Geography of The United Kingdom

22 – GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

The UK is situated to the northwest of the European continent. The country includes British Isles - the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands (Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Orkney, and the Shetlands). Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea

• size – half the size of France (almost 245 000 sq km)

• 60 million people

• The UK consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

England

• capital is London

  • symbol is red and white rose

  • patron is St. George – St. George’s cross

  • the oldest and richest part, flat

Wales

• Cardiff

  • Welsh dragon, symbol – daffodil

  • St. David

  • hilly, 2 languages – English and Gaelic (Celts)

Scotland

• Edinburgh

• symbol – thistle

• St. Andrew – St. Andrew’s cross

• Scottish Gaelic, Hadrian’s wall, castles, kilts, back pipes

• own Parliament, own coins, highlands

Northern Ireland

• Belfast

  • shamrock

  • St. Patrick – St. Patrick’s cross

  • protestants – struggle with Republic of Ireland (catholic)

  • The Giant’s Causeway

These 4 parts are divided into smaller counties (shires)

Flag - Union Jack – red St. George’s cross (England and Wales) + the diagonal white cross of St. Andrew (Scotland) + the diagonal red cross of St. Patrick (Northern Ireland), first appeared in 1801

Climate

• mild, humid (wet), little differences in temperature

  • its variability is due to the temperate maritime climate

    • winters are milder because of the warming effect on the North Atlantic drift (The Gulf Stream), summers are occasionally hot but 50 % of the year the skies are cloudy and overcast

  • “Emerald Island” – much greener grass (English lawn)

Features:

• Highlands

  • Scotland

    • the highest mountain in the UK Ben Nevis (1 343 m), the Grampian mountains

    • The Southern Uplands

    • The Pennines

  • Wales – the Cambrian mountains

  • the eastern and southern parts of England are lower and high ground is referred to as hills, downs or heights – The Chiltern Hills, The South Downs, The East Anglican Heights

  • Penites, The Giant’s Causeway

  • the lowest point is minus 4m in the drained Fens of East Anglia

Waters

• lakes – Loch Lomond, Loch Ness, Lake District in England, Lough Neagh – the biggest in Northern Ireland

• rivers – not very long but deep and fast

• The Thames – influenced by the sea (tide) the Severn, Clyde, Mersey, Tweedy, Avon

• The Thames Barriers – protection of London

  • network of canals and rivers – inland freight traffic (in the 19th century)

• ports – London, Portsmouth, Dover, Liverpool, Manchester, The Clyde, Grimsby

Few forests – only for industry – timber, Sharewood

• industrial revolution – cut down trees – place for sheep + people went to cities

Moorland – Yorkshire moors, peat, marches, bogs

Agriculture – good climate – always agriculture; livestock, farming