Jamie Alton's Recent Blogs

The United States of America is the fourth largest country in the world (after Russia, Canada and China). It occupies the southern part of North America and stretches from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. It also includes Alaska in the north and Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.

The total area of the country is about nine and a half million square kilometers. The USA borders on Canada in the north and on Mexico in the south. It also has a sea-boarder with Russia. The USA is made up of 50 states and the District of Columbia, a special federal Area where the capital of the country, Washington, is situated.

If we look at the map of the USA, we can see lowlands and mountains. The highest mountains are the Rocky Mountains, the Cordillera and the Sierra Nevada. The highest peak is Mount McKinley which is located in Alaska.

America’s largest rivers are the Mississippi, the Missouri, the Rio Grande and the Columbia. The Great Lakes on the border with Canada are the largest and deepest in the USA.

The climate of the country varies greatly. The coldest regions are in the north. The climate of Alaska is arctic. The climate of the central part is continental. The south has a subtropical climate. Hot winds blowing from the Gulf of Mexico often bring typhoons. The climate along the Pacific coast is much warmer than that of the Atlantic coast.

The USA is a highly developed industrial country. It’s the world’s leading producer of copper and oil and the world’s second producer of iron ore and coal. Among the most important manufacturing industries are aircraft, cars, textiles, radio and television sets, armaments, furniture and paper.

Though mainly European and African in origin, Americans are made up from nearly all races and nations, including Chinese and native Americans.

The largest cities are: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San-Francisco, Washington and others.

The United States is a federal union of 50 states, each of which has its own government. The seat of the central (federal) government is Washington, DC. According to the US Constitution the powers of the government are divided into 3 branches: the executive, headed by the President, the legislative, exercised by the Congress, and the judicial. The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

There are two main political parties in the USA: the Republican and the Democratic, though there’s hardly any difference between their political lines.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the UK) occupies the British Isles and consists of 4 parts: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The country has the population of 60 million people within the land area of 244 thousand square kilometers. The isles are washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and in the west and by the English Channel in the south. The UK is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea. Great Britain is separated from Northern Ireland by the Irish Sea and the North Channel.



There are many beautiful lakes and mountains in Scotland and England. The highest point in the Highlands is Ben Nevis (1 340 meters). The longest river flows in England, it is the Severn. The main attraction in the north of England is the Lake District. Thanks to the warm waters of Gulf Stream the island is very green and the British climate is mild. Local summers are rather hot and winters are not cold. As the weather is very changeable in Britain, it is the favorite topic for discussion with the British.



The capital of Great Britain is London. It stands on the Thames river. The country is a constitutional monarchy and officially the Queen is the Head of state. But it is ruled by the Prime Minister and the government. The legislative body is the Parliament which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.



The UK is a highly developed industrial state. The chief industries are shipbuilding, fishing and mining, production of aircraft equipment, electronics, textile and chemicals. The country is the world’s largest exporter of iron and steel goods. The most important industrial cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh.



A lot of famous people were born and lived in Great Britain. Among them are Shakespeare, Newton, Churchill, Paul McCartney, Joanne Rowling, Sting, David Beckham and many others.

The most interesting for diving enthusiasts are the western beaches. Here is the famous Western Blue Depression, and at the bottom there are almost three wrecks

The Amazon rainforests are jungles that span a vast plain, span the entire Amazon basin and cover 5.5 million square kilometers. The jungle on the shores of the Amazon is equal in size to half of all the remaining rainforests on our planet. At least 3,000 species of fish, 1,300 species of birds, about 500 species of mammals, more than 400 species of amphibians, almost 400 species of reptiles and about 100 thousand species of various invertebrates live here. And there is nothing to say about the diversity of flora - there are 150 thousand species of higher plants per one square kilometer, including 75 thousand species of trees.

To imagine the length of this creation of human hands, imagine a pool at the Olympic games, and then try to imagine 20 (!) such pools. It is built in the small town of Algarrobo in Chile. This is not only the longest pool, but also the deepest.

With every New Year come greater challenges and obstacles in life. I wish you courage, hope and faith to overcome all the hurdles you face. May you have a great year and a wonderful time ahead!

Christmas is a time for sending
Wishes warm and true...
These wishes are for happiness
At Christmas time for you.

From the end of March to the beginning of may, the whole of Holland is transformed. Such a sea of flowers you will not see anywhere else in the world. Huge areas are sown with tulips of all shades: pink, blue, red, yellow, green, purple... it is Worth seeing them, as well as windmills, cities with unique architecture, canals and much more. The Netherlands will not leave anyone indifferent.

Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is one of the main natural attractions of Australia, which attracts more than 400 thousand people every year. The rock changes its color depending on the time of day and lighting and is from bright orange to dark purple. On the rock preserved ancient drawings of aborigines, and the whole place is covered with old stories and legends. Therefore, be sure to visit Uluru with a guide, learn a lot of interesting things.

The most beautiful thing is to look into the eyes of a person who is smiling. Each eyes "smile" in its own way. But smiling eyes are the most beautiful.