English is the third most spoken native language worldwide, after Chinese and Hindi, with some 380 million speakers. It is the official language in 71 sovereign states and territories with the total population of 2,135 million people. Among them are the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Canada, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and many others. In the UK and the USA there is no law about the official language, and English is the official language there de facto. There are some countries, too, where English is the major language, that is, it is the native language of the overwhelming majority of the population; these countries include the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and some others. The two most important English-speaking countries are, of course, the UK and the USA.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are 64 million people in Great Britain whose first language is English (97% of population). London, the capital of Great Britain, is one of the leading global cities. It is the political, economic and cultural centre of the country. Great Britain has always been a Great Power and contributed a lot to the development of new territories.

The history of the USA started with 13 British colonies set along the Atlantic coast. On July, 4, 1776 they proclaimed their independence from Great Britain. Today the country consists of 50 states and the federal District of Columbia, where Washington, the capital of the USA, is located. It is one of the most developed countries in the world, with English being the first language for about 80% of its population.

The first European colonists came to this country from France. But after that for many years Canada was under British rule until the country gained its independence in the XX century. There are two official languages in Canada. English is the first language for nearly 70% of Canadians. Canada is the second largest country in the world with rich oil, coal and natural gas fields.

Australia is the only country in the world which occupies the whole continent. The exploration of the continent began in the late XVIII century when the first British colonies were formed. Australia was a place where prisoners were serving their sentences in exile. Today the country is among the most developed countries in the world, with 80% of the population speaking Australian English.

New Zealand occupies two large islands and many small ones in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean. First Europeans started visiting New Zealand in the late XVIII century with the territory being announced as a British colony in 1788. The country gained its independence in the middle of the XX century. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world with unique flora and fauna. English is spoken by more than 96% of the population.