The largest English speaking countries are located in North America--the

United States and Canada. Although English and French are both the official
languages in Canada, fully 85 percent of that country's population speaks
English. In addition to the US and Canada, several Caribbean countries speak
English. These are primarily the countries that were colonized by England,
and include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada,
and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Bermuda, still a part of Great Britain, speaks
primarily English as does the tiny, Central American country of Belize.

The English language has its roots in northern Europe and so it is fitting that it
is widely spoken there. More than 98 percent of the residents of the United
Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales) speak English. In
addition, English is the official language in the Republic of Ireland and the Isle
of Man.

The British Empire of the 19th and early 20th centuries as well as the
popularity of American culture since World War II has brought the English
language to all corners of the globe. It is rare spot where the population
doesn't have at least a working understanding of the language. Major English
speaking countries outside of Europe and North America include Australia,
Nigeria, New Zealand, and South Africa. English is also the primary language
in such diverse locales as Guam, Singapore, and the Philippines. Though only
a minority of the people (12 percent) in India speak English, that still amounts
to more than 125 millions persons in that densely-populated country.

Simply speaking, ESL is about giving English language skills to someone who is
living in a predominantly English-speaking environment. So you could say I
did that while I was in the UK, mainly with people studying there, or
immigrants, often asylum seekers. EFL is about teaching English language
skills to people living in a non English-speaking environment, like I did in
Moscow, where it was mainly people working in international companies,
students thinking about their future, and those just generally motivated to
know about the world and travel.

UK

The flag: It is red, white and blue.

Geography: the capital is England, London. The UK is situated in
Europe. It is small and composed by the next countries: North Ireland,
Scotland, England and Wales.
Currency: the pound

USA

Geography: It is situated in North America. It is a very big country. It

has got 50 states. Its capital is Washington.
Flag: It is red, white, blue and it has got fifty stars because of the
states.
Currency: American Dollar
Government: Federal constitutional presidential republic
Hymn: The Star-Spangled Banner
Culture: The United States is a multicultural nation, home to a wide
variety of ethnic groups, traditions, and values.
Religion: The United States is officially a secular nation; the First
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of
religion. According to a 2007 survey, 78.4% of adults identified
themselves as Christian. Protestant denominations accounted for
51.3%, while Roman Catholicism, at 23.9%, was the largest individual
denomination.
 Economy: The United States has a mixed capitalist economy, which is
fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure,
and high productivity.

CANADA

Flag: it is red and white with a leaf

Geography: It is a country occupying most of northern North America,
extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in
the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second
largest country by total area. The capital is Ottawa.
Currency: Canadian dollar.
Hymn: O Canada
Government: Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional
monarchy
Culture: Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British,
French, and aboriginal cultures and traditions.
Religion: Support for religious pluralism is an important part of
Canada's political culture. 77.1% of Canadians identify as being
Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group (43.6%). The
largest Protestant denomination is the United Church of Canada
(9.5%), followed by the Anglicans (6.8%), Baptists (2.4%), Lutherans
(2%), and other Christians (4.4%)
Economy: Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations, with a high
per-capita income. Canada is one of the few developed nations that
are net exporters of energy.

AUSTRALIA

Government: Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional

monarchy
Currency: Australian dollar
Geography : is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the
mainland of the Australian continent (the world's smallest), the island
 of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans. The capital city of Australia is Canberra.
Religion: Australia has no state religion. In the 2006 Census, 64% of
Australians listed themselves as Christian, including 26% as Roman
Catholic and 19% as Anglican. The second-largest religion in Australia is
Buddhism (2.1%), followed by Islam (1.7%), Hinduism (0.8%), and
Judaism.
Culture: Since the mid-20th century, American popular culture has
strongly influenced Australia, particularly through television and
cinema.
Hymn: Advance Australia Fair.
Flag: it is red, black and blue. It has got six stars.

IRELAND

Flag: it is green, white and orange.

Hymn: The Soldier's Song
Currency: Euro
Government: Constitutional democracy
Geography: It is a state in northwest Europe. It is bordered to the
northeast by Northern Ireland, which is a part of the United Kingdom,
and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the Irish Sea to the
east, St George's Channel to the southeast, and the Celtic Sea to the
south.
Religion: Ireland's constitution provides for freedom of religion.
Christianity is the country's predominant religion, with the largest
church being the Roman Catholic Church and the second largest being
the Church of Ireland.

SOUTH AFRICA

Hymn: National anthem of South Africa

Government: Constitutional democracy
Currency: Rand
 Geography: The Republic of South Africa is one of the 54 states of the
African continent. South Africa has three capital cities: Cape Town, the
largest of the three, is the legislative capital; Pretoria is the
administrative capital; and Bloemfontein is the judicial capital. The
largest city in South Africa is Johannesburg
Religion: South Africa has a wide mix of religions. Many religions are
represented in the ethnic and regional diversity of South Africa's
population
Economy: South Africa is a well-developed middle-income country.

NEW ZEALAND

Flag: it is blue, red and white. It has got four red stars.
Currency: New Zealand dollar
Hymn: God Defend New Zealand
Government: Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
Geography: New Zealand is an island country in the south-western
Pacific Ocean. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington
Culture: New Zealand is culturally and linguistically part of Polynesia.
Much of contemporary New Zealand culture derives from British roots.
Religin: Christianity is the predominant religion in New Zealand, held
by 55.6% of the population. Another 34.7% indicated that they had no
religion, and around 4% affiliated with other religions
Economy: New Zealand has a modern, prosperous, developed
economy. The country has a relatively high standard of living

The United Kingdom comprises four geographic and historical parts

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom
contains most of the area and population of the British Islesthe
geographic term for the group of islands that includes Great Britain,
Ireland, and many smaller islands. Together England, Wales, and
Scotland constitute Great Britain, the larger of the two principal
islands, while Northern Ireland and the republic of Ireland constitute
 the second largest island, Ireland. England, occupying most of southern
Great Britain, includes the Isles of Scilly off the southwest coast and
the Isle of Wight off the southern coast. Scotland, occupying northern
Great Britain, includes the Orkney and Shetland islands off the
northern coast and the Hebrides off the northwestern coast. Wales lies
west of England and includes the island of Anglesey to the northwest.
Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom
is surrounded by sea. To the south of England and between the United
Kingdom and France is the English Channel. The North Sea lies to the
east. To the west of Wales and northern England and to the southeast
of Northern Ireland, the Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland,
while southwestern England, the northwestern coast of Northern
Ireland, and western Scotland face the Atlantic Ocean. At its widest the
United Kingdom is 300 miles (500 km) across. From the northern tip of
Scotland to the southern coast of England, it is about 600 miles (1,000
km). No part is more than 75 miles (120 km) from the sea. The capital,
London, is situated on the tidal River Thames in southeastern England.
The archipelago formed by Great Britain and the numerous smaller
islands is as irregular in shape as it is diverse in geology and landscape.
This diversity stems largely from the nature and disposition of the
underlying rocks, which are westward extensions of European
structures, with the shallow waters of the Strait of Dover and the
North Sea concealing former land links. Northern Ireland contains a
westward extension of the rock structures of Scotland. These common
rock structures are breached by the narrow North Channel.

The UK is made up of:

Great Britain (the formerly separate realms of England and Scotland,

and the principality of Wales. )

Northern Ireland (also known as Ulster)

Numerous smaller islands including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and

the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos.

Where is the UK?

The UK is an island nation in Western Europe just off the coast of France. The
mainland areas lie between latitudes 49N and 59N and longitudes 8W to
2E.

The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes
within 35 km (22 miles) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is
separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km
international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel
bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.

How big an area does the UK cover?

The UK has a total area of approximately 245,000 km, almost a quarter-of-a-

million square kilometres.

Seas surrounding the UK

The UK is made up of several islands. The only land border connecting the UK
to another country is between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The UK is bordered by four seas:

to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from

continental Europe
to the east by the North Sea
to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean

The Land

The UK Landscape is very varied, ranging from the Grampian Mountains of

Scotland to the lowland fens of England which are at or below sea level in
places.

Scotland and Wales are the most mountainous parts of the UK. A ridge of
hills, the Pennine, runs down the centre of northern England. Many coastal
areas are low-lying, especially in the east and south of England. These include
the wetlands of the Somerset levels, that regularly flood during heavy rain.
Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hills with isolated areas of high
ground such as Dartmoor in the south-west of England or the Mourne
Mountains in Northern Ireland.

Lakes

Northern Ireland is also home to the UK's largest lake, Lough Neagh, which
covers an area of 396sq.km (153 sq miles). Other major lakes include
Windermere in the English Lake District and Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Another of Scotland's lakes, Loch Ness is famous for sightings of 'Nessie', a
mythical monster!

UK Rivers

Being a relatively small Island, the UK's rivers are not very long. The Severn,
its longest river, is just 338 km in length, beginning in Wales and entering the
Atlantic Ocean near Bristol in England. Other major rivers include the
Thames, which flows through Oxford and London, and the Trent and Mersey
rivers, which drain rainfall from large areas of central England.

Climate

The Uk's climate varies greatly according to season and location, but on the
whole can be described as mild with few extremes.

Facts

The capital of England is London. Sometimes referred to the capital of

Britain. London is built along the River Thames
Three quarters of the land in Britain is used for farming.
Nine out of ten people live in towns and cities.
The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales.
More than two-thirds of people own their own homes.