Population and Geographical position

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The full name of Great Britain is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is not a big country. Its area is about 244, 820 square kilometers.

Its population is about 60 million people. The main nationalities are English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. Great Britain is situated in Western Europe, on the British Isles. It is washed by the North Sea, the Irish Sea and the English Channel.

The English Channel (or La Manche) is 220 km wide in its widest part in the west and in the narrowest, what is called the Strait of Dover.

The United Kingdom is an island state and composed of some 5, 500 islands, large and small. The two main islands of the British Isles are Great Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. They are separated by the Irish Sea.

Great Britain consists of 4 parts: England (London) – the southern and the middle part of the island, Scotland (Edinburgh) − the northern part of the island, Wales (Cardiff) – a mountainous peninsula in the west, and Northern Ireland (Belfast).

The British Isles include several other important islands and groups of islands. Among them are: the Hebrides off the north-western coast of Great Britain; the Orkney Islands off the northern coast of Scotland; the Shetland Islands about 70 miles north of the Orkneys; the Isle of Man in the middle of the Irish Sea; Anglesey off the north coast of Wales; the Isle of Wight in the English Channel; the Isle of Scilly off the south-western coast of Great Britain; the Channel Islands to the south-west on the French side of the English Channel.

There are no high mountains in GB. In the north the Cheviot Hills separate England from Scotland. In the center of England is a range of hills called the Pennines, known as "the backbone of England". The Cambrian Mountains are not high but amazingly beautiful. The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales: Ben Nevis (1,343 metres) and Snowdon (1,085 metres).

The longest and the deepest rivers in GB are the Severn (390 km), the Shannon (384 km), the Thames (346 km). The Clyde is the longest river in Scotland. The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland. Other comparatively long rivers of Great Britain are the Trent, Tweed, Forth, Dee, Spey, Tay, Tyne, Tees, Humber, Clyde, Eden, Ribble, Mersey, Ouse.

There are many lakes especially in the mountains. The largest fresh water lake in the British Isles is Lough Neagh (381 sq km) in Northern Ireland. The largest lake in Great Britain and the biggest inland loch (lake) in Scotland is Loch Lomond, covering a surface area of 70 sq km. The most famous lake is Loch Ness (56 sq km) in Scotland, which is said to have a water monster. In England the largest lake is Lake Windermere (the Lake District) with a surface area of 15 sq km.

Many people say that Great Britain looks like a large well-kept park. There are beautiful gardens, fields, lakes and woods here. Historically, the most famous forest is Sherwood Forest in the east of England. It was the home of Robin Hood.

Great Britain is rich in mineral resources such as coal, iron, copper, lead, salt, china clay, and granite. British coal is of high quality.

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