THE BRITISH ISLES ON THE MAP

The official title of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The UK i s made up of :
Great Britain (the formerly separate realms of England and Scotland, and the principality
of Wales. )
Northern Ireland (also known as Ulster)
Numerous smaller islands including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney,
Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos.

Isle of Man and Channel Islands

The Isle of Man and the two bailiwicks (provincii) of the Channel Islands are Crown
dependencies; that is, non-sovereign nations, self-governing but whose sovereignty is held
by the British Crown. They control their own internal affairs, but not their defence or foreign
relations. They are not part of the United Kingdom nor part of the European Union.

The Isle of Man is part of the British Isles, situated in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and
Ireland.

The Channel Islands consist politically of two self-governing bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of
Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. They are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy,
which was once in personal union with the Kingdom of England. They are sometimes,
despite their location next to mainland France, considered part of the British Isles. This
usage is political rather than geographic.

The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are British Islands in United Kingdom law.

Wher e i s t he UK?
The UK is an island nation in Western Europe just off the coast of France. The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49N and 59N and longitudes
8W to 2E.
The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 miles) of the northwest coast of France, from which it
is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel
bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.

How bi g an ar ea does t he UK c over ?
The UK has a total area of approximately 245,000 km, almost a quarter-of-a-million square kilometres.
Interesting Fact
No one in the UK lives more than 120 km (75 miles) from the sea.

Seas s ur r oundi ng t he UK
The UK is made up of several islands. The only land border connecting the UK to another country is between Northern Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland.

The UK is bordered by four seas:
to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from continental Europe
to the east by the North Sea
to the west by the Irish Sea and The Celtic Sea

The L and
The UK Landscape is very varied, ranging from the Grampian Mountains of Scotland to the lowland fens (marshy region in eastern England) of
England which are at or below sea level in places.
Scotland and Wales are the most mountainous parts of the UK. A ridge (coam) of hills, the Pennine, runs down the centre of northern England.
Many coastal areas are low-lying, especially in the east and south of England. These include the wetlands of the Somerset levels, that regularly flood
during heavy rain.
Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hills with isolated areas of high ground such as Dartmoor in the south-west of England or the Mourne
Mountains in Northern Ireland.

Lakes
Northern Ireland is also home to the UK's largest lake, Lough Neagh, which covers an area of 396sq.km (153 sq miles). Other major lakes include
Windermere in the English Lake District and Loch Lomond in Scotland. Another of Scotland's lakes, Loch Ness is famous for sightings of 'Nessie', a
mythical monster!

Landscapes
The landscape is determined mainly by the different types of rock underlying it. In the south, chalk has produced the gently rolling hills of the Downs,
while hard granite is the basis for the mountains of the north and the high moorlands of Dartmoor and Exmoor in the south-west.
Much of the land in England is flat (low lying) - less than 1000m above 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.





Upland areas are generally confined to northern England: the exceptions are the upland moors of Dartmoor and Exmoor in the south-west.
The landscape of England is more rugged in the north and the west. The highest elevations are in Cumbria and theLake District in the west. The
highest point in England is Scafell Pike, 978m, part of the Cumbrian Mountains in North West England. The area of the Cumbrian mountains is the
most rugged in England and is more commonly known as the Lake District after the many lakes there.

The Penni nes , a large chain of hills with moorland tops rising to between 600 and 900 metres, splits northern England into northwest and
northeast sectors. They run down from the Scottish border to the river Trent about halfway down the country.
The Sout hwes t is a long peninsular with bleak moorlands and rocky outcrop. The wide expanse of
Salisbury Plain occupies most of the central part of southern England
I n t he Sout heas t , a horseshoe-shaped ring of chalk downs surrounds the formerly wooded area
of the Weald. The southeast corner, from Dover to Eastbourne, has dramatic chalk cliffs bordering the
English channel.

The Bor der s of Engl and.
The English Channel runs along England's southern border, and the North Sea forms England's eastern
border. Wales and the Irish Sea border England to the West. Scotland runs along England's
northwestern borders.

UK Ri ver s
Being a relatively small Island, the UK's rivers are not very long. The Severn, its longest river, is just 338
km in length, beginning in Wales and entering the Atlantic Ocean near Bristol in England. Other major
rivers include the Thames, which flows through Oxford and London, and the Trent and Mersey rivers, which drain rainfall from large areas of central
England.


Cl i mat e
The UK's climate varies greatly according to season and location, but on the whole can be described as mild with few extremes.

Contrary to popular belief, it DOES NOT rain every day in England or in the rest of the UK! However, it is always advisable to bring some type of
waterproof clothing and keep yourself psychologically prepared!

Br i t ai n i s an i s l and c ount r y and t he s ur r oundi ng s ea gi v es Engl and a var i ed c l i mat e. We never know what the weather
will be like from one day to the other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next. As we have such a variable climate changing from day to day, it is
difficult to predict the weather. In general we have warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the continent, but the
winters are milder.

Temper at e Cl i mat e
The overall climate in England is called temperate maritime. This means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0C in winter and not
much higher than 32C in summer. It also means that it is damp and is subject to frequent changes.

War mes t and c ol des t mont hs
July and August are normally the warmest month in England.
Around the coasts, February is normally the coldest month, but inland there is little to choose between January and February as the coldest month.

Bes t mont hs t o t r a vel t o E ng l and
Probably the best months to travel in England are May, June, September and October. These months generally have the most pleasant
temperatures and less rain. July and August are the warmest months, but they are also the wettest. The sunniest parts of the Britain are along the
south coast of England.


Fac t s
The capital of England is London. Sometimes referred to the capital of Britain. London is built along the River Thames
Three quarters of the land in Britain is used for farming.
Nine out of ten people live in towns and cities.
The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales.
More than two-thirds of people own their own homes.
Bordered to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean