THE GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION OF GREAT BRITAIN

The Flag of Great Britain

The Union Flag is so called because it embodies the emblems of three countries united under one sovereign. It is colloquially known as the Union Jack. So the Union Jack is a combination of the banners of England, Scotland and Ireland. The Welsh Flag does not appear on the Union Flag.

Territory of the British Isles

Great Britain lies to the north – west of Europe and includes a group of islands. Britain, formally known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, occupies the greater part of the islands.

It consists of England, Wales, Scotland and the northern part of Ireland. The UK's area is about 244.000 square kilometers. From South to North it stretches for over 900 km, and it is about 500 km across in the widest part and 60 km in the narrowest. Due to the numerous bays and inlets no place in Britain is as much as 120 km from the sea coast line.

All in all there are over 5000 islands in the system of the British Isles. The major parts are Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands, Hebrides Islands, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, Angelesey and others. The total area of British Isles is more than 322.000 sq. km.

From the European continent the British Isles are separated by the English Channel and the North Sea. The English Channel in its widest part in the west is 220 km. wide, and in the narrowest, what is called the Strait-of-Dover, only 32 km. Today England and France are connected by the underwater tunnel which is 69 km. long.

In the west the British Isles are washed by the Atlantic Ocean, in the east by the North Sea, The two largest islands, Britain and Ireland, are separated from each other by the Irish Sea and the two straights, the North Channel and St. George's Channel.

The British Isles are known for their greatly indented coastline. Therefore there are a lot of bays and harbours, peninsulas and capes there. That makes a location of small ports very easy. The largest ports are: London, Liverpool, Glasgow and etc.

Rivers and Lakes

There is a wide network of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not long. The rivers are navigable.

Mild maritime climate keeps them free of ice throughout the winter months.

The largest river of Great Britain is the Severn (390 km). The Thames is 332 km. There are also the Clyde, the Mersey, the Shannon, the Tweed and etc.

The largest lake in Great Britain and the biggest loch in Scotland is Loch Lomond (~ 70 sq. km). Although the longest lake is Loch Ness (56 sq. km), which also has the greatest volume of water in it.

In England the largest lake is Lake Windermere (15 sq. km). The largest fresh water lake in the British Isles Is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland (381 sq. km).

Climate and Weather

Britain has a generally mild and moderate climate, which is dominated by marine influences and is rainy and equable. Britain's climate is much milder than that in any other country in the same latitudes. This is partly due to Gulf Stream and partly to the fact that north-west Europe lies in the westerly wind-belt This means that not only marine influences warm the land in winter and cool it in summer, but also that the winds blowing over the Atlantic have a similar effect and at the same time carry large amounts of rain to the British Isles.

Britain's Climate is generally one of mild winters and cool summers, with rain throughout the year. It is not so hot in England in summer as on the continent. July is the warmest month. October is often the rainiest month of the year. It seldom snows. February is the coldest month in Great Britain. But climate is different in different parts of the country. In Scotland the climate is colder than in England.

Date: 2015-02-28; view: 1506