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The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain, which includes the countries England, Wales and Scotland, along with Northern Ireland. It is basically a comfortable combination of villages and urban city life where some old manufacturing cities are found still functioning.

The population is mix of various cultures with the respective capitals of the cities offering great entertainment to the tourist. The cities provide all the normal pastimes of city life with theaters, pubs, discos, restaurants and shopping centers. And a visit to the outside of the cities, you can get a glimpse of the beautiful heritage of the villages here. There are ancient stone rings, vast country houses, medieval village churches and of course the local pub which are all worth a visit.

English is the common language of the country United Kingdom. There are some people who speak Gaelic in Scotland, and Welsh in Wales. However, most of the people here are bilingual as it is compulsory to study two languages in school here. When visiting United Kingdom, there are basically not many health precautions to be taken.

The climate in United Kingdom is very varied with snow in April, sunbathing possible in February and a slight drizzle present nearly the whole year through. However, rains tend to be heavier in the month of November. Though Scotland experiences snow, it cannot be considered to be a skier's paradise as the snowfall here is unpredictable. The Welsh coast and Northern Ireland have a warm summer, but the people here head to Britain in the summer to be in the sunniest spot of the country of United Kingdom.

Food wise, everyone will find something to suit their tastes as there is a large range of restaurants serving a variety of food in Britain. Surprisingly, the country's most popular dish is the Indian dish, chicken tikka masala! There are also Chinese, Italian, Thai and traditional dishes like fish and chips, roast lamb, and desserts like rhubarb crumble or trifle all served in restaurants here. The famous food of the Scots is haggis and neeps, while the Welsh are famous for laver bread and Welsh rarebit. Drinking is a favorite with the British, but most pubs close at 11 pm because of licensing laws. Of course, Scotch whiskey is a drink with international acclaim, along with Irish whisky. Visit one of the many distilleries of the country to taste some beautiful whisky!

When in the United Kingdom, you have to buy some tea, high street fashions, souvenirs of football, rugby and cricket and of course Scotch whisky when you return home. Umbrellas here too are very decorative, with designs like the London Underground and Union flag a famous lot. If you love choir music, then you have to take along with you a recording of Welsh male choirs to take you back to its valleys when you return home!

The currency here is the British pound, and they have no plans of joining the Euro. However, it is better to have cheque in Sterling to avoid extra costs that the exchange places charge. You can reach the United Kingdom through air, ferry and for internal traveling; you find a good train service. For your communication needs, you can buy phone cards and calling cards from the many booths there are in United Kingdom to make the necessary phone calls you need. Mobile phones can be bought either through the internet or from stores; but the internet phones cost considerably cheaper. Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from United Kingdom.