The British Isles are situated on the west side of Europe. Geographically the British Isles are made up of two main islands, Great Britain and Ireland. Politically the two islands are made up of:

• the United Kingdom, which includes Great Britain (with England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland
• the Republic of Ireland, in the southern part of Ireland. The population of the United Kingdom is about 59 million. That’s 6 times more than Greece. About 10-12 million people live in London, its capital. London is about twice as big as Athens. The Republic of Ireland has a population of 3,7 million. One third of its people live in its capital, Dublin.
• Each country has a national flower. The national flower of England is the rose; for Wales, the daffodil; for Scotland, the thistle and for the Republic of Ireland, the shamrock.