Билет 1
The British Isles are situated on the continental shelf off the north-west coast of Europe and comprise a group of over 5,000 islands. Continental shelf is the zone of shallow water surrounding at present the continent and resembling a shelf above the deep water of the oceans. It’s very important for the economy because of exploitation of oil & natural gas from the continental shelf under the North Sea. Politically the British Isles are divided into two countries — the UK of GB and NI and the southern part of Ireland, or the Irish Republic. The total area of the British Isles is 322,246 sq. km, the U.K is 244,100 sq. km. From South to North, from Land's End to John O'Groats, the island of Great Britain stretches for about 900 km, and is just under 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.
From the European continent the BrI 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 (the Strait of Dover) is only 32 km. So the islands have had an easy and mainly profitable contact with mainland Europe. However, the separation of Britain from the continent has had a tremendous impact on the British nation. For centuries the British felt safe and secure protected by the Channel and no foreign army has ever invaded the country since the Norman conquest in the 11th century. No wonder the British are so different in their behaviour from other Europeans living on the continent, despite all the changes caused by modern technology and transport facilities.
The most important sea routes pass through the English Channel and the North Sea linking Europe with the Americas and other continents. The advantageous geographical position of GB created favourable conditions for the development of shipping, trade and economy as a whole. The BrI in general, but esp. England as part of the U.K., form one of the most densely peopled areas in the world. With the present population of the U.K. of some 60 million, many problems emerge with land use, road construction and city sprawl.
The BrI, apart from the two largest islands of GB and Ireland, include several other important islands and groups of islands. Off the northwestern coast of GB there is a group of islands known as the Hebrides, which are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides. They are separated from each other by the Sea of Hebrides and the Little Minch. The main occupation of the people there is farming and fishing.
Off the northern coast of Scotland separated from GB by the Pentland Forth are the Orkney Islands which comprise about a hundred islands. Most of the 20,000 residents are engaged in dairy and poultry farming.
The Shetland Islands are situated about 100 km north of the Orkneys. The population of about 18.000 is engaged in herning-fishing. Apart from fish, the only exports from .the islands are Shetland ponies and face knitted from the wool of local sheep.
In the middle of the Irish Sea lies the Isle of Man. From the Middle Ages the island is administered by its own Manx Parliament and has a population of about 50,000 engaged in farming, fishing and tourist trade.
Another important island in the Irish Sea is Anglesey situated off the north coast of Wales and separated from the latter by the Menai Strait. It is a place of a very famous village with the longest place name in GB. Anglesey contains only 52,000 people, and more of the working population are now engaged in local industry than in fishing and agriculture. This is partly due to an increase in tourism and partly to the introduction of several new industries, including the operation of a nuclear power plant at Wylfa.
The Isle of Wight lies in the English Channel. It is diamond-shaped, 40 km from west to east and about half as much from north to south. The Isle of Wight lies across the southern end of Southampton Water, and is separated from the mainland by the Solent. The island forms one of the most important tourist resorts in the country. It is linked to London by ferry and rail services. Lying in the English Channel off the extreme south-western coast of GB is a tiny group of the Isles of Stilly, another resort area.
The Channel Islands lie to the south-west on the French side of the English Channel. They are known to the French as the Isles Normandes. The Channel Islands form an archipelago separated by shallow waters from northern France. The total area of the islands is 194 sq. km, but the population is over 130,000. The chief islands of the group are, Jersey and Guernsey. Moreover, the sheep are reputed for their high quality wool sent to the mainland. The coastline of the BrI is indented. Therefore there are many bays and harbours, peninsulas and capes on the coast. Due to its extreme indentity the coastline of GB, despite its relatively modest size, is 8,000 km long. The western coasts of Scotland and Wales are very much indented. This phenomenon offers economic advantages, giving the possibility to establish ports in these inlets, which are important to keep ships safe from storms and to give them access deep into the country. The east coast is less lofty and more regular than the west coast, and the coastal lowlands are flooded frequently.
Most of the British ports are situated in the wide estuaries of rivers. Of great importance for port activity are tiaes when nsmg water reaches its maximum mark at high tide of 6m in the lower Thames (London), 8.5m in the Mersey estuary (Liverpool), 12m in the Bristol Channel at Bristol.
Living on islands, and therefore near the sea, the British naturally grew into a nation of sailors. Their love of the sea led them to become navigators and discoverers of new lands in many parts of the globe.