GEOGRAPHY The British Isles, the UK and Great Britain WARM UP Sfida: nominate tutti i luoghi britannici famosi che vi vengono in mente in due minuti. Vince chi ne segna di più. Un ulteriore punto viene assegnato se la coppia conosce dove si trova. SPEAKING PAIR WORK The British Isles are a group of islands in the north-west of Europe; Great Britain and Ireland are the largest. People often confuse the United Kingdom with Great Britain and the British Isles, but… is the geographical term that includes Great Britain, Ireland and the small isles off their coasts (more than six thousand!); The British Isles consists of the political union of: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Each country has its own capital: London (also the capital of the UK), Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast; The United Kingdom (UK) is the largest European island and includes England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain GLOSSARY : : : : : : : : : : : : to appoint nominare border confine chain catena commander-in-chief comandante in capo to flow scorrere law legge mainland terra ferma, continente mainly principalmente mild temperato off da / fuori plain pianura to surround circondare 1 READING Rispondi alle domande. What countries form the United Kingdom? Which countries are in Great Britain? Which seas surround the British Isles? Where are the highest mountains located? Where does the name “Union Jack” come from? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 2 VOCABULARY Completa il testo con le parole mancanti. metres • world • sea • France • speed • boat The Channel Tunnel You can reach Great Britain only by plane or the English Channel. The English Channel is a natural channel 50.5 kilometres long which separates England from 1. ................................, 2. ................................ In 1994 a train tunnel, the Channel Tunnel (or Chunnel), was built under the to connect Britain easily to mainland Europe. It is the longest undersea tunnel of the . Its construction took six years and the project cost £4.65 billion. At its lowest point, it is 75 below the sea level. The of trains is 160 km/h, so it takes just 35 minutes to cross the Chunnel. 3. ................................ 4. ................................ 5. ................................ 6. ................................ Adapted from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/articles/channel-tunnel-facts/