Great Britain's position in relation to neighboring countries. Geographical position of Great Britain Position of Great Britain in relation to highly developed countries

The country is located in the British Isles in northwestern Europe. Let's consider UK EGP- first its geographical aspect. Great Britain consists of four major provinces: England, Wales, and Scotland. The UK's EGP is largely determined by its island position. British Isles- the largest archipelago in Europe. It consists of two large islands(Ireland and Great Britain) and more than five thousand small ones. The southern part of the island of Great Britain is located at fiftieth, and the northern part of the archipelago (Scottish Islands) is at sixtieth degree north latitude. Distance from the northern point islands of Great Britain to its very southern point equals 966 kilometers, and its greatest width is 508 kilometers. Geographical location Great Britain is such that it is washed by the waters North Sea And Atlantic Ocean, and the southern part of its coast is located only thirty-five kilometers from the northern coast of France. They are separated by the English Channel. equal to 243 810 square kilometers.

The lowland areas of England are of great agricultural importance. Somewhat later than the plains, the mountainous terrain began to be developed. An important incentive for this was first pastures, and then mineral resources. Historically, during the course of geological evolution, various minerals began to form in the depths of the British Isles. The country has almost all known minerals, except diamonds.

In the central part and in the north of England are the Pennine Mountains, which consist of coal rocks. In their northern part, karst deposits are common. The foothills of these mountains are rich in coal deposits. Based on these deposits, large mining and industrial centers of the Yorkshire, Lancshire and other coal basins were formed, the calculated reserves of which amount to more than four billion tons.

Most of England alternates between flat plains and rolling cuesta ranges. Cuestas are most often made of limestone or chalk, while the plains are represented by looser rocks: sand, clay, marl. All these sedimentary rocks accumulated in ancient sea basins.

Small hills on the Midland plains are associated with deposits of iron ore and coal. Here is one of the largest deposits of iron ore - 60% of all its reserves are concentrated in the East Midlands.

Let us now consider the economic side of the UK EGP .

The country's agriculture is characterized by very high intensity. It is well equipped and produces 60% of the UK's food needs using only 2% of its human resources. The leading industries are chemical and petrochemical, oil, oil refining, mechanical engineering, and ferrous metallurgy.

Per capita is $36,600 per year. Great Britain ranks 13th in the world in terms of living standards. The country's economy is one of the most developed in the world. The country has a developed mechanical engineering industry, which is mainly focused on the production of non-standard equipment, as well as different types and types of machines.

The country has well-developed electronic and electrical production, large-scale automotive manufacturing, aircraft and rocket manufacturing, shipbuilding, and machine tool manufacturing. The chemical and petrochemical industries, the production of handling equipment and industrial equipment, as well as the oil refining and pharmaceutical industries, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy are widely represented. Great Britain is one of the first places in the world in the export and production of dyes and plastics, detergents, chemical and mineral fertilizers.

Thus, we presented in the article information reflecting the UK EGP.

geographical uk rural resource

Features of the geographical location

Great Britain is an irregularly shaped archipelago with a very diverse landscape and nature. The latter is a consequence of the fact that the British Isles were once part of Europe, but were cut off from the mainland after the flooding of low-lying lands that now form the floor of the North Sea and the English Channel. Northern Ireland, which is politically complementary to the United Kingdom, is located on the second largest island, Ireland, and is the western extension of the Scottish Highlands. These mountainous areas are separated from each other by the narrow Nord Canal. Western Banks The islands of Great Britain are rocky and steep, the eastern ones are flatter.

The area of ​​Great Britain is approximately 240,842 sq. km. Most of it is land, and the rest is rivers and lakes. The area of ​​England is 129,634 square meters. km., Wales - 20637 sq. km., Scotland - 77179 sq. km. And Northern Ireland- 13438 sq. km. Thus, England is much larger than the other countries of the United Kingdom and has the largest population. These factors explain England's dominance in British history.

The southern tip of the island of Great Britain, the Cornwall peninsula, is located at 50 N latitude, and the northernmost part of the Shetland Islands archipelago is at 60 N latitude.

The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its greatest width is half that. Situated on the continental shelf, the British Archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Germany and by the narrow English Channel (the British call it the English Channel) and the Pas de Calais from France.

Historically, Britain's geographic features have influenced human settlement, population migrations, armed conquest, and political union. They also determined the location and operation of industry, transportation systems, agriculture, fishing, forests, energy resources and communications. They continue to shape British life today and are closely linked to public concerns about the environment and wildlife.

England (population 48.2 million) consists mainly of hilly or flat lowland terrain, with a few mountainous areas in the north and southeast. But low hills extend across most of the country, interspersed with lowlands and plains.

The population is concentrated mainly around major cities: London and generally in the southeast of England, western Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield, northwestern industrial Liverpool and Manchester and northeastern Newcastle and Sunderland.

Wales (population 2.9 million) is mountainous country with mountains and hills stretching across the entire territory, often falling into deep valleys created by river beds. These mountains gradually decline into the high hills of eastern England. The highest mountains in Wales are located in the north-west, where Mount Snowdon reaches 1085 m in height.

The Lowlands are limited to narrow coastal belts and river valleys in south Wales, where two thirds of the Welsh population live. In the past, Wales' mountainous terrain made warfare, farming and human settlement difficult.

Scotland

Scotland (population 5.1 million) can be divided into three main parts. The first part is the northwestern and central mountains along with a large number islands on the western and northern coasts. These lands are sparsely populated and make up half of the entire territory of Scotland. The second part is the central lowlands, which make up one fifth of the entire Scottish territory and three quarters of the total population of Scotland, the majority of industrial and shopping centers and cultivated land. The third part is the southern uplands, which includes a series of hills extending to the border with England.

The most high mountain in Scotland - Ben Nevis (1342 m), which is also the most high mountain UK.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland (population 1.6 million) is located just 21 km from the Scottish coast, which caused migrations of peoples in the distant past. Since the partition of Ireland in 1921, it has bordered the Republic of Ireland to the south and west. In the north there is a mountainous coast, in the center, closer to the south, a fertile valley, and mountains in the west, northeast and southeast.

The British Isles lie off the northwestern coast of Europe. The British Isles are surrounded by many small islands. To the southwest of the island of Britain are the Isles of Scilly, and to the north of Wales is the Isle of Anglesey. On the western and northern coasts of Scotland there are numerous small islands that are part of Great Britain. The most important of these are the Orkney Shetland Islands.

From the west, Great Britain is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and from the east by the waters of the North Sea.

From the south, Great Britain borders on France - its closest and most developed neighbor, which shares water borders with it. The shortest distance to the northern coast of France is the Strait of Dover, but the main communication between the states is through the English Channel, called the English Channel by the British, along the bottom of which a tunnel for high-speed transport was built at the end of the twentieth century. railway communication. Before this, communication between the two countries was carried out by water or air.

Also, the closest neighbors of Great Britain are Belgium and the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Norway are located much further away.

The diversity of Britain's geographical features is the result of long geological and climatic changes. Over time, thanks to the movements of the earth's crust, they rose from the bottom of the sea mountain ranges, which formed oldest territories UK. Periods of warm subtropical weather were followed by new movements of the earth's crust, and huge swampy forests covered all the low-lying lands. The forests in turn were buried under sand, soil and mud, so that the petrified forests became the coal of modern Britain. Later the climate changed from subtropical to arctic. During the Ice Age, almost the entire island was buried under ice, with the exception of southern England.

The mountains gradually eroded due to ice, water and winds. This process rounded mountain peaks and moved rocks into the lowlands, where they were compressed into new mountains, resulting in a smoother and softer landscape. Geological and weather changes determined the present appearance of the valleys and plains, and also “determined the location of the main rivers of Great Britain, such as the Clyde, Forth and Tweed in Scotland, the Tyne, Trent, Humber, Severn and Thames in England and Wales, the Bann and Logan in Northern Ireland."

The forces of nature also influenced coastlines, as the sea either retreated or returned again. Parts of the coastal zone went under water, while others were exposed. These processes continue today, especially in the eastern and south coasts England. Where the sea receded, chalk and limestone mountains were formed, as well as sandy beaches along the entire coast, while soil destruction has caused the loss of some land in some places.

Britain was originally part of the European mainland, but melting glaciers after the end of the Ice Age led to rising sea levels, and the country was separated from the continent by the North Sea at its widest point and the English Channel at its narrowest. The distance between Dover in England and Calais in France is minimal (32 km).

The entire coastline is crisscrossed with bays, bays, deltas and peninsulas, so that most of Great Britain is located no more than 120 km from the sea. The sea offshore is no deeper than 90 meters because most of the British Isles lies on the continental shelf, which is a raised seabed connected to the mainland. The warm Gulf Stream heats the sea and air as it travels across the shelf. Therefore, the climate on the islands is much milder than it could be, given their northern location. The current also affects coastal waters, which are important for the fishing industry.

egp japan

1.not profitable, because there are no neighbors

2. profitable, because it is a leader among port states and many trade routes pass through it

3. not profitable, poor in mineral resources, rich in polymetallic ores and copper ores, agricultural areas are not developed

4. profitable EGP

5. Trade relations with other countries of the world have intensified. From the end of the 12th century until 1867, the feudal state that existed on the islands of Japan was ruled by shoguns. Feudal rulers imposed a ban on almost all contacts with foreigners, fearing their expansion and the spread of Christianity. The "closure" of Japan prevented the country from being colonized. However, a long period of its isolation led to the fact that until the 20th century it was, as it were, hidden from the eyes of Europeans. Severe isolation greatly affected the country's economic development. At a time when the whole of Europe was moving by leaps and bounds towards scientific and technological progress, Japan was still at the agricultural stage of development. In the 20th century, Japan took part in three major wars (Russian-Japanese, 1st and 2nd World Wars). In World War II, it was an ally of Nazi Germany and Italy. In 1945, in accordance with the secret Yalta agreements of the victorious countries, Soviet Union All the Kuril Islands were taken as a war trophy. Since the Second World War, Japan has not had a peace treaty with Russia and makes claims to Russia on the islands Kuril ridge: Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai. Almost 50 years later, the Kuril Islands belonged to the USSR and Russia, the socio-economic situation on the islands remains extremely difficult, the islands remained undeveloped. Based on the principles of justice, we must admit that Japan has the moral and legal right to lay claim to at least the Southern Kuril Islands. It is necessary to support in every possible way the emerging trend towards rapprochement, resolve the territorial issue and make peace with Japan, putting an end to the Second World War.

6.favorable influence, increased production area

egp great britain

1.favorable

2.favorable, there is access to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans

3.favorable, average amount of minerals

4. favorable

6.egp has a positive effect on the production sector

In the country, the leading role belongs to maritime transport (86% of cargo turnover), it provides international and domestic connections. Road transport accounts for 75% of domestic transport (the main London-Manchester-Glasgow highway), and rail about 20%.

With the opening of the railway tunnel, the role of this transport in international transport. High-speed trains cover the distance between London and Paris in 3 hours.

River routes are used for recreational purposes, and the role of pipeline transport is increasing.

Since the country is an island, the role of air transport. The country has 150 passenger airports, which provide connections with 120 countries. Transportation is carried out by the transnational company British Airways. The largest airports are located in London (Heathrow and Gatwick).

Since the UK is an island state, all its external transport and trade is associated with sea and air transport.

About 90% of the total cargo turnover is accounted for by sea transport, including 25% by cabotage.

The UK maritime fleet is 9.6 million reg. b.t. All areas of the country, except the West Midlands, are, to one degree or another, directly connected with seaports, which serve as the main transport hubs. The largest of them are London, Southampton, Liverpool, Goole and Harwich. The ports of London and Liverpool handle about half of all cargo (by value).

In the past by sea More passengers arrived in the UK than by air.

However, since the beginning of the 60s of the 20th century, the number of air passengers began to grow rapidly and is now several times higher than the number of those arriving in the country by sea.

Great Britain egp. Britain's position in relation to neighboring countries.

In total, the country has about 150 airports, through which it is connected by regular airlines to more than 100 countries of the world.

Almost all transport is carried out by British Airways. Five largest airports The London area countries of Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as Manchester, Luton and Glasgow, account for 75% of all passenger and air cargo traffic.

The UK is connected to the continent by two railway ferries (Dover - Dunkirk and Harwich - Ostend), the English Channel and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and France.

To attract passengers on ferries, duty-free trade has been opened.

In domestic freight transport, road transport plays the largest role. It is more than 3 times inferior to railway and coastal transport. In connection with the development of motor transport, more than 12 thousand km of railway tracks were removed. Now the length of the railway tracks is about 17 thousand km. at the same time the network is expanding highways(371 thousand km) and their reconstruction is underway.

In this case, the main attention is paid to connecting the main conurbations of the country with the shortest routes.

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Characteristics of Great Britain

(England) 1 position in relation to neighboring countries 2 Provisions against the main land and sea transport routes 3 Rules in relation to the main fuel resource bases, industrial and agricultural areas 4 positions in relation to the main areas of product sales 5 Change in EGP in the temporary 6 General conclusion The influence of EGP on the development and deployment of the country’s economy

(England)1 Position in relation to neighboring countries 2 Position in relation to
to the main land and sea transport routes 3 Regulations on
in relation to the main fuel raw material bases, industrial and
agricultural areas 4 Position in relation to the main
product sales areas 5 Change in EGP over time 6 General conclusion about
influence of EGP on the development and location of the country's economy

  • 1) Great Britain borders only Ireland.
    2) The island state is an important point for cargo transportation from Europe to America and Africa.

    Land transport is important only in domestic transport.
    3) near Great Britain there is one of the largest fuel bases in Europe - the North Sea. Great Britain, across the narrow English Channel, neighbors large economic countries in Europe - France and the Netherlands and Belgium.
    4) Sales areas for the UK are Europe, America, Asia and Africa
    5) EGP has not changed significantly over time since the 80s of the 20th century (formation of the EU).
    6) Thanks to its favorable geographical location (exit to the Atlantic, close to Europe, direct connection with the USA), Great Britain is actively developing its economy and international trade.

    The largest economic centers of Great Britain are located on the coast, near major ports.

The easiest way to get around central London is the tube. You can buy tickets for one or two trips, but if you use the metro often, then travel cards will be very convenient.

These cards can be for one day, for a week, or for a month, and they allow unlimited use of the metro, bus and train in the areas of your choice.

Travel cards for one day can be purchased at the metro ticket office. They are valid for travel on the metro and buses at any time. They are not valid for travel on airport buses or for special excursions.


Weekly travel cards are valid for travel on the metro and buses at any time, but are not valid for travel on airport buses or for special excursions.

The cost varies depending on the number of zones selected.

How to get to the city center from Heathrow Airport

TAXI. The taxi rank is located next to the airport exit.

BUS. Airport buses go to central London (A1 to Victoria Station and A2 to Euston Station). The fare is about 6 pounds. Tickets can be purchased at the airport building or on the bus.

Buses leave every 20 minutes.
METRO. The Piccadilly Line runs from Heathrow to central London and links the extensive underground underground network.

But if you have a lot of luggage, the trip may be difficult. Trains leave every 5 minutes and the journey takes 55 minutes.
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN. To the center of London, to PADDINGTON railway station, every 20 minutes. There are high-speed trains, travel time is 20 minutes.
TAXI Black cabs are a feature of London's streets and are safe and orderly.

A taxi can be stopped on the street when the yellow light is on, indicating that the taxi is free. There are taxi ranks in many places, including main train stations. Doormen and hotel receptionists will order a taxi for you. Be careful and do not accept offers from drivers of cars that do not have special characters Taxi.

Many of them do not have a legal work permit, driving in such cars is unsafe because they are not insured, and the drivers often do not have the necessary experience.

City transport

London is one of the cities in the world where transport has become a legend.

The world's first subway and famous double decker buses make up business card English capital. Of course, Londoners who are faithful to traditions try to maintain their appearance with the least changes. True, London's public transport is no longer limited to the metro and red Double Decker buses.

Despite all the English conservatism, new types of transport regularly appear in British capital. The steam underground became electrified long ago, the division of carriages into classes disappeared, and buses in London are no longer only double-decker. Nowadays, the main transport load is still carried by the metro and buses. However, the history of London transport (which began with omnibuses and the steam underground launched in 1863) is so great and interesting that a museum of urban transport has been created in the British capital.

The metro (Underground, Tube) has twelve lines. They were all created at different times and by different owners and therefore are still quite different from each other. Some trains run mostly underground, others on the surface.

Over time, many sections of the railways switched from subways to trains long distance and vice versa. At first glance, the metro layout, intertwined with the network of regular trains, leads to despair, especially after the coherent Moscow metro system. However, it is quite easy to understand. Lines often branch into separate branches to one or another area of ​​the city, so you should always pay attention to the train's destination.

In addition, trains of different routes can run on the same tracks. On the main lines, trains run quite often, with intervals of no more than five minutes; on outlying lines, you can wait up to half an hour.

The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries. Economic and geographical position of countries

Tariff system London Underground It seems complicated, but in fact, understanding it is not a big problem.
All Greater London divided into six zones, which radiate from the center in concentric circles.

Any ticket must be valid in all zones covered by the trip. Therefore, when choosing a travel route, you need to be careful not to inadvertently end up in an area where your ticket is not valid. In general, the London Underground usually allows you to get to your destination in several ways. Among them, you can choose the one that affects fewer zones. For example, if you need to travel from the second zone to the third at the opposite end of the city, you can easily bypass the first central zone and thus halve the cost of the trip.

The most expensive is the first zone, which includes the city center and the largest number of tourist attractions.
A single smart card (Oyster Card) is another way to pay for travel on the London Underground, buses and trams. It is also valid on some railway routes and on DLR (Docklands Light Rail) lines.

Oyster Card is a more economical payment system that allows you to link several travel cards to a magnetic card, or use the “pay as you go” mode.

You can top up your magnetic card balance at London Underground stations, some railway stations, at specialized points of sale of these cards, by phone or on the website www.tfl.gov.uk.
The tram has recently been restored in London. Everyone knows about double-decker buses, but few people know that fifty years ago double-decker trams ran around London.

London Tram currently has three routes in the southern part of the city. Thirty meter long double carriages serve the Croydon area. Tram tickets are sold separately from vending machines at stops. If you need to transfer to a bus after a trip by tram or vice versa, you can buy a “tram-bus” ticket for the same price. Bus tickets are not valid on the tram.
Another new (a little over ten years old) form of London transport is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

It owes its appearance to the collapse of the London docks, which lost orders after the modernization of maritime freight transport. Large container ships began unloading at deep-water ports along the coast, leaving the vast London area desolate.

The program for bringing the dock area back to life included the appearance of high-speed transport there, which was launched in the late eighties. The DLR train consists of several driverless carriages that can accommodate about 250 people. Currently, four lines are already operating.

They provide connections between the former dock area and metro stations and railway, as well as with the city center. The DLR fare system is the same as the metro, metro tickets are valid on the DLR and vice versa.
Transport tickets can be purchased from vending machines located at metro stations and bus stops. ground transport. Besides, bus tickets can be purchased from the driver.

All children's tickets expire at 22:00.
In general, London transport operates from four to five in the morning until one in the morning. It is better not to travel during rush hours: 07:30-09:30 and 16:30-18:30. Night buses have an N index in front of their number, for example, N-23.

They all pass through Trafalgar Square. On Sunday, transport starts running after seven in the morning and stops by midnight. Traffic intervals on Sunday are approximately twice as long. At Christmas, many lines are not operational at all.
Another part of London's transport system are river boats, plying between the many piers on the Thames.

They are owned by several companies, and contain a total of twenty routes. The Thames has its own tariff system.

Great Britain (full name - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) - island state in Western Europe (Fig. 1.1), the form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The capital is the city of London.

Rice. 1.1

A state in North-Western Europe, on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain and the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), washed by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas. Area 241 thousand km 2.

Predominant in the north and west of Great Britain mountainous terrain-- North Scottish Highlands (up to 1344 m), Pennine and Cambrian mountains; in the south and southeast there are hilly plains. The climate is temperate oceanic, humid. In January average temperature air temperature ranges from 3 to 7°C, in July - about 11--17°C; precipitation up to 3000 mm per year in the west and 600-750 mm in the southeast. Main rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey, Clyde. Forests (mainly beech, oak, and birch) occupy about 9% of the UK's territory.

Great Britain consists of four administrative and political parts (historical provinces): England (it includes 39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London), Wales (it includes 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 city-counties), Scotland ( consists of 32 regions) and Northern Ireland (includes 26 regions). Economic and social geography of neighboring countries: Ed. M.P. Ratanova. - M: Bustard. 2004. - 576 p.

The population of Great Britain over the last century is represented by the following census results:

  • - 1900 - 35,405,900 people.
  • - 1949 - 50.3 million people.
  • - 1959 - 51.9 million people.
  • - 1976 - 55.9 million people.
  • - 1998 - 59.1 million people.
  • - 2004 - 59,834,900 people. Simagin Yu. A. Territorial organization of the population: Tutorial. - M.: Dashkov and K. - 2005. - 236 p.

The population dynamics can be presented on the graph (Fig. 1.2).


Rice. 1.2

The ethnic composition of the UK population is as follows:

  • - English - 81.5%.
  • - Scots - 12.4%.
  • - Irish - 2.4%.
  • - Welsh (or Welsh) - 1.9%.
  • - Ulsterians - 1.8%. Shepetilov A.A. Economy of countries Western Europe. - K.: Higher school. - 2003. - 262 p.

Other ethnic groups make up a very small percentage in the UK. In addition, these ethnic groups are relatively constant and their share in the UK population is also always approximately the same. The remaining ethnic groups are unstable and difficult to count.

For a more visual understanding, let us present on a diagram the data on the ethnic composition of the population of Great Britain (Fig. 1.3).

Political structure. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy headed by the Queen.

The legislative body is a bicameral parliament consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The government is headed by the prime minister.


Rice. 1.3

A distinctive characteristic of the British Constitution is the absence of any single document that could be called the fundamental law of the country; moreover, there is not even an exact list of documents that would relate to the Constitution. Sinitsyn O.I. Modern economics. Public training course. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005. - 608 p.

Economy. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, a major supplier of finished industrial products to the world market and a major exporter of capital (mainly to developed countries). GNP per capita is $16,070 per year. Extraction of oil and natural gas (mainly on the North Sea shelf), coal. The most developed are mechanical engineering (focused on the production of non-standard products, as well as various types and types of machines), including electrical and electronic engineering, transport (including large aircraft, automobile and shipbuilding), machine tool building, agricultural, production of industrial equipment, material handling technology, etc., chemical and petrochemical (Great Britain is one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of synthetic fibers and dyes, plastics, detergents, fertilizers, etc.), pharmaceutical, oil refining industry, ferrous (high-quality steels) and non-ferrous ( tin, aluminum) metallurgy. The oldest branch of English industry - textiles - has lost its former importance. Large food-flavoring industry (traditional production of whiskey, beer; processing of imported agricultural raw materials) industry; production of footwear, knitwear; English porcelain is famous. IN agriculture Dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and bacon pig farming predominate; meat and wool sheep farming. They mainly grow barley, wheat, sugar beets, oats, and potatoes. Vegetable and fruit growing (large greenhouse farming), floriculture (daffodils, tulips).

The monetary unit is pound sterling = 100 pence. Runova T.G. Economic geography with the basics of regional studies: Textbook (3rd ed., erased). - M.: MGIU. - 2007. - 184 p.

British Armed Forces. British Armed Forces Armed Forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The UK Armed Forces are under the control of the Defense Council of the Ministry of Defence. The primary mission of the British Armed Forces is to defend the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promote UK security interests and support international peacekeeping efforts. Also, the British Armed Forces are active and permanent participants in NATO operations and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuskov A.S. Economic geography in questions and answers: Textbook. - M.: League. - 2004. - 224 p.

The peculiarities of the economic and geographical position of Great Britain include the location of the state on the islands, as well as the presence of a land border with only one power - Ireland. In addition, the UK includes 4 large regions: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Physico-geographical position of Great Britain

Great Britain or the United Kingdom is an island country located in northwestern Europe. It occupies the island of Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland, as well as many smaller islands and archipelagos belonging to the British Isles. In addition, the state owns several island archipelagos located in Oceania, the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Rice. 1. Island of Great Britain.

In ancient times, the British Isles were part of the Eurasian continent, but melting glaciers and flooding of lands led to the formation of the North Sea and the English Channel, which separated Great Britain from Europe.

Great Britain is located in the Atlantic Ocean, which is represented by several small seas: Northern, Irish, Celtic and Hebridean.

The area of ​​the United Kingdom is 243.8 thousand square meters. km, of which inland waters I occupy 3.23 thousand square meters. km. The length of the state from north to south is 966 km, and the distance in its widest part is about 480 km. Most extreme point to the south is the Cornwall peninsula, and to the north is the Shetland Islands archipelago.

The entire coast is indented by numerous deltas, bays, bays and peninsulas, as a result of which the maximum distance of any point in the country from the sea does not exceed 120 km.

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Rice. 2. UK coast.

Off the coast, the sea depth is about 90 m, since the British Isles are located on the continental shelf - a raised seabed connected to the mainland. The warm Gulf Stream maintains a fairly high water temperature on the shelf, making the climate on the islands much milder even taking into account their northern location.

UK borders

The United Kingdom has a land border with only one state - the Republic of Ireland, which occupies the southern part of the island of Ireland, while the northern part belongs to Great Britain.

All other borders of the country are maritime:

  • in the south, Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel;
  • in the southeast, the island nation is separated from Belgium and Norway by the shallow North Sea.

Large role in communication between Great Britain and the mainland European states plays the English Channel, which is often called the English Channel. At the end of the 20th century, a tunnel was built along its bottom for high-speed rail traffic. In addition, communication between the countries is carried out by air and waterways.