The geography of Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated in the west of Europe. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales, Ulster (the northeast part of Ireland), and many small islands such as the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, and the Shetlands, the Orkneys, and the Hebrides in the north. It covers 244,000 square kilometers, and its current population is about 60 million. The capital of the UK is London. The southwest part of the country is rather low-lying, while the rest is dominated by old mountains such as the Pennines in England, the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, and the Grampians and the Caledonian Mountains in Scotland.

The climate of Great Britain is moderate. Winters are mild, summers are cool, and the weather is rainy and changeable, dependent on the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. The most important rivers are the Severn and the Thames. The British Isles are washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Straits of Dover, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea. The main ports are London, Liverpool, and Southampton.

The country is well developed and industrialized. The major industries are the mining industry, metallurgy, shipbuilding, car industry, textile industry, and electrotechnics. Agriculture is less developed. It is based on cattle breeding, sheep farming, fisheries, and the cultivation of barley, wheat, and sugar beets.

England is the largest and most important region, possessing the center of government and administration in London. Its southeast part (the so-called Chalk Country) is called "the meadow of England" because of beautiful gardens, flowers, orchards, and fertile fields. The Midlands are more industrialized. The so-called Black Country within Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, and Nottingham abounds with coal, iron ore, and granite. England is rather flat, but Scotland to the north is hillier. It is a land of mountains, wild moorlands, valleys, plains, lakes, ancient castles, and numerous islands off the coast. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh. It is the cultural center of Scotland and the most heavily populated city in Scotland, while Glasgow is its industrial center. The country is geographically divided into the Highlands in the north and the Lowlands in the south. Scotland is famous for its beautiful lakes.

Wales is the smallest country of the United Kingdom. It is situated on the southwest coast of Great Britain. It has considerable variety. South Wales is an industrial area. It is rocky and full of mines. North Wales, on the other hand, is mountainous and picturesque. The capital of Wales is Cardiff, an important industrial center and port.