UK position in the part of the world. Great Britain

This country often used as individuals of Great Britain... Today there are several other synonyms for the name of this country, such as the United Kingdom and Britain. It is interesting that the motto of this hitherto existing kingdom sounds like this "Deity and its right", putting God first, because the official religion here is Anglicanism.

Imagine, it is ruled by kings and queens, parliament and ministry, and there is no supposedly inviolable constitution. And the British live, by the way, not worse, and maybe better than people, in the countries of which there are many times rewritten constitutions.

Also worth noting , what geographical position England is advantageous, and it is located on more than 133 km². Foggy Albion was able to unite at the beginning of the 10th century, the once conflicting county and took the name from the Germanic tribe - the Angles, who settled on these lands from the 5th to the 6th century. And London is the largest city not only in Great Britain, but also among all the countries of the European Union.

History of England

I wonder what exactly thanks to English law, formed in many powers of the founding of legal systems ... In addition, London (read our article:) is the heart of Britain, and the state is the ancestor of the Industrial Revolution. England bears the palm in industrial development throughout the world, as a power in which parliamentary democracy operates. The Principality of Wales, together with the English kingdom, was a sovereign country until at the beginning of May in 1707, having united with Scotland, it turned into a stronger power - the Kingdom of Great Britain.

England inherited its name from those who lived on the territory of Britain from the 5th to the 6th century. n. e. the largest Germanic people, the Angles, migrating from the Angeln Peninsula, which is divided between northern Germany and Denmark.

Interesting, that already the ancient Roman scholar Tacitus, living at the end of the 1st century AD. in the book called "Germany" Angles are mentioned. And in the Oxford English Dictionary, you can find a later mention of the word "England", which refers to the end of the 9th century.

Features of the geographical location of England

The country is distinguished by its geographical position, it is located on two-thirds of an island called Great Britain... From the north, it connects with Scotland , but on the west side - from The Principality of Wales .

The English landscape is made up of northern mountains and hills. Mountains and plains are divided along the border, as if drawn by an invisible hand of God, from the beginning of the Tiz River or, as the aborigines call it Tizsaid, located on the eastern side and the lower reaches of the Ex River, which has a different name Divon, flowing to the south-western side. On the east side of England, there is a lowland swamp drained by local farmers.

The largest town in the country in terms of population density is London, and the smallest of the six English metropolitan cities is Manchester.

The lands of present-day England at the time of the seizure of Julius Caesar in the second half of the first century BC, and a century later, during an unexpected visit by the Emperor Claudius, were inhabited by Celts, called the Britons. After they took the entire south of the island (today's Wales and Great Britain), it became subject to the Romans, falling under its yoke for four and a half centuries. However, without the help of Roman soldiers, Britain could not resist the barbarians-Germans, who in the V-VI Art. invited the Britons, relying on the fact that they would protect them from the raids of the Scots and Pictish - Celtic northern tribes. The mercenaries, representing - the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, having settled in the lands of the Britons, began to drive them out to the lands of Cornwall.

After a while, kingdoms appeared in the territories captured by German foreigners, which formed the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy, which included 7 kingdoms. Sometimes one of the Anglo-Saxon kings, who was called the "Ruler of Britain", ruled over the greater territory of foggy Albion. England was united by the raid of the Danish Vikings, who annexed the east of England. Egbert became the first ruler of England, but only Alfred the Great, who ruled from 871 to 899, was titled “King of England”.

William I the Conqueror planted a Franco-Norman leadership in England. Later in the XIII century. the Welsh principality was finally crushed by England. During the Renaissance, during the reign of James I, who ruled Scotland in the past, he began to unite Scotland with England. But only at the beginning of ΧVIII was the final unification of Scotland with England, which turned into the Kingdom of Great Britain

England now

England today consists of counties that arose before the reunification of England: Sussex, Essex, Yorkshire, Cornwall, Lancashire, Berkshire. Until the second half of the nineteenth century, these counties were divided into hundreds. Today England is composed of 9 provinces, as well as 48 official counties. Main role sports plays in the economy of England, ahead of other sectors of the country's economy.

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 major regions: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Physical and geographical location of Great Britain

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

Rice. 1. Island of Great Britain.

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

Great Britain is located in the water area Atlantic Ocean presented by several small seas: Northern, Irish, Celtic and Hebrides.

The area of ​​the United Kingdom is 243.8 thousand square meters. km, of which internal waters 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. The most extreme point in the south is the Cornwall Peninsula, and in 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. Coast of Great Britain.

Off the coast, the sea is about 90 m deep, since the British Isles are located on the continental shelf - an elevated seabed connected to the mainland. The warm current of the Gulf Stream maintains a sufficiently high water temperature on the shelf, due to which the climate on the islands is 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 Island state separated from Belgium and Norway by the shallow North Sea.

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

Geographical location of Great Britain

State in northwest Europe, in the British Isles. Occupies the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and part of the island of Ireland, as well as independent administrative units - the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, the North Sea in the east and the Irish Sea in the west, in the south it is separated from the mainland by the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. In the west and north of the country, a mountainous, highly dissected relief prevails, in the southeast and in the center there are elevated plains and wastelands. The highest point is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1343 m.). The total area of ​​the country is 244.1 thousand square meters. km.

Capital

Geography of Great Britain. Map, geographic location, population, climate of Great Britain.
Industry and economy of Great Britain, resources, symbols and anthem of Great Britain.

GREAT BRITAIN (Great britain), Britain, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), a state in northwestern Europe, in the British Isles (the largest is UK island), the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and other small islands. It is separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Pas-de-Calais. The area is 244.11 thousand km2. Population 60.1 million (2003). Capital London.

Large cities and metropolitan areas: Greater London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Bradford, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol.

Government of Great Britain.
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy (but formally there is no constitution, there are a number of basic legislative acts). The head of state is the queen. Legislative power is exercised by the Queen and a bicameral parliament (House of Lords and House of Commons). The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister - the leader of the party that won the majority of votes in the elections to the House of Commons and forms the government. Great Britain is led by the Commonwealth, which includes 53 countries.

Administrative and state structure of Great Britain.
Consists of 4 administrative and political parts (historical national areas): England (39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and a special administrative unit - Greater London), Wales (8 counties), Scotland (12 regions: 9 districts and 3 island territories) and Northern Ireland (26 counties). The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are separate administrative units. British possessions: in Europe - Gibraltar, in America - Anguilla, Bermuda, Virgin Islands(British), Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), in Africa - Saint Helena Island, in Oceania - Pitcairn Island.


Population of Great Britain.
About 80% of the population is British, 15% are Scots, Welsh (Welsh), Cornish and Irish; OK. 5% of the population are immigrants from the Commonwealth countries. The British are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans; Scots, Irish, Welsh and Cornish are descendants of the Celts.

The official language is English. The English are adherents of the Anglican state church, the Scots are predominantly Presbyterians, the Irish are predominantly Catholics. A small number of Catholics and adherents of the close to Catholicism of the High Church are also among the English. The most densely populated areas are Central and South-East England, the least densely populated areas of northern Scotland and Central Wales. High degree of urbanization; 89.4% of the population lives in cities. Almost 1/2 of the population lives in large cities (with a population of over 100 tons). On the territory of the country, 8 large urban conurbations with a population of over 1 million people were formed, in which St. 1/3 of the country's population. The average population density is 245.5 people / km2.

Great Britain nature. UK climate.
It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas - the North and Irish, the English Channel, Pas-de-Calais, North and St. George. Coastline strongly dissected by bays (fjords in the north and estuaries in the south), forms the significant peninsulas of Wales and Cornwall. There are also significant geographic differences between the four historical regions. Scotland and Northern England are mountainous and geographically represent High Britain - the Scottish Highlands (Ben Nevis, 1343 m, the highest point of Great Britain), the South Scottish Uplands, the Pennine and Cambrian Mountains, the Lake District in the northwest of England ... Smoothed plateau-like peaks, gentle turf slopes are characteristic, glacial relief forms are preserved in the north. From High Britain, Low is separated by a conditional line that runs southwestward from Newcastle at the mouth of the river. Tyne to Exeter at the mouth of the river. Aix in the south of Devon. In the south and southeast of Low Britain there are hilly plains (London Basin, etc.), framed by cuesta ridges, a typical landscape of "good old England". The climate is temperate oceanic, humid, with mild winters and cool summer(influence of the Gulf Stream). Average temperatures in January are 3-7 ° С, in July 11-17 ° С. Precipitation on the plains is 600-750 mm, in the mountains 1000-3000 mm per year, drizzling rains and fogs are frequent. The western part of the country receives slightly more rainfall than the eastern one. A dense network of deep rivers (Thames, Severn, etc.), many of which are connected by channels, often outdated. There are many lakes in Scotland and Ireland (Loch Ness, Loch Lomond in Scotland, etc., Loch Ney in Northern Ireland). The mountains are dominated by peat bogs, moorlands, used as pastures for sheep. Forests (oak, beech, birch) occupy 9% of the country's territory. The plains are occupied by arable land and meadows and are densely populated. There are numerous national nature reserves and parks for recreational use (Peak District, Snowdonia, etc.).

Economy of Great Britain. Industry and economy of Great Britain.
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. Over the past 20 years, the following transformations have been carried out in the British economy: the public sector has been reduced; reduced tax rates for individuals and legal entities; deregulation of the economy was carried out (with a simultaneous reduction in government spending). In 1995, in terms of the total volume of industrial production, Great Britain occupied the 5th place in the world (after the USA, Japan, Germany, and France). GNP per capita $ 24,500 (2000). In terms of energy reserves, it ranks 1st in Europe, being a major producer of oil and gas (production is carried out on the shelf of the North Sea using the most advanced methods on platforms; about 1/3 of the proven reserves in Europe are concentrated in the British sector) and coal. Oil production 124 million tons in 1996 (the main fields Brent, Fortis), gas 89.9 billion m3 (17 fields are exploited, the largest are Lehman-Benk, Brent, Morcham). British Petroleum and the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch / Shell are among the leaders in their market segment. Historically very important coal mining has been steadily declining. In the manufacturing industry, priority is given to such industries as transport engineering (12.4% of total industrial production), including the automotive industry ( national companies and branches of foreign companies Rover, Ford, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Pegeout-Talbot, Honda, Nissan, Toyota); shipbuilding; aerospace industry - the third in the world after the USA and France, producing civil and military aircraft (British Aerospace, Harrier, Tornado, Eurofighter), Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, equipment for the European concern Airbus Industry; food industry (12.5% ​​of total production); general mechanical engineering: production of agricultural machinery and machine tools, including the production of textile machinery (Great Britain is the world's seventh largest manufacturer of machine tools in the world); electronics and electrical engineering; computers, processors and supercomputers (including manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq); software; telecommunication facilities (fiber optics, radars, etc.); medical equipment; Appliances. The chemical industry provides 11% of the total production. These are: pharmaceuticals (Great Britain is the fourth largest drug manufacturer in the world); agrochemistry; perfumery; new materials and biotechnology. The development of modern industry in Great Britain is determined by the level of development of high technologies. Great Britain has the highest scientific and technological potential in Europe. Research expenditures account for over 2% of GDP per year, including over 35% of all research projects funded by the state. Textile engineering was traditionally important (confined to the old textile regions - Lancashire, Yorkshire). The oldest branch of the British industry - textile - has now lost its former importance (the main areas of production of the cotton industry - Lancashire, wool - Yorkshire, knitwear - East Midlands, linen - Northern Ireland). Large food flavoring industry (production of food concentrates, confectionery and tobacco products, beverages (approx. 1/5 of world exports alcoholic beverages, mostly Scotch whiskey and English gin).

Agricultural production is highly intensive, half of the country's food needs. Agriculture uses (1994) 24.8% of the country's territory (including over 60% - under arable land, 35% - cultivated meadows), pastures occupy 45.9%, under forest 10.4%. The main branch of agriculture is animal husbandry. It suffered significant damage in the late 1990s. epidemics of cow rabies (spongiform encephalitis) and foot and mouth disease. OK. 1/3 of the arable land is occupied by grain, mainly. wheat and barley. The main agricultural regions are East and South-East England.
25% of the country's GDP is created by the financial services sector. It employs 12% of the country's labor reserves, and London is the world's financial center, the financial capital of the planet. Among financial services, it is worth highlighting banking (besides British banks, the 50 largest banks in the world are represented in London), insurance, the market for financial derivatives (futures, options, global depositary receipts), the bond market (Eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (operations with Euro currencies), financial leasing, trust operations with foreign shares, operations with precious metals. Besides London, major financial centers are Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Edinburgh. Tourism employs 7% of the working-age population, and the annual income exceeds $ 8 billion. London is the largest tourist centre the world. A significant part of the GDP comes from education in world renowned schools and universities.
The monetary unit is the pound sterling.

History of Great Britain.
Traces of settlements of primitive people are found almost everywhere in the British Isles.
Of the pre-Celtic population, the most famous is the Pictish tribe who lived in Scotland. In the 1st millennium BC. e. the Celts came here. By the name of one of the tribes, the Britons, the country was named Britain. The first of the Romans to land here was Julius Caesar, but soon left the island. His successors founded Roman settlements here, but they could not conquer the entire territory and did not try to advance north. With the weakening of Rome, the Britons formed their own kingdoms. In the 5-6 centuries. during the Great Migration, England was conquered by the Anglo-Saxons, who formed several kingdoms here: Mercia, Wessex, Sussex, Kent, Northumbria. They were united by King Alfred the Great (late 9th century). He compiled the first set of general English laws. The Anglo-Saxons faced attacks from the Vikings and, starting from the 9th century, paid tribute to them - Danegeld. One of the Viking kings, Knud I the Mighty, incorporated England into his empire (2nd half of the 11th century), but after his death the Anglo-Saxons regained their independence. Their last king, Harold II, fell in battle with Duke William of Normandy in 1066. The Norman conquest united the country, and the formation of the English nation began. In 1212, a revolt of the barons, supported by all estates, forced King John Lackland to sign the Magna Carta. This marked the beginning of the development of the English monarchy as a class monarchy, that is, based on all classes of the country. From the end of the 13th century. Wales passed to the English crown. Hundred Years War 1337-1453 with France led to the loss of the possessions of the English kings on the continent. In Scotland, an independent kingdom arose approx. 9 c. and often came into confrontation with England. The conquest of Ireland by the British began in the 12th century.

During the War of the Scarlet and White Rose (1455-1485) in England, the old nobility was largely destroyed. The new nobility (gentry) increased their holdings by fencing (driving the peasants from the land), willingly participated in all sorts of trade and industrial enterprises. During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) England, having defeated the Spanish fleet, achieved dominance at sea. Elizabeth was replaced by kings from the Scottish dynasty of the Stuarts, Scotland united with England in a personal union (and from 1707 it was officially united and deprived of independence). English Revolution of the 17th century. ended with the establishment of a parliamentary monarchy. The long struggle for trade and colonial hegemony with France ended in the 18th century. victory for Great Britain; huge possessions in India were seized and North America, colonization of Australia and New Zealand began. In the 1760s. an industrial revolution began in England. By the middle of the 19th century. it accounted for 1/2 of world production. Scotland and Ireland (the union of 1801 eliminated the remnants of autonomy) developed much more slowly. Throughout the 19th century. Britain expanded its empire, although it lost the United States of America. Large areas of Burma were captured and South Africa, the seizure of India, Cyprus, Egypt was completed, wars were fought against China. In 1867, the colonies in Canada were transformed into the 1st dominion, then Australia and some other colonies became dominion. Throughout the 19th century. the system “the king reigns, but does not rule” finally took shape. The struggle for power since the 17th century. led by two parties - the Tories and the Whigs. From the middle of the 19th century. the Tories became the Conservative Party, and the Whigs the Liberals.

After World War I, Great Britain gained a significant portion of the former Germanic possession in Africa and b. including territories taken from Turkey. Big influence in domestic politics was acquired by the Labor (workers') party. After World War II, bombed-out Britain in the international arena faded into the background compared to the United States. In the 1940-1970s. almost all British colonies gained independence. The Labor Party pushed aside the Liberal Party, and after World War II, the government was alternately formed by Labor and Conservatives. Under the conservative government of M. Thatcher, most public sector enterprises were privatized, and a course was taken to reorient the traditional coal-mining regions. As one of the leading members of the EU since its inception, the UK has been pursuing an independent policy in relation to other European countries, focusing more on the United States. Traditional British conservatism does not yet allow T. Blair's government to switch to a common European currency, although the country's business circles are striving for this.

The national holiday is the Queen's Birthday (celebrated not on the true birthday of Her Majesty, but by decision of the government, usually on one Saturday in the first half of June).

The country, located in the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe, is traditionally called Great Britain, and by the name of its main part, England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK proper includes three historical and geographical regions: England, Wales and Scotland. The United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland, which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland was proclaimed in 1949.

The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands- Great Britain and Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, and another 5 thousand small ones, among which three groups of islands in the North stand out: the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and the Isles of Man, Anglesey and others.

The southern tip of the island of Great Britain is the Cornwall Peninsula, and the northernmost part of the archipelago is the Shetland Islands. The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its largest width is half that. Located on the continental shelf, the British Archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany and the narrow English Channel (the British call it the English Channel) and the Pas-de-Calais from France.

Since 1993, a tunnel has been operating under the English Channel. The construction of this tunnel can be considered grandiose for the development of international relations. Suffice it to say that the total length of the tunnel is 49 kilometers, and the length of the galleries laid under the bottom of the strait is 38 kilometers. It takes only three hours to get from London to Paris by train. “Finally, Europe has joined England,” the British say about the Eurotunnel.

All state borders of the United Kingdom are maritime, with the exception of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The coastline with a total length of more than 10 thousand km is heavily indented. Thanks to the numerous bays and fiords on the island, there is no place that would be more than 120 km from the coast.

By area (244 thousand sq. Km) Great Britain is 2 times smaller than the largest states in Overseas Europe- France and Spain.

The climate of the British Isles is influenced by the proximity of the ocean and especially by the Gulf Stream. The traditional English weather is rain and dampness: the temperature in winter very rarely drops below zero (on average 3-5C). The most severe weather in the highlands of Scotland, Wales and North Scotland; in the western part of the UK the climate is more humid than in the east due to the prevailing westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The oceanic nature of the UK climate is reflected in the prevalence of erratic weather with gusty winds and thick fogs throughout the year. Winters are very humid and unusually mild, with a sharp temperature anomaly (about 12-15 degrees) compared to mid-latitude indicators. The average temperature of the coldest month - January - does not drop below +3.5 degrees even in the extreme northeast of Great Britain, and in the southwest it reaches + 5.5 degrees, and the plants grow there all year round... The masses of warm sea air coming from the southwest increase winter temperatures, but at the same time bring cloudy and rainy weather with strong winds and storms. When cold air invades from the east and northeast, frosty weather sets in for a long time. Snow falls throughout the country in winter, but very unevenly. In the highlands of Scotland, the snow cover lasts at least 1-1.5 months, while in the south of England and especially in the southwest, snow falls very rarely and lasts no more than a week. Here the grass turns green all year round. Western Britain typically receives twice as much rainfall during the winter as in the summer. In the eastern regions, winters are colder and less humid.

In the spring the cold blows north winds, significantly retard the growth of crops in the east of Scotland, and sometimes dry east. This time of the year is usually the least rainy. Spring in the British Isles is cooler and longer than at the same latitudes on the continent.

In the UK, as in other countries with a maritime climate, summers are relatively cool: average temperature the warmest month - July - is 1-2 degrees lower than at the same latitudes of the mainland. In the summer months, cyclonic activity decreases, and the distribution of average July temperatures corresponds to latitudinal zoning: +16 degrees in the southeast of the country, and +12 degrees in the extreme northwest.

In autumn, cyclonic activity intensifies, the weather becomes cloudy and rainy, sometimes with severe storms, especially in September and October. When warm air is carried to the chilled surface of the islands, fogs are common on the coasts.

Warm and humid winds blowing from the Atlantic are associated with an abundance of rainfall in the western regions of Great Britain. On average, 2000 mm of precipitation falls there per year, while in eastern England, located in the "rainy shade" - only about 600 mm, and in summer in some places even 500 mm. The mountains thus serve as a natural barrier to trap moist air on the western side. The abundance of rainfall has a beneficial effect on the growth of many crops, especially wheat and barley. In general, grains in the British Isles do well in drier years, but grasses often burn out.

Based on this characteristic, Great Britain occupies a rather favorable economic and geographical position. It is located at the intersection of sea routes and occupies a nodal position on the most important shipping and world trade lines passing through the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. This provides England with connections with the whole world and gives great prospects for the development and expansion of markets for its products.

England is not independent state... It is a large administrative and political part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The most big cities England: Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Also, its territory includes the capital of Great Britain, London.

Geographic characteristics

England is located on the island of Great Britain and occupies 2/3 of its territory. Its area is 130 395 square kilometers. The neighbors of the administrative part of the country are Scotland and Wales.

The total population of England is 53 million. This is 84% ​​of all UK residents. Of the entire ethnic composition of England, 76% are native Englishmen.

Nature

Rivers and lakes

The Severin River is considered the largest river in England. The length of its channel on the territory of the administrative part of Great Britain is 350 km. The source of the river is located in Wales. There are several beautiful waterfalls which are tourist attractions.

In the northern part of England, the Tees River flows into the North Sea. It separates the historic counties of Yorkshire and Sarin in England. Another large river in England is the Aix. It has several large tributaries and flows into the English Channel. At one time, the river was of great economic importance.

The lakes of England are especially picturesque. Alswater is formed by the movement of a glacier. Lake Windermere is one of the largest. On its territory of 15 square kilometers, there are several groups of islands ...

Seas washing England

The shores of England are washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the seas belonging to its basin, namely, the Irish and North Seas. The distance from England to mainland Europe is 34 km. It is separated from France by a couple of straits: the Pas-de-Calais and the English Channel.

This situation causes direct access to any world routes and has a direct impact on the country's economy. In the coastal regions of England, passenger and cargo ports are equipped ...

Plants and animals of England

The flora of England is represented mainly by shrubs: wild rose, hawthorn, honeysuckle, heather and many others. Common herbs include clover, foxglove, buttercup, geranium. Cereals grow in England, and in swampy areas you can find ferns, reeds, sedges, and more.

As a result of human activity, many animals on the territory of modern England became extinct. In the present, you can find squirrels, rabbits, hares, etc.

The population of waterfowl, due to the draining of wetlands, is decreasing, and in the northern English counties you can find pheasants and partridges ...

Climate of England

Proximity has a significant impact on the climate of England. warm waters Gulf Stream. It is softened by sea winds blowing from the west and southwest sides. In the southern part, due to this influence, there is a slight fluctuation in summer and winter temperatures, and on west coast England has more precipitation than the eastern part. Another interesting feature of England is the saturation of air currents with moisture.

In general, the weather is highly variable. Cold and warm fronts are rapidly replacing each other. During one day, there can be heavy cold rain and hot, sunny weather ...

Resources

Industry and agriculture UK

The main industrial industry in England is the mining and subsequent export of coal. Also, on the territory of the administrative part of the UK, mineral deposits are being developed that serve building material: sandstone, limestone, etc.

The sports industry generates a significant portion of England's income. Its indicators exceed the income item of the sphere of jurisprudence, communication services, advertising and marketing, and others.

About 40% of the territory of England is occupied by fields with grain crops. Another quarter of the land is high-quality pastures, which contributes to the breeding of livestock, supplying the region with milk and meat.

Most of the electricity in England is produced by thermal power plants ...

The culture

Peoples of Great Britain

Most of the population of England are members of the Anglican Church. The British are often conservative but carefully respect their traditions. Despite the fact that the majority of the population of England communicates in their native language for them English language, there are many dialects and, at times, difficulties arise in communication between people within the region ...

The state is located on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, as well as a large number of smaller islands and archipelagos, including the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands, Anglesey, Arran, White) in the Atlantic Ocean. It is washed by the North, Irish, Celtic and Hebrides seas. The southeast coast is located just 35 km from the northern coast of France, which are separated by the English Channel.

Major cities of Great Britain

The area of ​​Great Britain is 243 809 km², of which land - 240 579 km², inland waters - 3230 km². The coastline is 17,820 km long. The southern coast is connected to continental Europe through a 50 km long Eurotunnel (of which 38 km are underwater). It is the longest underwater tunnel in the world. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km land border with the Republic of Ireland and is the UK's only land border.

England occupies a little more than half of the entire territory of Great Britain, covering 130 395 km². Most of it consists of lowlands. Uplands are concentrated in the north (Pennine Mountains) and northwest (Cumberland Mountains). Among the latter, the highest peak in England is Skofel Pike (978 m). The longest rivers are the Thames, Severn and Humber. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the most high point British Isles.

Scotland covers just under a third of the entire UK, covering 78,772 km². It includes about eight hundred islands, mainly in the west and north of the main territory.

Wales covers only less than one tenth of the entire UK, covering 20,779 km². Wales is mostly mountainous, although South Wales is less mountainous than the rest. The main population and industrial zones are located in South Wales, including the coastal cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. The highest mountains in Wales are located in Snowdonia (including Mount Snowdon 1085 m high). The coastline of Wales is 1200 km long. the largest island is Anglesey in the northwest.

Northern Ireland covers only 13,843 km² and is mostly hilly. Here is Lough Ney, the largest lake in the British Isles (388 km²). The highest point in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains with an altitude of 852 m.

Great Britain has a temperate oceanic climate with a lot of rainfall throughout the year. Temperatures vary with the seasons, but rarely drop below -11 ° C or rise above 35 ° C. The main winds come from the southwest and often bring cold and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean, however, the eastern parts of the country are mostly sheltered from these winds, and since most of the rainfall occurs in the western regions, the eastern parts are the driest. The Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters, sometimes snowfalls in winter and early spring, although the snow usually does not last long.