Northern Europe |
From the information of each country, you should principally focus on the geography, the capital, the population, the extension and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (the GDP is the value of the total production of goods and services of a given country within a national territory, divided by the average population. Per capita = per head, per habitant. Data of the World Development Indicators, World Bank)
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The United Kingdom
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Population: 61,018,648 inhabitants Land surface: 244,820 Km2 Currency: British Pound GDP per capita (per inhabitant): US$ 33,238 Language: English Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Capital: London 7,429,000 inhabitants (2001). Other cities (inhabitants): Birmingham 992,000; Leeds 720,000; Glasgow 578,000; Sheffield 516,000; Edinburgh 454,000; Liverpool 445,000; Manchester 437,000 (2001). Government: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy, Elizabeth II, Queen and Head of State since February 1952. Dependencies: Gibraltar; Falklands; Pitcairn; Saint Helena; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent; Solomon Islands; Turks and Caicos; Virgin Islands (UK) Religion: Christian 71.6%; no religion/not specified 23.2%; Islamic 2.7%, Hindu 1.0%; Sikh 0.6%; Jewish 0.5%; Buddhist 0.3%. Geography. This country is made up of Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, plus some smaller islands. The center of Britain is occupied by the Pennines Mountains, which are of low height. The Grampian Mountains rise in Scotland, while the Cambrian Mountains rise in Wales. The great plains are in the southeast around London. The weather is mild. Agriculture, which is a subsidiary activity, is highly mechanic. Services – especially insurance, finance, and tourism – are big currency generators. The vast carbon and iron reserves, which built the foundation of the Industrial Revolution, are almost completely exhausted, while the gas and petroleum deposits in the North Sea – which made the United Kingdom a principal exporter of those products starting from the 1970s – are rapidly decreasing. |
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Ireland
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Population: 4,380,073 inhabitants
Land surface: 70,270 Km2 Currency: Euro GDP per capita: US$ 38,505 Language: Irish and English Official name: Poblacht na h’Éireann. Capital: Dublin 1,122,800 inhabitants (including city and county) (2002). Other cities (inhabitants): Cork 123,100; Limerick 54,000; Galway 65,800; Waterford 44,600 (2002) Religion (2002): Catholics 88.4%; Church of Ireland 2.9%; Presbyterians 0.5%. Geography. The northern part of Ireland is part of the United Kingdom. The Irish Republic occupies the rest of the island. The southern part of the country has massif mountain ranges, which do not surpass the thousand meters. The central plain extends from east to west and has many lakes and rivers. With a humid oceanic climate and an infertile soil, pastures apt for livestock cover a big part of the country. Agriculture mainly develops on the eastern slopes and valleys of the Shannon River. The principal agricultural products are wheat, barley, potatoes, beets and hay. The industry of transforming livestock products is the most important one. |
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Norway
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Population: 4,727,260 inhabitants Land surface: 323,802 km2 Currency: Norwegian Krone GDP per capita: US$ 41,420 Language: Norwegian Official name: Kongeriket Norge. Capital: Oslo 795,000 inhabitants (2003). Other cities: Bergen 200,200 inhabitants; Trondheim 140,700; Stavanger 109,900 (2000). Government: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy Religion: Church of Norway (Lutheran) 88%; There are Muslim, Catholic and Evangelist minorities. Geography. The Scandinavian mountains run throughout the Norwegian territory from north to south along the coast. On the western slope glacial erosion dug the valleys deeply below the current sea level, giving rise to the 'fjords' coast, narrow and deep sea branches framed by steep slopes. Under the influence of the oceanic drift from the north of the Gulf Stream, there are humid and pleasant winters, and cold summers, while the vast areas of the high lands have peatlands and tundra. The north is traversed by small groups of nomadic reindeer breeders, Sami. The population is concentrated in the south, especially in the region of Oslo. Nine tenths of the territory is uninhabited.
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1. Answer to which country the statement refers to: United Kingdom, Ireland or Norway.
