Theme 1

Geographical Outline of the

United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland
 Plan
1.Geographical position.
2.Mountains
3.Rivers and lakes
4.Climate.
5.Mineral resources.
6.National parks, Conservation and
Recreation Areas.
7.Administrative Division.
8.National Symbols and Holidays.
The UK is situated on the British
Isles. They consist of many
islands, the larger of which is
Great Britain ,the smaller is
Ireland. The total area of them
and 500 more other islands is a
little more than 240.000.sq.km.
The official name of the country is The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. It has several shorter
names:
– The United Kingdom – used at European
vision of Song Contest, at the United
Nations and in the European Parliament;
 – the UK – used in every day speech;
 Great Britain – heard in the Olympic Games; – GB is
written on stickers on cars;
 – Britain – used in writing and speaking;
 – Albion – a word used in some poems. It was the
original Roman name for Britain. It may come from the
Latin word albus, meaning white. The white chalk cliffs
around Dover on the south coast are the first thing to
be seen when you cross the sea from the European
land.
 – Britannia – the name that Romans gave to their
southern British province (which covered the area of
present-day England).
The north-west and west of Great
Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic
Ocean. In the west the country is
washed by the Irish sea, the eastern
coast -by the North Sea. The south-
eastern part of Great Britain is
separated from the continent by the
English Channel ,which is 32 km
wide at its narrowest point.
The Uk consists of 4 main parts: England,Scotland,Wales and
Nothern Ireland.It`s area is 244,000 square klm.
2. Mountains of Great Britain
The general slope of the land is from north-west to
south-east. The mountains cover the greater part of
the northern, western and middle Great Britain. They
can be divided into the following groups:
a) The Highlands of Scotland occupy most of the land
to the north-west of a line drawn from Glasgow to
Aberdeen. Two parts of the Highlands-the North-
western Highlands and the Grampians-are separated
by a narrow valley, through which runs the
Caledonian Canal. At the south-western end of the
Highlands rises Ben Nevis, 1343m, the highest
mountain of the British Isles.
b) The Central Plain of Scotland separates the
Highlands from the Southern Uplands of
Scotland. The Southern Uplands and the
Pennines, which stretch in the north-south
direction across the northern and middle parts
of England, from a practically continuous group.
c) Nearly the whole of Wales is occupied by the
Cumbrians. The highest peak of the Cumbrians
is Snowdon, 1085m.
The south-eastern part of England is lowland,
interrupted in places by low chalk ridges.
In Scotland a large valley –the
Central Lowlands,divides mountains
into the Northern Uplands and the
Southern Uplands. The Northern
Uplands is divided into the north-west
Highlands and the Grampians where
the highest point of the British Isles Ben
Nevis is. located
Scotland: the Grampians: one of
the 3 major mountain ranges in
Scotland
Ben Nevis, the highest point in the
British Isles, 1,343 meters above sea
level
Rivers rising in the Grampians

the Spey
the Don
the Dee
the Esk
the Tay
In the North the Pennines
region is joined to the
southern Uplands of
Scotland by the Cheviot
Hills.
The Cambrian mountains
occupy almost the whole
northern and central part of
Wales peninsular.
The Pennines - ("backbone of
England"

400 km
Lake District National Park,
Scafell Pike

The highest mountain in England: 978 metres

One of three British peaks climbed as part of the
National Three Peaks Challenge.
 Wales: Snowdonia

2170 square kilometres

".

Snowdon – the highest mountain

in Wales

Saxon "Snow Dun“ - "snow hill".

1085 metres
 Typical Pennine scenery
in the Forest of Bowland

Cross Fell 893 meters

Celtic “penno” - hill

The Highlands
 Rivers

The rivers in Britain have

been major sources of
communication and travel
since ancient times. The
Romans reached what is now
London by sailing down
the Thames.
The River Thames, London
Rivers and a series of canals built to
connect some of them were important for
transporting goods and raw materials
during the Industrial Revolution.
Rivers also acted as borders between
people and served as boundaries between
geographical and administrative areas.
The two longest rivers in the UK are the
River Severn in the south west of
England and the River Thames, which
flows through the capital. The River
Thames is the deepest river in the UK.
 Important ports in the UK grew up at the mouth of
navigable rivers including Liverpool (The River
Mersey), Bristol (The River Severn), Newcastle (The
River Tyne) and Glasgow (The River Clyde).
 Rivers are an important natural resource and provide a
habitat for many animals, birds and plants in the UK.
 Rivers in Britain also provide an area for one of the
UK's most popular pastimes - fishing as well places to
row, punt and kayak.
 The River Cherwell in Oxford and the River Cam
in Cambridge are famous for their university students
punting through the dreaming spires.
 Climate
 The climate in the UK is generally mild and temperate due to
the influence of the Gulf Stream. The southwestern winds
carry the warmth and moisture into Britain. The climate in
Britain is usually described as cool, temperate and humid. As
the weather changes with the wind, and Britain is visited by
winds from different parts of the world, the most characteristic
feature of Britain's weather is its variability. The English also
say that they have three variants of weather: when it rains in
the morning, when it rains in the afternoon or when it rains all
day long. Sometimes it rains so heavily that they say 'It's
raining cats and dogs''
 Rainfall is more or less even throughout the year. In the
mountains there is heavier rainfall than in the plains of
the south and cast. The driest period is from March to
June and the wettest months are from October to
January. The average range of temperature (from winter
to summer) is from 5 to 23 degrees above zero. During a
normal summer the temperature sometimes rises above
30 degrees in the south. Winter temperatures below 10
degrees are rare. It seldom snows heavily in winter, frost
is rare. January and February are usually the coldest
months, July and August the warmest. Still the wind may
bring winter cold in spring or summer days. Sometimes it
brings whirlwinds or hurricanes. Droughts are rare.
So, we may say that the British climate has
three main features: it is mild, humid and
changeable. That means that it is never too
hot or too cold. Winters are extremely mild.
Snow may come but it melts quickly. In winter
the cold is a humid cold, not dry. This humid
and mild climate is good for plants. Trees and
flowers begin to blossom early in spring.
 Mineral resources

Great Britain has a variety of geological

natural resources, including coal, natural
gas, petroleum, limestone, chalk, salt,
iron ore, slate, clay, zinc, tin, silver, gold
and lead. Arable land is also an important
natural resource. Twenty-five percent of
Great Britain’s land is used for farming,
and 46 percent is pasture land used for
grazing livestock.
 Minerals Britain is not particularly rich. But some
minerals played an important role in the
development of industrial regions. The most
significant deposits in the UK are coal, which is
practically in all parts of the country. The largest
deposits of coal in the UK are: the Yorkshire and
South Wales basins, as well as Northumberland.
Also, many small basins are located in Scotland.
Also numerous pools of the coal deposit are located
in some coastal parts of England, which has its
advantages in the convenience of transportation.
BRITAIN’S NATIONAL
PARKS
The first national park in Great Britain
was set up in 1949. The first aim of
establishing national park is to provide
protection for the outstanding
countryside they contain; the second
aim is to provide opportunities for
people to have access to them and
enjoy them.
The Lake District in the north-west of England is
the largest national park. It is popular with
walkers, canoeists, cyclists, sailors, and
climbers. Although it is quite compact – it is only
50km from east to west – it has some of the most
spectacular and varied scenery in Britain. It has
Windermere, at 16.4 kilometres the longest lake
in England, and Scafell Pike, at 1,000 metres the
highest mountain in England. Also in the Lake
District is Sty Head, the wettest place in Britain.
More than 4,000 millimetres of rain a year fall on
Sty Head!
The Lake District is now one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Britain. In
2001 a total of 17 tourist nights (one night
spent by one person) were recorded in the
Lake District.
National parks are not owned by the nation.
Most of the land is still in private hands. For
example, the resident population of the Lake
District is 41,100.
 Snowdonia is the second largest National Park in the UK,
after the Lake District. The English name for the area
derives from Snowdon, which is the highest mountain in
Wales. An estimated 6 million holidaymakers visit
Snowdonia national park every year to enjoy a wide range of
leisure activities. There is a walking country to suit all tastes
and abilities, as well as opportunities for rock climbing, off-
road cycling and water sports. The Snowdonia National Park
has many buildings of architectural and historical
importance, ranging from the castles built by the Welsh
princes to farmhouses, tiny cottages and agricultural
buildings. Over 26,500 people live and work in the
Snowdonia National Park. Most of the land there is privately
owned and farmed.

 ENGLAND
Area: 131000 sq
km
Population: 48
million people
Capital: London
Language:
English
 THE EMBLEM OF ENGLAND
The red rose
became the
emblem of
England after
the War of the
Roses (1455-
1485)
 WALES

Area: 20761 sq
km
Population: 29
million people
Capital: Cardiff
Language:
English, Welsh
THE WELSH FLAG

…shows a dragon.
Saint David is the
patron saint of Wales.
Saint David`s Day is
celebrated on 1
March.
THE EMBLEM OF WALES
The daffodil is
Welshmen`s
national
emblem.
 SCOTLAND
Area: 78800 sq
km
Population: 5
million people
Capital:
Edinburgh
Language:
English,Gaelick
 THE SCOTTISH FLAG
The Saint
Andrew`s cross is
the Scottish flag.
Saint Andrew`s
Day is celebrated
on 30 November.
THE EMBLEM OF SCOTLAND
The thistle, the
national emblem
of Scotland was
chosen as such
because it saved
the country from
the enemy.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Area: 14160 sq
km
Population: 1,6
million people
Capital: Belfast
Language: Irish,
English
THE FLAG OF NORTHERN IRELAND
Ulster is the
name used
today for six
counties of
Northern Ireland.
The flag
represents these
six counties.
THE EMBLEM OF IRELAND
The shamrock,
the emblem of
the Irish is
proudly worn on
St.Patrick`s
Day, March 17.