Made up of three countries, England, Scotland, Wales and a province, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland offers a wide variety of countryside and city life to suit all tastes.

The following snapshots of each country will give you a flavour of what to expect when you arrive in the UK.

Home to approximately 60 million people, England is the most populated area of the UK and home to the capital city of London. London was voted the best city to locate a business, for the 12th year running (European Cities Monitor 2001 survey of senior executives from 500 European companies). London was voted top for e-business, out of 26 European locations, by senior e-business executives from top firms around the world. London is host to more major international corporations than any other European country. London is the HQ of 130 out of the world’s top 500 companies. The list could go on.

There are also many world famous cities in England such as Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield to name but a few, all of which offer a range of shops, museums, restaurants and bars to cater for all tastes. Most of the larger cities have a cosmopolitan population making it easy for international students to feel at home. If you are looking for a smaller city within which to study there are many from which to choose including Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Norwich or York each has its own distinct identity.

One of the great advantages of having so many cities within a relatively small country is that it is easy to travel between them, hence wherever you are living in England it is only a matter of hours before you can be in another location seeing friends or just sightseeing and having fun.

Scotland is home for 6 million national and international people. The majority of the population lives in and around the 5 cities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling which are mainly located on or near the coastline. The geographical heart of Scotland is dominated by dramatic mountains and deep lochs (lakes) offering a landscape that is breath taking in its tranquillity and stunning beauty.

For many Scotland is viewed as an especially cold part of the United Kingdom. While this is true if you are standing at the top of Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland and the UK, it is not the case if you are based in any of the Scottish cities. With average daily temperatures just a few degrees colder than London, Scotland offers a very similar climate to the rest of the UK.

Wales is a country with scenic landscapes, magical castles, vibrant cities and culture. The cities and towns range from traditional country towns where markets are still held to the cosmopolitan capital city of Cardiff, from lively coastal resorts to historic settlements clustered around medieval castles.

Cardiff is an extremely student friendly city with a population of over 300,000. It is only 2 hours by train from London and has its own international airport. Swansea has the unique 5 mile bay famous for the Marina & Maritime Quarters. It is a vibrant city with the famous Swansea market, which is the largest covered market in Wales.

A province with a troubled past but a bright and prosperous future, Northern Ireland is relatively small at only 5,500 square miles. Accessible by a ferry or plane from mainland Great Britain the province offers any student spectacular scenery, dramatic coastlines and vibrant cities with Belfast and Londonderry.

Northern Ireland hosts a variety of cultural and historical destinations from Giant’s Causeway to Mourne Mountains and from the grandeur of Belfast City Hall to traditional music pubs famed for their hospitality and lively entertainment.