A1 Geographical features The Union Jack The British Isles are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, the North Sea in the east and the English Channel in the south. The territory mainly consists of plains and hills. The highest mountains are in the north, where there is a chain of mountains called The Pennines that go from the Scottish border to central England. The longest river is the Severn in Wales, but the most famous is the Thames, which flows through London and Oxford. The climate is wet but mild and the temperatures rarely go below 0°C. The flag of the United Kingdom is called The Union Jack and is made up of three flags: St. George s Cross (England) St. Andrew s Cross (Scotland) St. Patrick s Cross (Northern Ireland). The national flag of Wales is not included because when the Union Jack was created in 1801 Wales was part of England. The name of the flag comes from the jacks (little flags) used on ships to show their nationality. England Borders North: Scotland; West: Irish Sea, Wales and Atlantic ocean; East: North Sea; South: English Channel Population About 57 million Government Constitutional monarchy Capital London Currency Pound Sterling Language English Driving side Left CIVIC LITERACY 3 Leggi il testo e completa la tabella seguendo l esempio. The English and the Italian Parliaments The UK is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy: it means that the King is the Head of the State and the Church of England, but he cannot make laws . Italy is a parliamentary, democratic Republic. Like the King, the Italian President cannot make laws. Both the British Monarch and the Italian President are the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces. Italian and British parliaments have a bicameral system: the British parliament is divided into the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the Italian one is divided into the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic. Both in Italy and in the UK the Prime Minister is the head of the government: in the UK the Prime Minister is appointed by the king, in Italy by the President of the Republic. In Italy and in the UK, the members of Parliament are elected by the people. READING UK 1. It is a constitutional monarchy. Italy DO-IT-YOURSELF 4 WRITING SPEAKING PAIR WORK Scegliete un paese dell Unione Europea e cercate le informazioni richieste su internet. Poi, presentate alla classe il paese. 2. It is a parliamentary Republic. Country Language 3. He/she is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Borders Currency 4. The parliament is bicameral. Population Government 5. The head of the government is the President / monarch. Capital Time zone 6. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President. 19