The geographical situation of the UK

The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles which comprise two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland and some 5,500 small and large islands. Their total area is 244,100 square kilometers. The largest island is Great Britain. It consists of three main parts: England, Wales, and Scotland. The second in the size is the island of Ireland in which Northern Ireland occupies one third of the territory. It borders on the Republic of Ireland in the south.

The British Isles are separated from the European Continent by the North Sea, The English Channel and the Strait of Dover. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. The warm currents of the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. Winters are not severely cold and summers are rarely hot. The thick fog in autumn or winter is the most typical feature of the climate in England.

The surface of England and Ireland is rather flat and it is called the Lowlands while the highland area comprises Scotland and most of Wales. The highest mountain in the United Kingdom is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1343 m.).

Scotland is a land of famous lakes. They are called “lochs”. The beautiful Loch Lomond is the largest one and Loch Ness attracts millions of tourists by its legendary monster.

There are not many rivers in Great Britain. Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The deepest and the longest rivers are the Thames (over 346 km long) and the Severn (about 350 km). The Thames is the busiest and most important river in the country. Many of the rivers are joined by canals. British greatest ports are associated with such rivers as the Thames, the Mersey, the Tyne, and the Clyde.

Great Britain is one of the most densely populated countries in the world‚ the average density being over 200 people per square kilometer. The population of Great Britain is more than 57 million.