English-speaking Countries

English-speaking Countries
English is a mother tongue for most people living in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. These countries share the same language, but every one of them has its own traditions and habits.

Great Britain comprises England, Wales and Scotland. Together with Northern Ireland, it forms the United Kingdom. It includes four nations – the English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. They differ in their way of life, customs, values and traditions. In England people are said to be reserved in manners, dress and speech. They are conservative and stick to traditions. They are famous for their politeness, self-discipline, reliability and for their specific sense of humour. It is true that the British rarely shake hands when they meet. They like sport, especially football, cricket, golf, tennis and horse racing.

Scotland is a country where special traditions are kept, such as playing bagpipes and wearing kilts (typical knee-length skirts for both men and women). There are many whisky distilleries with a long tradition. The Scottish people speak various dialects of English and Gaelic.

Wales is rich in culture and history. The Welsh people are known for their love of music and poetry. There are two languages spoken in Wales – English and Welsh, which is a Celtic language and very different form English.

Northern Ireland lies on the north of the island of Ireland and is a part of the United Kingdom. Most of the country is rural and over half of the population is Protestant. The Republic of Ireland is a sovereign state and is mostly Catholic. Conflicts between Protestants and Catholics are still alive. The Catholic community wants Northern Ireland to join the Republic of Ireland, whereas the Protestant community wants to remain part of the U.K. The Irish people are hospitable and friendly, they like music and dancing. Social life concentrates in pubs where live music and drinking is very common.

The United States of America is home to people mostly of European origin but also of Afro-American, Native American, Japanese, Chinese and other origins. The people in the USA also speak their minority and immigrant languages. Spanish is an important language, especially in the southern state.

It is said that Americans are loud, extremely self-conscious, dressed in tasteless clothes. However, when you get to know them better, you find out that they are open, friendly, hard-working and independent. America is a wealthy country and Americans enjoy high standard of living. However, there are also many poor people there.

It is a typical custom to teach children independence form an early age. Each adult member of a typical American family has his own car. Most Americans drive to work and students often drive to school. Americans like travelling and they often drive long distances through the country, especially during the holidays, to visit their friends and relatives.

Americans do not usually stay in the same town all their lives. They like to move. It is not unusual for families to move house or go to live in another town or state more than once every ten years
Nowadays, more and more Americans take care of their health. They do some sport, eat healthier food, smoke less and drink less alcohol. Smoking is banned in some public places. English spread all over the world. Great Britain, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are English speaking countries. Why English is so extended language in the world?
During the 17th and 18th centuries British navigators sailed across the seas with the aim of extending Britain’s power and prosperity (процветание). They colonized new territories around the world, taking their language with them. The first New World settlement was established in Jamestown in America in 1607. Canada was won from the French in 1763. During the 17th century British rule was established in the West Indian islands of Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, St Kitts and Trinidad and Tobago. Australia and New Zealand were discovered during Capitan Cook’s voyage in 1768. English was imposed as the official language of the new colonies; it was the language of education and administration.
English speaking countries are situated in different parts of the world and differ in many ways. The weather and climate of these countries, and the way of people’s life differ. Each country has its own history customs, traditions, and its own national holidays. But they all have a common English language.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consist of 4 parts: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. There are no high mountains, no very long rivers, no vast forest areas in U.K. Great Britain is parliamentary monarchy. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. Christmas day is one of their favorite holidays. It's celebrated on the 25-th of December. Traditions connected with it are to give presents to each other, to send Christmas cards and to make traditional Christmas dinner with turkey and pudding.
The USA is situated in the central part of the North American continent. The population of the USA is about 240 million people. Most of Americans speak English. But there we can also meet French, German and other languages. The USA is a highly developed industrial country.
Canada has to official languages – English and French.
Australia and New Zealand Australia and New Zealand are situated in the southern hemisphere summer, so the warmest month is January, and the coldest winter month is June. Snow falls only on the mountain there. Many immigrants from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland live in Australia and New Zealand.
Except for the United Kingdom there are some other countries in the world where people speak English and this language is one of the official languages. The largest and most important of them are the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
The territory of the United States of America is over 9 million square kilometres; this is one of the largest countries in the world. Its population is about 250 million people. People of various nationalities live in the USA: the English, the German, the Chinese, the Hindu, the Greek and so on.
The USA has 50 states. The flag of the USA has 13 red and white stripes, which symbolize the original 13 states. 50 stars on the blue field in the left upper corner are for each of the 50 states of the country in our days. The capital of the USA is Washington, D. C. (the District of Columbia). This city was named in honour of the first president, George Washington. Some of the biggest cities of the USA are New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and others.
The USA as any other country has its own symbols, traditions and holidays
- for example, the 4th of July, or Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day. The national symbol of America is the bald eagle. Another American symbol is Uncle Sam.
The world's second-largest country is Canada. The total area of Canada equals to almost 10 million square kilometres. The climate in Canada isn’t mild. It has four very distinct seasons, it can be very hot in summer - to 35°C above zero and higher, and quite cold in winter - 25°C below zero and even colder. Though Canada is one of largest countries in the world, its population isn’t dense. There are only about 30 million people living in Canada which is very little if we compare the territory of Canada with the UK where 60 million people live.
Canada has two official languages - English and French. Many Canadians speak both languages very well. The leading cities of Canada are Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. The official head of Canada is the Queen of the United Kingdom. But practically there is a Prime Minister of the Canadian government to rule the country. Besides Canada has a democratic parliament, which is situated in Ottawa and consists of the House of Commons and the Senate.
Official emblems of Canada are the beaver and the maple leaf. The colours of Canada are white and red.
Australia – a continent and a state - is situated in the Southern Hemisphere, in the southern part of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is about 8 million square kilometres. Australia occupies the Tasmania Island and a number of smaller islands too. Australia is the sixth largest country in area. It has a wide climate range, from tropical in the north to temperate in the south-east.
Australia is divided into 8 administrative areas. The population of Australia equals to about 18 million people and 70 percent of them live in urban areas – in Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and other large cities. The capital of Australia, Canberra, is not very large, but it is lovely.
Australia has a multicultural society. People of about 200 nationalities live there. The aborigines, the Australian natives, represent about 1.5 percent of the population.
The Australian flag is blue. There is the flag of the UK on the Australian banner, a large seven-pointed star beneath it and the Southern Cross constellation
The most popular Australian animals as well as informal Australian symbols are the koala, emu and kangaroo.
Another country in the Pacific Ocean where people speak English as an official language is New Zealand. It is located not far from Australia – only the Tasman Sea separates them by a distance of about 1,600 km. New Zealand occupies two large islands - the North Island and the South Island as well as numerous small islands. New Zealand isn’t very large in area.
New Zealand has a population of 3.8 million people. Many people live in urban areas, and about 50 percent of them live in the largest cities - Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton, and Dunedin. The first of them is an important seaport and industrial centre. And Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.
New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. New Zealand stays in close association with the United Kingdom as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. And the formal head of the state is the Queen of the United Kingdom.
The New Zealand flag represents the Southern Cross, the stars of it are red with white edgings. The flag of the United Kingdom in the left upper corner shows the recognition to the historical foundations and the fact that New Zealand was once a British colony and dominion.
The national emblem of New Zealand is a flightless bird kiwi. And silver fern is a sporting emblem.
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