bulk of visitors to Scotland. Scotland is generally seen as clean, unspoilt destination with beautiful scenery which has a long and complex history, combined with thousands of historic sites and attractions. These include prehistoric stone circles, standing stones and burial chambers, and various Bronze Age, Iron Age and Stone Age remains. There are also many historic castles, houses, and battlegrounds, ruins and museums. Many people are drawn by the culture of Scotland.
Place to visit
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle is a formidable fort that was built by David I on an extinct volcano is Scotland’s capital. Originally built in 1130 the Castle represents over 800 years of Scottish history and is a World Heritage site. St Margaret’s chapel was also built in 1130 and survives as the oldest building in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Castle was home to the Kings and Queens of Scotland when staying in the city. It was not as comfortable as Holyrood Abbey but offered far greater protection.
Edinburgh zoo
Edinburgh zoo is one of the city's top tourist attractions and is one of Europe's leading conservation centres. In fact it is the only zoo in Britain that houses polar bears and koalas, it is also the first zoo in the world to house and breed penguins. The zoo is only three miles from the city centre and is situated on 82 acres of sloping parkland giving fantastic views across Edinburgh. Visitors can see 171 species and over 1000 rare and exotic animals from around the world and learn about their habitats.
Newark Castle
Newark Castle sits proudly next to the river Trent in the centre of Newark in Nottinghamshire. Its foundations date back to Saxon times but it was developed as a castle by the Bishop of Lincoln in 1123. Known as the Gateway to the North, the castle endured numerous sieges during the Baronial and English Civil war before it was partially destroyed in 1646.
WALES
Wales is noted for its own distinctive culture, which includes language and music. The landscape is a beautiful sight for travelers with cliffs and beaches, fields and forests, and the coast along Gower Peninsula. The residents of Wales enjoy sharing their festivals and fairs with visitors as well as theatres and galleries of local talent.
Place to visit
The National Museum of Wales
The National Museum of Wales was founded in 1907 to "tell the world about Wales, and the Welsh about their own country". It contains important early Christian material, archaeological collections, exhibits illustrating the development of industry, and pre-industrial crafts and implements. The National Museum of Wales' Art Gallery provides an excellent survey of the work of Welsh and English painters such as Madox Brown, Wilson, Lawrence, Constable and Gainsborough. Major works by artists of other nationalities include landscapes by Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
Cardiff castle
Cardiff castle is one of Wales' most popular tourist attractions with 2000 years of history behind it. The castle sits in the heart of the city and has served as a Roman garrison, a Norman stronghold and was extravagantly refurbished by architect William Burges in the Victorian era.
The Castle was home to many noble families until it ended up in the hands of the Bute family. The 2nd Marquess of Bute was responsible for turning Cardiff into the world’s greatest exporter of coal and the 3rd Marquess was famous for being the richest man in the world!
A new interpretation centre offers an exhibition and film explaining the castles history. multi media. There are tours of the opulent castle apartments and fantastic views from the open air roof terrace.
Oakwood
Oakwood is a theme park in Pembrokeshire, Wales which has over 30 rides and attractions for people of all ages. Thrill seekers will head for the 5 large adrenalin rides which are Megafobia, Vertigo, The Bounce, Hydro and Speed. Megafobia has been voted one of the best wooden roller coasters in Europe and the roller coaster 'Speed' has the steepest drop of any coaster in the UK and is the tallest of its type in the world.
ENGLAND
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland. England's long history and pervasive culture spread worldwide through the English language and colonialism make England a popular tourist destination. Manchester Liverpool and Cambridge are the famous cities of England.
Place to visit
The National Railway museum
The National Railway museum has the world's largest collection of train exhibits dating back over 300 years. You can't fail to be impressed by the legendary engines on display here. There are 750,000 objects in this museum but the highlights are a replica of the Rocket, the first steam locomotive built in 1829, the Mallard, the world’s fastest steam engine, Japanese Bullet trains and the carriage used by Queen Victoria between 1869 and 1901.
There is a daily turntable demonstration to show how several tons of railway locomotive could be turned on a sixpence.
The Eden project
The Eden project in Cornwall is a large scale environmental complex comprising two domes that contain two different biomes, tropical and Mediterranean.
The domes are strikingly constructed from hundreds of hexagons and a few pentagons made from tough plastic. The humid tropics biome is the largest greenhouse in the world and covers 3.9 acres. Inside the domes, you will see millions of plants including a rainforest, banana trees and bamboo with sculptures and art displayed througout.
The Eden project offers an interactive approach to educating about plants. Visitors can experience workshops, impromptu storytelling, children's play areas and the new Mechanical Theatre which uses puppets and robots to demonstrate plant stories.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a circle of ancient stones erected between 3000BC and 1,600BC. It is one of the most important prehistoric monument sites in Britain.
It was constructed in three phases and it has been estimated that this took more than 30 million hours of labour. The Bluestones and Sarsen stones were carried hundreds of miles to the Wiltshire site. Mystery surrounds the stone circle as to why it was built. Some think it was designed as a place to worship the sun, others believe it may have been a place of sacrifice.
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