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What is the UK?

  • The UK stands for the United Kingdom.
  • It is called this because it is made up of four smaller countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
  • England, Scotland and Wales are located on the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are on the island of Ireland.

Which island do you live on?

A cartoon map of the UK showing England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and their capital cities: London, Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff. It also shows the Atlantic Ocean, English Sea, Irish Sea and North Sea surrounding the UK.

The UK is surrounded by water:

  • The English Channel (between England and France)
  • The Irish Sea (between England and Wales and Northern Ireland and Ireland)
  • The North Sea (between Great Britain, Norway and Denmark).

When you visit the seaside, you might swim in one of these seas!

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What are the capital cities in the UK?

Each of the four countries of the UK has its own capital city.

  • Belfast is the capital city of Northern Ireland.
  • Cardiff is the capital city of Wales.
  • Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland.
  • London is the capital city of England.

When we visit the capital cities, we see different landmarks in each one. Have a look at the photos.

  • What buildings can you see?
  • Have you noticed that all of the capitals are near water?
Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 4, Sara standing next to a photo of Belfast, This is Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.
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Watch: Find out more about the UK

Learn about the countries in the United Kingdom in this video from 大象传媒 Teach.

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What is it like in the UK?

Two sheep on a hill. below are three people standing in the rain in London.

The UK is in the Northern Hemisphere and we have four seasons.

Spring is when the temperature increases and things start to grow again after the cold days of winter.

After spring comes summer. This is usually the warmest season. It is when crops grow and we expect the sunniest weather.

Then comes autumn and the temperature starts to cool down again. Plants and trees shed their leaves.

Winter is the coldest, darkest time of the year. Crops grow more slowly because of the low temperatures.

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Activities

Activity 1: Countries in the UK

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Activity 2: UK capital cities

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Activity 3: Quiz 鈥 The UK

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Fun and educational primary games in science, maths, English, history, geography, art and design, computing and modern languages.

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