English-Speaking Countries
|
|
There are several countries in the world where English is a
native language. These countries are the United Kingdom, the United States of
America, Australia and New Zealand. It is also one of the official languages
in Canada, the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa. Although
these countries are situated in different parts of the world, they all share
the same language. As a second language English is spoken in more than 60
countries. English is one of the most popular and widespread languages in the
world.
|
|
1. The
USA
The
United States of America is one of the greatest countries in the world
The capital of the USA is Washington. It stands on the Potomac river
in the eastern part of the country. The main cities are located on the Pacific
and Atlantic coasts. New-York is the largest city of the country. Other large
cities are San-Francisco, Los-Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, Phoenix and Dallas.
The current version of National Flag of USA was adopted on
July 4, 1960.
The National Flag of USA has thirteen equal horizontal
stripes with alternate colours red and white. It has a blue rectangle in the
top left corner of the flag with 50 white pointed five-stars arranged in nine
horizontal rows. The stars are six and five in numbers alternately and 50 in
number representing different states.
Great Seal
The Great Seal of United States of America was adopted in
June 20,1782.
The Great Seal is used for various documents, treaties,
commissions, United States passports, military insignia, embassy placards and
many other places.
The centre of the Seal has Bald Eagle (National Bird), in
the beak of the bird is a scroll with “E pluribus unum” inscribed meaning “out
of many, one”. The two claws of Eagle holds a bundle of olive branch and
thirteen arrows respectively. The front of the Eagle contains a shield of red
and white stripes. Above the Eagle is cloud with blue field having thirteen
stars in it.
The reverse of thee Seal contains 13 step Pyramid with 1776
inscribed (in Roman Numerals). Below the Pyramid is a scroll “Novus Ordo
Seclorum” meaning “New Order of the Ages”. Above the Pyramid is the Eye of
Providence and motto “Annuit Coeptis”
Liberty Enlightening the World
"The Statue of Liberty Enlightening
the World" was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the
United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy.
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was designated
as a National Monument in 1924. Employees of the National Park Service
have been caring for the colossal copper statue since 1933.
2. Canada is an independent federative state. It is
one of the most developed countries.
Canada consists of ten provinces and
two territories. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, which is situated on the bank
of the Ottawa River.
The
maple leaf flag of Canada was first raised on 15 February, 1965. The flag,
designed by George Stanley, was picked from a number of proposals. The first ever maple leaf flag was stitched by
Joan O'Malley. For more information about Canada's flag visit this site's
flags page.
|
Canadian
Colours
|
Red and white are the official colours of Canada. They were
designated Canada's official colours by King George V on 21 November, 1921,
in the proclamation of the Royal Arms of Canada.
|
The Maple Leaf and Tree
|
|
The maple leaf is Canada's most prominent symbol, recognized as
Canadian all around the world. According to many historians, the maple leaf
began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700. The maple tree was
officially proclaimed the national arboreal emblem of Canada on 25 April,
1996.
|
The
Beaver
|
|
Another symbol of Canada is the beaver. The beaver has played an
important role in the history of Canada since the first explorers arrived
here and started the fur trade. It has been used in emblems by many Canadian
companies throughout the years. From the Hudson's Bay Company to the Canadian
Pacific Railway. The beaver was made an official emblem of Canada on 24
March, 1975 when royal assent was given to "an act to provide for the
recognition of the beaver (castor canadensis) as a symbol of the sovereignty
of Canada".
|
3.
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies
most of the territory of the British Isles. It consists of four main parts:
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London is the capital of England, Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland,
Cardiff - of Wales and Belfast - of Northern Ireland.
The official language of the United Kingdom is
English. But in western Scotland some people still speak Gaelic and in northern
and central parts of Wales people often speak Welsh. The flag of the United
Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The big red
cross is the cross of Saint George, the patron saint of England. The white
cross is the cross of Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red
diagonal cross is the cross of Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.
4.
Australia
is the
only country in the world that is also a continent. It is the sixth large
country and the smallest continent.The capital of the country is Canberra. The official
language is English.
Australia's national symbols represent what is unique about the
nation, reflecting different aspects of our cultural life and history.
Australian National Flag
First flown in 1901, Australian national flag is
expression of Australian identity and pride.
Flag is formed of three elements on blue background:
1) Union jack in upper left corner acknowledging the
history of British settlement.
2) Commonwealth star with seven points representing unity
of six states and territories of Commonwealth of Australia.
3) Southern Cross shown on fly of the flag in white.
5. It is New Zealand, called the Land of
the Long White Cloud by the Maoris.
New Zealand is an island country.
The capital of New Zealand since 1865, and one of its busiest ports, Wellington
is at southern end of North Island, lying among hills on the western side of a
natural harbour.
National Flag of New Zealand
The Flag of New Zealand bears striking
similarity with Union Flag. It has four red stars with a white border. The
stars represent the configuration of Crux, referred to as the Southern Cross,
in New Zealand.
6. Ireland
Ireland is an island on
the west side of Europe. The capital of Ireland is Dublin.
Ireland is a
country of good butter, good beer and good horses. People come from all over
the world to buy Irish horses, from Europe, from America, from Arab countries
and from the Far East. Ireland also has its manufacturing industry.
The
national flag of Ireland frequently referred to as the Irish tricolour – is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white, and orange.
The
proportions of the flag are 1:2 (that is to say that, as flown horizontally,
the flag is half as high as it is wide). The Irish government has described the
symbolism behind each colour as being that of green
representing the Gaelic tradition of Ireland, orange representing the followers of William of Orange in Ireland, and white representing the aspiration for
peace between them.
7. THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Pretoria (executive)
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Cape
Town (legislative)
The national flag of the Republic of South Africa was adopted
on Freedom Day, 27 April 1994, and first flown 10 May 1994 - the day Nelson
Mandela was inaugurated as President.
The central design of the flag, beginning at the flag-pole in
a V form and flowing into a single horizontal band to the outer edge of the
fly, can be interpreted as the convergence of diverse elements within South
African society, taking the road ahead in unity.
The South African flag is the only national flag to display
six colours as part of its primary design.
Officially, the South African flag colours do not hold any
symbolism, although they have unmistakable historical origins. Black, yellow
and green are the colours of ruling ANC party. Red, white and blue are a nod to
both the flags of the European colonists as well as the old Boer republics.
On a more
abstract level, the colours can be seen to represent South Africa's natural
beauty (green and blue, nature and the oceans), agreeable climate (yellow and
red, sun and soil) and its people (black and white).
Оставьте свой комментарий
Авторизуйтесь, чтобы задавать вопросы.