Theme “Physical Face, Rivers and Lakes”

• England:

Mountains:

1. The Pennines - "the backbone of England", forms a watershed separating the west-flowing and east-flowing rivers of England; the highest point - Cross Fell (893m);

2. the Cheviot Hills - form a natural border between England and Scotland; the highest point - the Cheviot (816m);

3. the Cumbrian Mountains - famous for the Lake District: the highest point - Scafell (978m).

Plains:

1. Salisbury Plain;

2. The South-West Lowlands and Uplands (600m);

3. The Midland Plains.

Rivers:

1. The Thames (332km), The Trent (274km), The Ouse, the Humber, the Tees, the Tyne (flow into the North Sea);

2. The Mersey, the Eden (flow into the Irish Sea).

Lakes (Lake District):

• Windermere - the largest in England;

• Grasmere;

• Ullswater

• Hawswater etc.

• Wales:

Mountains:

1. The Cambrian Mountains - famous for the Snowdon resort; the highest point - the Snowdon (1085m).

Rivers:

1. The Severn (350m) - the longest in GB, begins in Wales, flows through England (flows into the Irish Sea);

2. The Wye (flows into the Irish Sea).

• Scotland:

Regions:

1. The Highlands - take up 50% of the territory of Scotland but only 15% of the population lives here. The Highlands consist of 3 parts:

• the Northern Highlands;

• the Glen More Depression;

• the Grampian Mountains - contains the highest peak of the British Isles - Ben Nevis (1347m);

2. The Central Lowlands/the Midland Valley- take up only 15% of the territory of Scotland but 15% of the population lives here;

3. The Southern Uplands.

Rivers:

1. The Clyde (flows into the Irish Sea);

2. The Tweed, the Forth, the Dee, the Tay (flow into the North Sea).

Lakes:

• Loch Lomond - the largest in GB;

• Loch Ness - the longest in the British Isles, famous for its monster;

• Northern Ireland:

Mountains:

1. The Antrim Mountains - comprise the famous Giant's Causeway;

2. The Sperrin Mountains;

3. The Mourne Mountains.

Rivers:

1. The Shannon (384m) - the longest on the British Isles;

Lakes:

• Lough Neagh - the largest in the British Isles.

Theme “Flora and Fauna”

General Overlook.

The fact that Great Britain has such a small area means that the number of species that can evolve is severely limited because there is not enough land mass to support extensive animal diversity. The environment and the ecology is also very young due to the appearance of an Ice Age, which means that there has been much less time for such diversity to develop.

In most of Great Britain there is a temperate climate which receives high levels of precipitation (выпадение осадков) and medium levels of sunlight. Further northwards, the climate becomes colder and coniferous (хвойный) forests appear replacing the largely deciduous (лиственный) forests of the south.

The seasonal changes that occur across the country mean that plants have to cope with many changes linked to levels of sunlight, and this has led to a lack of plant diversity. Ultimately this has limited animal speciation and diversification because there are fewer edible types of vegetation in the habitats found on the island.

Since the mid eighteenth century, Great Britain has gone through industrialization and increasing urbanization. Statistics suggests that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century. This has had a major impact on local animal populations. Song birds in particular are becoming more scarce and habitat loss has affected larger mammalian species.

Some species have however adapted to the expanding urban environment, particularly the Red Fox, which is the most successful urban mammal after the Brown Rat.

Animal and plant world.

With its mild climate and varied soils, the United Kingdom has a diverse pattern of natural vegetation. Originally, oak forests probably covered the lowland, except for the fens and marsh areas, while pine forests and patches of moorland covered the higher or sandy ground. Over the centuries, much of the forest area, especially on the lowlands, was cleared for cultivation. Today only about 9% of the total surface is wooded. Fairly extensive forests remain in east and north Scotland and in southeast England.

• O ak

• Elm are the most common trees in England

• Ash

• Beech

Pine and birch are most common in Scotland. Almost all the lowland outside the industrial centers is farmland, with a varied seminatural vegetation of grasses and flowering plants. Wild vegetation consists of the natural flora of woods, fens and marshes, cliffs, chalk downs, and mountain slopes, the most widespread being the heather, grasses, gorse, and bracken of the moorlands.

The fauna is similar to that of northwestern continental Europe, although there are fewer species.

• Some of the larger mammals

• W olf

• Bear are extinct

• Boar

• Reindeer

• But red and roe deer are protected for sport.

• Common smaller mammals are foxes, hares, hedgehogs, rabbits, weasels, stoats, shrews, rats, and mice; otters are found in many rivers, and seals frequently appear along the coast.

• There are few reptiles and amphibians.

• Roughly 230 species of birds reside in the United Kingdom, and another 200 are migratory.

Most numerous are

• chaffinch

• blackbird

• sparrow

• starling

The number of large birds is declining, however, except for game birds — pheasant, partridge, and red grouse — which are protected. With the reclamation of the marshlands, waterfowl are moving to the many bird sanctuaries.

• The rivers and lakes abound in

• Salmon

• Trout

• Perch

• Pike

• Roach

• Dace

• Grayling

• There are more than 21,000 species of insects