Chapter 1　Geography

Section A　Geography of the United Kingdom

1. Physical Geography

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (or the U. K.), or simply Britain, is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It includes Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland (not actually on the island of Great Britain). The total area of the U. K. is approximately 245,000 km2 with a population of about 60 million people (2009 estimate). The U. K. lies between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. The Channel Tunnel bordered beneath the English Channel, now links the U. K. with France.

England

England is in the southern part of Great Britain and is divided into nine governmental regions. It is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the U. K.

The south of England is mostly low-lying land, with hills and agricultural land and the north of England is mostly covered in moorlands and mountains. England covers over 50,000 square miles (130,439 km2) and is the largest of the countries comprising the island of Britain, covering about two-thirds of the island. No place in England is more than 75 miles (120 km) from the sea.

The landscape is determined mainly by different types of rocks underlying it. In the south, chalk has produced the gently rolling hills of the Downs[1], while hard granite is the basis for the mountains of the north and the high moorlands in the southwest. Much of the land in England is flat (low-lying)—less than 1,000 m above the sea level, forming meadowlands and pastures and less than 10 percent of the area is covered by woodlands. Farmers raise animals or grow crops in the fields. The landscape of England is more rugged in the north and the west. The highest elevations are in Cumbria and the Lake District in the west. The southwest is a long peninsula with bleak moorlands and rocky outcrop. In the southeast, a horseshoe-shaped ring of chalk downs surrounds the formerly wooded area of the Weald[2]. The southeast corner has dramatic chalk cliffs bordering the English Channel. England's best known river is the River Thames which flows through southern England. It is the longest river in England and the second longest in the U. K., next to River Severn. England has a long coastline of 3,200 km. In the south and west, the coastline can be rocky with steep cliffs. The east coast is often flat and low-lying with beaches and mud flats.

Scotland

Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of Great Britain and shares a land border to the south with England and is bounded by the North Sea on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on the west. Its capital city is Edinburgh. Scotland has some 790 islands. It is famous for its fresh water lochs—there are over 600 square miles of them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water. It is also famous for its clans, kilts, medieval castles, as well as poetry and songs of Robert Burns. Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for its famous theatre festivals.

Scotland's terrain is divided into three regions: the Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands cover more than one-half of Scotland and include the Grampian Mountains. The range's highest peak, Ben Nevis (1,343 m/4,406 ft), is also the highest in Great Britain. Scotland's population is concentrated in the Central Lowlands, which include the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Southern Uplands primarily consist of a moorland plateau with valleys and mountainous outcroppings. The River Clyde is the principal navigational river.

Wales

Wales is situated on the western side of central southern Great Britain. It is a mountainous land, bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel in the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. It is about 274 km from north to south and at least 97 km wide, with a total area of 20,779 km2.

Wales has a varied geography with sharp contrasts. In the south, flat coastal plains give way to valleys, then to ranges of hills and mountains in mid and north Wales. There are many national parks and areas with outstanding natural beauty. 80 percent of the land is dedicated to agriculture, ranging from crops to livestock. The largest mountains in the north are part of the Snowdonia range, with the largest mountain being Snowdon at 1,085 m. There are over 1,300 km of coastline ranging from long flat sandy beaches to towering cliffs.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is an integral part of the U. K.. It is situated in the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland. Northern Ireland is also known as Ulster, because it consists of six of the nine counties that were parts of the former province of Ulster: Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone. Northern Ireland measures about 85 miles (135 km) north and south, and about 110 miles (175 km) east and west.

Northern Ireland's landforms were influenced greatly by Ice Age glaciers. The terrain consists of rounded hills and low mountains separated by broad valleys. Only in a few areas do deep, steep-sided valleys cut the land. Principal mountain ranges include the Mourne Mountains in the southeast and the Sperrin Mountains in the northwest. Slieve Donard, in the Mournes, is the country's highest peak, reaching 2,796 ft (852 m) above the sea level, where the mountains extend to the sea, the coasts are marked by cliffs and steep slopes.

2. Climate

Regional climates in the U. K. are influenced by the Atlantic Ocean and latitude. Northern Ireland, Wales and western parts of England and Scotland, being closest to the Atlantic Ocean, are generally the mildest, wettest and windiest regions of the U. K., and temperature ranges here are seldom extreme. Eastern areas are drier, cooler, less windy and also experience the greatest daily and seasonal temperature variations. Northern areas are generally cooler, wetter and have slightly larger temperature ranges than southern areas. Though the U. K. is mostly under the influence of the maritime tropical air mass from the southwest, different regions are more susceptible than others when different air masses affect the country: Northern Ireland and the west of Scotland are the most exposed to the maritime polar air mass which brings cool moist air; the east of Scotland and northeast England are more exposed to the continental polar air mass which brings cold dry air; the south and southeast of England are more exposed to the continental tropical air mass which brings warm dry air (and consequently the warmest summer temperatures most of the time)； and Wales and the southwest of England are the most exposed to the maritime tropical air mass which brings warm moist air. If the air masses are strong enough in their respective areas during the summer, there can sometimes be a huge difference in temperature between the far north of Scotland (including the Islands) and southeast of England—usually around 10-15℃ (50-59°F) but can be as much as 20℃(68°F) or more. An example of this could be that in the height of summer the Northern Isles could have temperatures around 15℃ (59°F) and areas around London could reach 30℃ (86°F). However, the temperature varies with the seasons, seldom drops below -11℃(12°F) or rises above 35℃ (95°F).