The united kingdom of great britain

Business hours of institutions

Shops are open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Museums and exhibitions are open from 10:00 to 18:00. On Sundays they are open from 14:00 to 17:00. Banks work on working days from 9.30 to 15.30. Some banks close late on Thursdays and are open until noon on Saturdays.

Purchases

Value Added Tax (VAT) in the UK is 17.5%. In shops, hotels and restaurants, VAT is almost always included in the price. VAT can be refunded in two ways.
The first way is called retail export. You'll ask the shop to complete a VAT Form 407 (you'll need proof of identity) and hand it in to customs when you leave the UK. Please note that there may be long queues at VAT refund points at major airports . Within 8 weeks, the amount of VAT minus a small commission will be transferred to your card or sent by British cheque.
If the goods are shipped to your home address, the second, more complicated method, Direct Export, is used. In this case, you must have a VAT form 407 certified by customs, the police or a notary. When you get home, you send it to the store, who will refund you the VAT.

Emergency phones

Police, fire brigade - 999 or 112.

Questions and opinions about Great Britain

Question answer
Question answer

United Kingdom
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
The area is 244,100 sq. km Population -56,600,000 people
This country is located in the British Isles in the Atlantic Ocean - the largest archipelago in Europe. A big island with its own nameit is called Great Britain, and by the name of its main historical part - sometimes England. Officially, this country is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country consists of 4 historical regions: England occupies the central and southeastern parts of the island of Great Britain, Scotland is located in the north of the island of Great Britain; Wales - in the west of the same island, and Northern Ireland (Ulster) - on the island of Ireland. The people of this country call themselves British to indicate that not only English people live in the British Isles, but also Scottish, Welsh and Irish people. All of them are proud of their language and ancient culture.
M any people from Asia, Africa and the West Indies also live in large cities. Great Britain is a small, highly developed capitalist country, one of the first industrial countries in the world. The British were the first to build large factories and manufacture machine tools. The English inventor D. Watt made a steam engine, and a talented worker D. Stevenson made a steam engine. And now English machines and devices, ships and fabrics are famous.
Great Britain once had many colonies. The first English colony appeared in North America back in 1607, and the last - Gibraltar still exists today. England's possessions include India, Canada, Australia, New Zealand , Africa and a number of countries in the Middle East. Today, almost all colonies have gained independence.
The head of state is the monarch, whose power is limited by parliament. Northern Ireland (Ulster) is a land of arable land, pastures, vegetable gardens and gardens. Capital city- Belfast. There are many shipyards, shipbuilding and chemical plants, and textile factories. Scotland is a country of mountains, lakes and beautiful valleys. They love Scottish folk songs and dances. At folk festivals, ancient music was played with the sound of glasses. Scottish national costumes are beautiful, especially men's skirts - kilts. But Scotland is still a country of factories and large ports. The suburbs of Edinburgh (the main city of Scotland) and Glasgow are literally "filled" with factories, factories, shipyards. Coal is mined and steel is smelted here. The ships that deliver Scottish cars and goods to all countries of the world are right there, on the banks of the River Clyde. built in the shipyards located in Zida. They make computers and plastic products, powerful turbines and precision instruments. Great Britain has always been rich in coal, but oil has been imported into the country. Now a large part of it is mined from the bottom of the North Sea. The Scottish city of Aberdeen is a major oilfield service center - the "oil capital" of the country. Wales - the most mountainous part of Great Britain - is located in the south-west of the island. Coal is mined here, steel and tin plate manufacturing plants, chemical and oil refining plants, and non-ferrous metallurgy plants are built here. The main city of Wales is Cardiff. In the Welsh countryside, vegetables and potatoes are grown and sheep are raised. Villagers on the coast
The largest and most populous part of Great Britain is England. The majority of the country's population lives here. England is one of the first industrialized countries in the world. In the old English cities: Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool - factories and factories work day and night. In England, they are cars and airplanes, ships and electronic equipment, various chemical and textile industries ... Agriculture is well developed in England. The capital is located in the south of England on the River Thames, Great Britain - London ... This is one of the oldest citiesin Europe. The West End, which means "West End" of London, has museums, hotels, shops - the best, the most expensive. There is plenty of greenery, Hyde Park, London's largest park, and a Speaker's Corner where tourists gather to watch traditional debates and anyone can speak. ” in Westminster is the political and administrative centercountry. The oldest parliament in the world is located in the Palace of Westminster. Government offices are concentrated on White Hall Street. The Royal Buckingham Palace is located nearby. City area is the central business part of the city, one of the world's financial centers. Banks and offices are concentrated here. The city has houses built a century ago and modern skyscrapers. At the entrance to this "golden kingdom" is the Minaret - both a palace and a fortress, a former prison turned into a museum. The docks and piers of the Port of London were moved to the River Thames. There is a lot of greenery around London, wheat and barley are planted in the fields, cattle graze in the meadows. This area is called Green England.
Great Britain is called a country of traditions. The changing of the guards at the gates of Buckingham Palace has been going on for decades. Members of the royal family wear medieval clothing during their coronation. Judges and lawyers sit in court wearing wigs and robes. Antique clothing is still worn in some parts of Scotland. The mountaineer's national dress consists of a collared shirt of white linen, a large skirt with long pleats reaching to the knees, a short cloth jacket with cuffs, and a cloak thrown over one shoulder. On his feet are knee-high and thick coarse shoes with metal buckles, and on his head is a dark-colored beret with a wide check. From the end of the 18th century. this dress became the uniform of the Scots Guards. England is an ancient culture, the homeland of talented scientists, writers: I. Newton, J. Watt, W. Shakespeare, W. Scott, B. Shaw, R. Burns, Ch, Dickens and others. Traditional holidays are very special, nationalism is preserved. the english. The most favorite of them is Christmas. There is a traditional interest in sports in the country. Sports play an important role in many school curricula. Many sports played around the world come from England, such as football. This is by far the most popular game. On Shrovetide or Easter, in some villages, a football tournament is organized, in which the entire population often participates. Traditional and mandatory dishes of English cuisine are oatmeal, steak, puddings. Tea is the most popular drink.