What is Geography?

While the word geography is derived from Greek and literally means "to write about the
earth," the subject of geography is much more than describing "foreign" places or
memorizing the names of capitals and countries. Geography is an all-encompassing
discipline that seeks to understand the world - its human and physical features - through
an understanding of place and location. Geographers study where things are and how
they got there. My favourite definitions for geography are "the bridge between the
human and physical sciences" and "the mother of all sciences." Geography looks at the
spatial connection between people, places, and the earth.

What are the British Isles?

The British Isles consist of the two large islands known as Great Britain and Ireland
along with the many small islands nearby. The countries of the United Kingdom and
Ireland occupy the British Isles, which are separated by St. George's Channel.
Continental shelf
The islands are separated from the continent by shallow seas that cover a submarine
plain known as CONTINENTAL SHELF or SUBMARINE PLATFORM. Its edge is
called CONTINENTAL EDGE, which is the true edge of the continent.
Northwestern Europe owes its indented coast to the fact that after the Great Ice Age, the
level of the sea rose submerging the great plain which joined Britain to the mainland
and converted the lower courses of the rivers into many branches-estuaries.
THE FEATURES OF THE SEA COASTS
The deep indentations of the coasts are due to the submergence of the land and the
drowning of the continental shelf.
The Eastern Coast is protected by embankments from gales or high tides, although most
of the low-lying coast is below 5 metres (15 feet) above sea level. There is a marked
contrast between the western and eastern coasts. The former is much more indented than
the latter. This is because the west coast is open to the full force of the Atlantic gales
while the east coast is sheltered and thus much more regular.
There are many inlets on the west coast that are so winding and landlocked that storms
hardly ever penetrate to their upper end.

What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England?

The United Kingdom is a country that consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In
fact, the official name of the country is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland."
Great Britain is the name of the island northwest of France and east of Ireland that
consists of three somewhat autonomous regions: England, Wales and Scotland.
Therefore, England is part of Great Britain, which is part of the United Kingdom. The
U.K. includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. England, Wales,
Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not countries but the United Kingdom is. The
remaining portion of the island of Ireland (that which is not the U.K.'s Northern Ireland)
is an independent country called the Republic of Ireland (Eire).
Background: Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th
century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy
and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British
Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half
of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two
World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire
and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European
nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security
Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth,
the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is
weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A
member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and
Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a
significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National
Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were
established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over
the peace process.

Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island
of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea,
northwest of France
Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist)
71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none
23.1% (2001 census)
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish
form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Government United Kingdom

Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and
Wales
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK
Government constitutional monarchy
type:
Capital: London
Flag description blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England)
edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint
Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the
diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland);
properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union
Jack; the design and colours (especially the Blue Ensign) have been
the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth
countries and their constituent states or provinces, as well as British
overseas territories

Country, State, and Nation

Definining an Independent Country

While the terms country, state, and nation are often used interchangeably, there is a
difference.
A State (note the capital "S") is a self-governing political entity. The term State can be
used interchangeably with country.
A nation, however, is a tightly-knit group of people which share a common culture. A
nation-state is a nation which has the same borders as a State.

States and Independent Countries

Let's start with what defines a State or an independent country. An independent State:

• Has space or territory which has internationally recognized boundaries

(boundary disputes are OK).
• Has people who live there on an ongoing basis.
• Has economic activity and an organized economy. A country regulates foreign
and domestic trade and issues money.
• Has the power of social engineering, such as education.
• Has a transportation system for moving goods and people.
• Has a government which provides public services and police power.
• Has sovereignty. No other State should have power over the country's territory.
• Has external recognition. A country has been "voted into the club" by other
countries.
 There are currently 195 independent countries or States around the world. Territories of
countries or individual parts of a country are not countries in their own right.
Examples of entities that are not countries include: Hong Kong, Bermuda, Greenland,
Puerto Rico, and most notably the constituent parts of the United Kingdom. (Northern
Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England are not countries.)

A "state" (with a lower-case "s") is usually a division of a federal State (such as the
states of the United States of America).

Nations and Nation-States

Nations are culturally homogeneous groups of people, larger than a single tribe or
communities, which share a common language, institutions, religion, and historical
experience.

When a nation of people has a State or country of their own, it is called a nation-state.
Places like France, Egypt, Germany, and Japan are excellent examples of nation-states.
There are some States which have two nations, such as Canada and Belgium. Even with
its multicultural society, the United States is also referred to as a nation-state because of
the shared American "culture." There are nations without States. For example, the
Kurds are stateless people.

ENGLAND
Most of England consists of low plains and downs with the major hill regions situated to
the north, west and southeast where elevations do not rise above 305 metres (1,000 feet)
at any point. The Cheviot Hills run east to west along the Scottish border, while from
the Scottish border to Derbyshire in Central England lie the north to south Pennine
Range. The Central Midlands (English Plain), a plain region that consists of low, rolling
hills and fertile valleys is located south of the Pennines. Scafell Pike, England's highest
point is located in the northwest with an elevation of 978 metres (3,210 feet). Its
principal rivers are the Severn, Thames, Humber, Tees, Tyne, Tweed, Avon, Exe and
Mersey.

Flag: Cross of St George

National Day: 23 April

Major Cities: Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield

Anthem (Song): God Save the Queen

Land of Hope and Glory

Official English
Language:
Main religions: Church of England,
 Catholic,
Methodist,
Muslim,
Jewish,
Sikh and
Hindu.

Currency: Pound Sterling (£)

Highest point: Scafell Pike 978 m (3210 ft)

Lowest Point: The Fens, 4.6 metres (15 feet) below sea level

Longest river: Thames (346 km)

The Severn is officially Britain's longest river as it flows through both Wales and
England.

Largest Lake: Windermere (14.7 sq km)

S YM BO LS OF E NG LA ND

The three national symbols of England are the St. George's cross (usually seen as a
flag), the red rose and the Three Lions crest (usually seen as a badge).

St George's Flag, the England Flag Three Lions Emblem

The three lions are on the badge The three lions are on the badge
of England's cricket team of England's football team
 The red rose is widely recognised as The red rose is on the badge of the
the national flower of England. English Rugby Union team.

The oak is the national tree of England

SCOTLAND (ALBA)
Facts & Figures Geography
Status: Part of United Kingdom
Scotland occupies the northern third of the
First Minister: Jack McConnell island of Great Britain. It is bounded by
England in the south and on the other three
(2001) sides by water: by the Atlantic Ocean on the
west and north and by the North Sea on the
Land area: 30,414 sq mi (78,772 sq east. Scotland is divided into three physical
km) regions—the Highlands; the Central
Lowlands, containing two-thirds of the
population; and the Southern Uplands. The
Population (1996 est.): 5,128,000; western Highland coast is intersected
density per sq mi: 168.6 throughout by long, narrow sea lochs, or
fjords. Scotland also includes the Outer and
Capital (2003 est.): Edinburgh, Inner Hebrides and other islands off the west
coast and the Orkney and Shetland Islands
663,700 (metro. area), 460,000 (city
off the north coast. Scotland consists of five
proper) great blocks that are bounded by lines
converging on a point in western Ireland.
Largest city: Glasgow, 1,361,000 The blocks are:
(metro. area), 1,099,400 (city proper)
1. Southern Uplands: that merge
southwards into the Cheviot Hills and
Monetary unit: British pound are bounded to the north by a great fault.
sterling (£) They are the remnants of a great plateau
that has been dissected by the weather.
Languages: English, Scots Gaelic 2. Central Lowland: is a great rift valley
formed by the land slipping down
between two faults known as Southern
Religions: Church of Scotland Boundary Fault and Northern
(established church—Presbyterian), Boundary Fault. This lowland contains
Roman Catholic, Scottish Episcopal the valleys of the Tay, Forth and Clyde
Rivers.
Church, Baptist, Methodist
3. Grampian highlands: this block lies
between the Northern Boundary Fault
and Glenmore (the third fault in
Scotland). These mountains are the
remnants of a dissected plateau. Ben
Nevis is the highest mountain/peak of
the British Isles.
4. Northern Highlands: this block lies to the north of Glenmore and is
structurally similar to the Grampians though the mountains do not rise to such
great height. A remarkable feature of the Northern Highlands is the large
number of long, narrow ribbon-like lakes that occupy hollows scooped out by
glaciers along fault lines.
5. Outer Hebrides: islands separated from the mainland by the Minch Channel.
This channel is a submerged rift valley since it was formed by the sinking of the
land between faults. The islands that compose the Outer Hebrides represent the
 latest remnants of a mountain range that has been worn down almost to sea
level.

Government England and Scotland have shared a monarch since 1603 and a
parliament since 1707, but in May 1999, Scotland elected its own parliament for the
first time in three centuries. The new Scottish legislature was in part the result of British
Prime Minister Tony Blair's campaign promise to permit devolution, the transfer of
local powers from London to Edinburgh. In a Sept. 1997 referendum, 74% of Scotland
voted in favor of their own parliament, which controls most domestic affairs, including
health, education, and transportation, and has powers to legislate and raise taxes. Queen
Elizabeth opened the new parliament on July 2, 1999.
WALES (CYMRU)
Geography

Wales lies west of England and is separated from England by the Cambrian Mountains.
It is bordered on the northwest, west, and south by the Irish Sea and on the northeast
and east by England. Wales is generally hilly; the Snowdon range in the northern part
culminates in Mount Snowdon (3,560 ft, 1,085 m), Wales's highest peak. There are also
several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in the
northwest.
Shaped by the last Ice Age, some 10,000 years ago, our landscape is mountainous,
particularly in north and mid Wales. As you travel south you will notice the landscape
becomes much softer, though the hills remain of course. In mid Wales we have the
Cambrian Mountains and moving further south The Brecon Beacons. South Wales,
where the industrial revolution really took hold, has a very different feel from the rest of
Wales, which is generally more rural. Here you will find the steep-sided valleys once
home to our coal mines, carved up by rivers like the Rhondda, Taff.

Government
Until 1999, Wales was ruled solely by the UK government and a secretary of state. In
the referendum of Sept. 18, 1997, Welsh citizens voted to establish a national assembly.
Wales will remain part of the UK, and the secretary of state for Wales and members of
parliament from Welsh constituencies will continue to have seats in parliament. Unlike
Scotland, which in 1999 voted to have its own parliament, the national assembly will
not be able to legislate and raise taxes. Wales will, however, control most of its local
affairs. The Welsh national assembly officially opened on July 1, 1999.
Facts & Figures
Status: Part of United Kingdom

First Secretary: Rhodri Morgan (2000)

Land area: 8,019 sq mi (20,768 sq km)

Population (1993 est.): 2,906,500

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Cardiff, 676,400 (metro. area), 280,800 (city proper)

Monetary unit: British pound sterling (£)

Languages: English, Welsh

Religions: Calvinistic Methodist, Church of Wales (disestablished—Anglican), Roman

Catholic
IRELAND - Geography
Ireland is situated in the Atlantic Ocean and separated from Great Britain by the Irish
Sea. Half the size of Arkansas, it occupies the entire island except for the six counties
that make up Northern Ireland. Ireland resembles a basin—a central plain rimmed with
mountains, except in the Dublin region. The mountains are low, with the highest peak,
Carrantuohill in County Kerry, rising to 3,415 ft (1,041 m). The principal river is the
Shannon, which begins in the north-central area, flows south and southwest for about
240 mi (386 km), and empties into the Atlantic. Ireland is often described as a saucer-
shaped island since most of the land is situated around the edges. The simile is not very
apt since the rim of high land consists of detached fragments, many of which extend
well in land, while the central lowland extends to the coast in several places.
Natural divisions:
1. Northwestern Ireland: it includes the barren mountainous regions of Donnegal,
Mayo and Connemara.
2. Northeastern Ireland: it includes the mountainous region of Mourne and the
plateau of Antrim. This plateau is built up of volcanic rocks formed by the
cooling of lava that in recent geological times welled up from great cracks in the
earth. This lava-flow formerly extended across what is now the North Channel
and this is shown by the existence of similar volcanic rocks on the islands of
Staffa and Iona near the mainland of Scotland. When the lava cooled, the
contraction caused the rocks to split up into columns, such as those that compose
Giant’s Causeway. Lake Neagh lies in a central depression of Northern
Ireland and is the Kingdom's largest lake.
3. Southeastern Ireland: it includes the mountains of Wicklow (where river
Liffey originates) and the uplands of Wexford.
4. Southwestern Ireland: it consists of alternating ridges and valleys running east
and west. The ridges are collectively known as Cork and Kerry Mountains.
5. Central Plain: this plain is floored with carboniferous limestone; it is very low-
lying and is in most places covered with glacial deposits (consequence of the Ice
Age) so it is waterlogged and swampy. It is crossed by the longest river in the
British Isles: Shannon.
NORTHERN IRELAND (Tuaisceart Éireann)

Facts & Figures Geography

Status: Part of United Kingdom
First Minister: (suspended Oct. 14,
2002)
Land area: 5,452 sq mi (14,121 sq
km)
Population (1998 est.): 1,688,600
Northern Ireland is composed of 26 districts,
derived from the boroughs of Belfast and
Londonderry and the counties of Antrim,
Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and
Tyrone. Together they are commonly called
Ulster, though the territory does not include the
entire ancient province of Ulster. It is slightly
larger than Connecticut.

Capital and largest city (2003 est.):

Government
Belfast, 484,800 (metro. area),
246,200 (city proper) Northern Ireland was an integral part of the
United Kingdom, but under the terms of the
Monetary unit: British pound Government of Ireland Act in 1920, it had a
sterling (£) semiautonomous government. In 1972,
however, after three years of sectarian violence
Language: English
between Protestants and Catholics that resulted
in more than 400 dead and thousands injured,
Religions: Presbyterian, Church of
Britain suspended the Ulster parliament. The
Ireland, Roman Catholic, Methodist.
Ulster counties were governed directly from
Major sources and definitions More London after an attempt to return certain
Facts & Figures powers to an elected assembly in Belfast.

As a result of the Good Friday Agreement of

1998, a new coalition government was formed
on Dec. 2, 1999, with the British government formally transferring governing power to
the Northern Irish parliament. David Trimble, Protestant leader of the Ulster Unionist
Party (UUP) and winner of the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize, became first minister. The
government has been suspended four times since then; it has remained suspended since
Oct. 14, 2002.

Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland (Gaelic Eire), republic comprises of about five-sixths of the
island of Ireland. The country consists of the provinces of Leinster, Munster, and
Connaught (Connacht) and part of the province of Ulster. The rest of Ulster, which
occupies the northeastern part of the island, constitutes Northern Ireland, a constituent
part of Great Britain. The republic has a total area of 70,283 sq km (27,136 sq mi).

Religion and Language

About 94% of the people of Ireland are Roman Catholics, and less than 4% are
Protestants. Protestant groups include the Church of Ireland (Anglican) and the
Presbyterian and Methodist denominations. Freedom of worship is guaranteed by the
constitution.

The capital and largest city is Dublin, with a population (1986, greater city) of 920,956.
Cork is the second largest city and a major port, with a population of 173,694. Other
cities and towns, important primarily as trading centers for produce, with their
population figures in the 1986 census, include Limerick (76,557), and Waterford
(41,054). Almost all the people speak English, and about one-fourth also speak Irish, a
Gaelic language that is the traditional tongue of Ireland. Irish is spoken as the
vernacular by a relatively small number of people, however, mostly in areas of the west.
The constitution provides for both Irish and English as official languages.

Executive

Executive power under the Irish constitution is vested in the government (cabinet),
consisting of about 15 members. The government, responsible to the lower house of the
national legislature, is headed by the Taoiseach, or prime minister. This official is
nominated by the lower house and appointed by the president. The members of the
government head the various administrative departments, or ministries. They are
nominated by the prime minister and, subject to the approval of the lower house,
appointed by the president. The president of Ireland is the head of state and is elected by
direct popular vote for a 7-year term.

chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)

head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime
minister and approval of the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31
October 1997 (next scheduled for October 2011); note - Mary MCALEESE appointed
to a second term when no other candidate qualified for the 2004 presidential election;
prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the
president.
Legislature

Legislative authority is vested in a bicameral legislature known as the Oireachtas. This

is composed of a 166-member lower house, or Dáil Éirean (Irish, "Assembly of
Ireland"), Irish legislative body. It was established as a revolutionary congress in 1919,
when 73 members of the Dáil Éireann, and a 60-member senate, or Seanad Eireann. The
members of the Dáil are elected for terms of up to five years by proportional
representation. Eleven members of the senate are selected by the prime minister and six
members are elected by the universities. The remaining 43 members of the senate are
elected by an electoral college consisting of about 900 members from the county
borough councils, county councils, the Dáil, and the senate. The elected members of the
senate are chosen from candidates representing national culture, labour, agriculture and
fisheries, public administration and social services, and commerce and industry. The
senate may not veto legislation enacted by the Dáil and is otherwise restricted in
authority.

Éire, Republic of Ireland, Poblacht na hÉireann

Meaning of the Colours

Officially (i.e. in the national constitution) the colours of the Irish flag have no
meaning. However many urban legends have arisen to account for the colours. Some
are presented below:

The Green is for the Catholics, the Orange for the Protestants and the white for the
peace between them.There are a few reasons why Green is associated with Catholics in
Ireland - Coming from the long struggle for independence. Around the time of the
American Revolution, there was anxiety in the ruling classes of Europe; fearing that the
ideas of liberty and so on would spread to their own population and spark some kind of
revolt. This was very true in Ireland - where resentment to British rule was very strong.
Green had always been associated with Ireland as a nation, and with the revolutionary
groups within it. For a while around 1776, the wearing of the colour green was actually
barred by the authorities, giving rise to the song of the same name.

Green was the colour of sympathy for independence around this time, and has pretty
much stuck with that until this day. The modern flag arrives much later, as a
compromise flag - Which ironically, today, is used as a symbol for (complete)
independence.
Jim McBrearty, 29 April 2003

The orange colour is associated with the Protestants in Ulster and that derived from
William III (of the House of Orange and originally the Stadtholder of the Netherlands)
who defeated the Irish Catholics at the Battle of the Boyne somewhere in the late 1600s.
It was included in the Irish flag in an attempt to reconcile the Protestants with the Irish
independence movement.
A.P. Burgers, 26 May 2004