Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Welcome to Great Britain

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British Symbols

Northern Ireland

Scotland

England

Wales

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland

The national flower of Northern Ireland is the shamrock, a three-leaved plant similar to clover. It is a symbol of trinity

England

The Tudor rose is the national floral emblem of England. It symbolizes the end of the Wars of the Roses.

Scotland

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle

Thistle is a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15th century as a symbol of defence. The thistle has been a Scottish symbol for more than 500 years. It was found on ancient coins and coats of arms.

Wales

The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David’s Day.

The flag of the UK is a combination of the flags of England (the cross

of St. George), Scotland (the cross of St. Andrew), and Ireland (the cross of St. Patrick).

The flag of Scotland - St Andrew’s Cross

Dating to the 12th century, the historic cross of St. Andrew was first hoisted in 1512. Also known as the Saltire, it is one of the oldest country flags. The Saltire is a flag with a diagonal cross whose arms extend to the corners of the flag

The flag of England - St George’s Cross

The flag of Ireland - St Patrick Cross

Royal Banner of the King or Queen of the United Kingdom Today

Royal Banner of the King or Queen of the United Kingdom Today.

The Royal Banner of England

Scottish Royal banner

The Royal Flag of Scotland, or Rampart Lion, features a traditional red lion on a gold field. It is widely used as a second national flag.

The Welsh flag

This flag was officially adopted in 1959, but the red dragon (possibly Roman in origin) has been associated with Wales for many centuries. The green and white background stripes represent the House of Tudor, a Welsh dynasty that once held the English throne.

UK Royal Coat-of-Arms

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square

There are always a lot of people and pigeons on the square. Every winter there is a big Christmas tree which is a gift from Norway in the middle of the square. On New Year’s Eve people gather around the tree. In the middle of the square there is Admiral Nelson’s Column.

Buckingham Palace

This is the Queen’s home. It was built in 1703. There is a great collection of paintings.

The Queen of Great Britain

The Queen of Great Britain is Elizabeth II. Her husband is Duke of Edinburgh. They have got 4 grown-up children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

Westminster Abbey

This is a holy place. All English kings have been crowned and buried in the church since 1308.

Westminster Cathedral

It was built between 1895 and 1903. This is the seat of the Cardinal Archbishop and the leading Roman Catholic Church in England. Its bell tower is 84 metres high.

The Houses of Parliament

This big palace is the most famous building in the world – the British Parliament. The building is 280 metres long. There are more than 1000 rooms.

Big Ben

Big Ben, the big clock tower, is the symbol of London. It strikes hours.

Tower

The Tower of London has been a fortress, a palace, an arsenal, a mint, a prison, an observatory, a zoo, the home of the Crown Jewels and a tourist attraction.

Imperial State Crown

The Tower’s greatest treasure is the Imperial State Crown. There are 2 800 diamonds on it.

Beefeaters

The quards of the Tower are called Beefeaters. The legend says that if the ravens leave, the Tower and the country will fall.

Tower Bridge

The most famous bridge in London is a Tower bridge.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is a bascule-bridge. The bascules will open to let ships pass through.

St

Paul’s Cathedral.

St.Paul’s Cathedral is a famous building too. Prince Charles and Princess Diana married here in 1981.

Madame Tussauds Waxmuseum

Here you can see famous people, good and bad, made of wax. This is Queen Elizabeth I.

King Henry VIII with his wives

Double-deckers

There are big red buses called double-deckers in London. People sit upstairs and downstairs on these buses. Tourists like them very much.

Taxis

Taxis in London are old-fashioned black cars.

Telephone booths

From here you can call your friends.

River Thames

Thames flows through London. The River Thames is 338 km long. It is 245 m wide here. Even big seaships can visit London.

Other British symbols

Tartan

Tartans are an internationally recognized symbol of Scotland. Highlanders wore clothes with distinctive striped or checked patterns, and the growth of clan and family tartans became popular in the mid-18th century

British souvenirs