Alnwick Castle
London ZooFounded in 1828, London Zoo is the oldest zoo in the world. More than 15,000 animals live there today. One cage invites visitors to step inside, and the sign on the cage says: ‘London Zoo presents the most destructive animal in the world – Man’.
The London EyeThe London Eye is the tallest observation wheel in the world. It is 135m high. Since opening in March 2000 it has become a symbol of modern Britain.
Multicultural BritainIf you walk down a street in Britain, especially in the bigger cities, you will see people with different hair, skin and eye colours. More and more people from different countries arrive in Great Britain each year. Today, you can hear 300 languages in the streets of London. But now those who want to live in Britain have to take a test on ‘Britishness’ to show their knowledge of British culture, history and laws.
The Smallest Police StationTrafalgar Square in London is home to the smallest police station in Britain, and probably the world. It’s inside a lamppost! There is a room for just one police officer.
The Tallest SkyscraperIn 2012, Britain became home to the tallest building in Europe. The Shard (or London Bridge Tower) is 306 metres high and has 87 floors. The glass-clad pyramidal tower has 72 habitable floors, with a viewing gallery and an open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244.3 metres. It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano who called his creature ‘a vertical town’.
Shard
National SportCricket, the national sport of England, is very old. It dates back to the 16th century! Traditionally, it was played by men, though there are now several women’s teams. Cricket is terribly slow and long. It can take five days to play! Eleven players are on the field, but ten of them stand still most of the time. Another strange thing about cricket is that both teams wear the same colour – white.
The Youngest CapitalCardiff is Europe’s youngest capital city. It was made a city in 1905, and in 1955 it became the capital of Wales. However, the history of Cardiff dates back more than 2,000 years to the Romans.
