Great Britain geography

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland lies on the
British Isles
British isles = islands of GB,Ireland + over 6000 smaller smaller isles ( the
Orkneys, the Shetlands, the Hebrides
In wester Europe
-off the coas of continental Europe
- surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English
Channel, the Irish Sea
- We can get there either by air or by ferry, through the tunnel under
the English Channel
Britain is a beautiful country with places of interests, attractive countryside
Cover 245 000 km2
Population 60 million inhabitants
- The languages spoken in the UK are official English, Gaelic, Irish Gaelic
and Welsh
- special accents and dialects of English
The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a
constitutional monarchy
made up of England, Scotland and Wales, Ireland
- many of the differences between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern
Ireland
The various origins, separate traditions and cultures
-differences in religion, the legal system, education and language
- Because of number of castles Wales is often called the land of castles
Economy
- highly developed country
- the fifth-largest economy in the world
Industry
- They mine natural oil, gas and coal
-The most important raw materials are zinc, iron ore, chalk and potters
clay
- UK is industrial country
-The main industries are steel, metals, vehicles, shipbuilding, shipping,
banking, insurance, textiles, chemicals, electronics, aircraft, machinery,
services and distilling+coalmining, iron, steel and textiles
Agriculture
- highly developed and very effective
- They breed cattle and sheep, pigs and poultry
- They grow wheat, barley, potatoes and sugar beet
Climate
-influenced by the Atlantic ocean
- The great influence on climate has the Gulf Stream
- It makes the British climate milder - never very cold or very
hot
-instable many kinds of weather can be experienced in a single day

-mild winters (about 5 degrees) and warm summers (about 25 degrees)

-no extreems
Mountains
-the Highlands of Scotland
-divided into the Northwest Highlands and the Grampian
Mountains
- Grampian - the highest mountains in Britain
- separated by a narrow valley
-Southern Uplands
-the Penines
-the Cumbrian Mountains
-the Lake district
-The Cambrian in Wales
- Snowdonia - Wales
-the highest peaks
- Ben Nevis Grampian Mountains
-Snowdown Wales
- The lowest point The Fens
Lakes, Rivers
-the longest rivers
-the river Severn, Thames
-rivers are not very long, but deep due to frequent rains
-main lakes
-Lough Neagh largest Northen Ireland
-Loch Lomond
-Loch Ness Scotland
-Windermere Lake district
-ports
-London, Glasgow (the Clyde),Clyde, Liverpool (the Mersey),
Newcastle(the Tyne), Bristol (the Avon)
Cities
-capital
-London England
-Edinburgh Scottland
-Cardiff Wales
- Belfast North.Ireland
-major cities
-London (the largest), Birmingham, Leeds
British national flag is sometimes called Unions Jack.
- It symbolises the Union of England, Scotland and Ireland
- is made up of three crosses
National anthem is God save the Queen!
The British Commonwealth of Nations
- former British colonies
- Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Pakistan and some islands in the Atlantic
Ocean