Lecture 2 geographical position Weak stream
I. Physical Background
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island state: it occupies the territory of the British Isles (the B.I.). It consists of about 5.500 islands, lying north-west of the coast of Europe. The largest islands are Great Britain (comprising England, Wales and Scotland) and Ireland (comprising Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic). Western Scotland is fringed by archipelago known as the Hebrides and to the north of Scotland are the Orkneys and the Shetland Isles. The biggest single isles are the Isle of Man and the Isle of Wight. All these have administrative ties with the mainland, but the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands situated between G.B. and France, have a larger measure of self-government (although these islands do recognize the Queen).
The UK is one of the world's smaller countries (it is twice smaller than Prance or Spain), with total area of 244,100 square kilometres. However, there are only 15 other countries with more people (the population is over 58 mln), and London is the world's 7th biggest city.
The UK is situated between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North Sea on the east. It is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or la Manche) the narrowest part of which is called the Strait of Dover (or Pas de Calais). G.B. and Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea and the North Channel.
The seas surrounding the B.I. are shallow - usually /ess than 90 metres (300 feet) - because the islands lie on the continental shelf. This shallowness is a great advantage as it keeps the shores from the extreme colds and provides excellent fishing grounds.
2. Geology and topography
Britain can be divided roughly into two main regions - Highland and Lowland Britain. The boundary between these two regions runs from the mouth of the Tyne in the northeast to the mouth of the Exe in the south-west.
Lowland Britain comprises southern and eastern England and consists of a rich plain, often more rolling than flat and rising to chalk and limestone hills, but hardly ever reaching 300 metres (985 feet) above sea-level.
Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines,- and the Lake District. The high ground of Highland is not continuous but interspersed with valleys and plains.
The mountains and hills consist mainly of old, hard rocks, which are rich in minerals and include the coal reserves which have been the foundation of Britain's industrial wealth. Britain's complex geology is one of the main reasons for its wide variety of scenery and stimulating contrasts found within short distances, particularly on the coasts.
*** Principle mountain and hill ranges of B. are: In the centre of E is the Pennine Range, which is known as the backbone of E. The Cumbrian Mountains in the Lake District and the Cambrian Mountains (with Snowdon, the second highest peak in Britain) are not high but amazingly beautiful. The Cheviot Hills separate England from Scotland. And physically Scotland is divided into 3 regions: the North Highlands (with Britain's highest peak Ben Nevis), the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands.
An important point to mention is that the names of physical features vary from one part of the B.I. to another. What England calls a lake, Scotland calls a loch, and Ireland a lough (pronounced luff). Any mountain with the title of "Ben" is sure to be found in Scotland, and any "Beacon"- Malvern Beacon, for instance - is a commanding hill situated most probably in Wales. The reason for the great variety of names goes deep into the history of B.