My Country — Unit 13, Pre-intermediate to Intermediate English
Geography, cities, climate, culture — and describing your country in detail.
Reading: Traveling Across My Country
When foreign friends ask about my country, I tell them to start in the **capital**, where old streets meet modern buildings and museums stay open late in summer. The city is busy because the national **population** keeps growing, yet many parks make it comfortable to walk. From there, travelers can go north to the rocky **coastline**, where fishing towns serve fresh food and small boats leave at sunrise.
If visitors continue west, they will cross a long **valley** that is green in spring and golden in late autumn. Near the mountain **border**, villages speak two languages, so road signs are bilingual and local markets feel unique. I love this route because it shows how different regions can share one identity while keeping their own **traditions**. Whenever I finish the journey, I return home tired but proud, since the landscape reminds me that history, language, and geography are connected in daily life. Even short weekend trips teach me something new about regional music, food traditions, and local stories.
There is one thing I always warn people about, and it is not the food or the language. It is distance.
On a map the country looks small. In practice the road from the **capital** to the western **border** takes seven hours, because it crosses two ranges of hills and there is no motorway for most of it. Visitors book three nights and try to see everything. They end up seeing the inside of a bus.
My advice is to choose two regions and stay put. If you want the sea, go north and stay a week. If you want the mountains, go west and do the same.
The second thing worth knowing is that the country empties in August. Almost everybody who can leave the **capital** does, so the city is quiet, hot and half closed, while the **coastline** is expensive and full. In late September the weather is still warm, the prices fall by a third, and the sea is at its best.
The third thing is the trains. They are cheap, slow and reliable, and they go almost everywhere the buses do not. My grandfather worked on them for thirty-one years and he still checks the timetable in the newspaper every Sunday, although he has not taken a train since 2016.
When people ask me what my favourite part of the country is, I never manage an honest answer. It is whichever part I saw last.
Vocabulary from this unit
| Word / Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| border | /ˈbɔːdə/ | the line between two countries | France borders Spain and Italy. |
| coast | /kəʊst/ | the land next to the sea | We live on the coast. |
| coastline | /ˈkəʊstlaɪn/ | the shape of the coast | The coastline is very beautiful. |
| inland | /ˌɪnˈlænd/ | away from the sea | The capital is inland. |
| mountain range | /ˈmaʊntən reɪndʒ/ | a line of mountains | The Andes is a long mountain range. |
| valley | /ˈvæli/ | the low land between hills or mountains | There are many farms in the valley. |
| plain | /pleɪn/ | a large flat area of land | The plains are good for farming. |
| desert | /ˈdezət/ | a very dry area with little rain | The Sahara is the largest desert. |
| forest | /ˈfɒrɪst/ | a large area of trees | The Amazon is a huge forest. |
| lake | /leɪk/ | a large area of water surrounded by land | We swam in the lake. |
| river | /ˈrɪvə/ | a large natural flow of water | The river flows through the city. |
| population | /ˌpɒpjəˈleɪʃən/ | the number of people living in a place | The population is about 50 million. |
| area | /ˈeəriə/ | a region or part of a country | This area is famous for wine. |
| Word / Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| capital city | /ˈkæpɪtəl ˈsɪti/ | the main city of a country | The capital city is London. |
| major city | /ˈmeɪdʒə ˈsɪti/ | an important city | There are several major cities in the country. |
| region | /ˈriːdʒən/ | an area of a country | The south-west region is beautiful. |
| province | /ˈprɒvɪns/ | a political division of a country | There are 10 provinces in my country. |
| state | /steɪt/ | a political region (especially in the US) | The USA has 50 states. |
| rural | /ˈrʊərəl/ | in the countryside | I live in a rural area. |
| urban | /ˈɜːbən/ | in the city | Urban areas are very crowded. |
| suburb | /ˈsʌbɜːb/ | an area outside the city centre | We live in a suburb of Paris. |
| industrial | /ɪnˈdʌstriəl/ | with a lot of industry | The north is quite industrial. |
| agricultural | /ˌæɡrɪˈkʌltʃərəl/ | with a lot of farming | The south is very agricultural. |
| Word / Phrase | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| climate | /ˈklaɪmət/ | the typical weather in a place | The climate is warm and sunny. |
| temperature | /ˈtemprətʃə/ | how hot or cold it is | The temperature is 25 degrees. |
| rainfall | /ˈreɪnfɔːl/ | the amount of rain | The rainfall is heavy in winter. |
| season | /ˈsiːzən/ | one of four parts of the year | The weather changes with the seasons. |
| dry | /draɪ/ | with little or no rain | The summer is very dry. |
| humid | /ˈhjuːmɪd/ | warm and damp | It's very humid in summer. |
| mild | /maɪld/ | not too hot or cold | The winter is quite mild. |
| extreme | /ɪkˈstriːm/ | very strong or severe | The weather can be extreme. |
| varied | /ˈveərid/ | with many different types | The climate is varied. |
| temperate | /ˈtempərət/ | not too hot or cold | The climate is temperate. |
2 more vocabulary sections in the full unit.
This is the free sample from this unit. The full unit adds 1 more reading passage, comprehension questions with an answer key, the listening exercises, flashcards for the vocabulary above, and a speaking task — with your progress tracked so the next unit unlocks when you are ready for it.
Common questions
What level is this unit?
Pre-intermediate to Intermediate — roughly CEFR A2–B1. If you are not sure of your level, the course places you with a short diagnostic before you start rather than making you guess.
Do I need to pay to use this?
The reading passage and vocabulary on this page are free to read. The rest of the unit — the remaining passages, the exercises, the listening, the answer key and the progress tracking — is part of the paid General English course.
Is this British or American English?
British English spelling and vocabulary, which is what most learners in Azerbaijan are taught and what IELTS expects, though both are accepted in the exam.