Geographical position of Great Britain

Great Britain (official name - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) occupies the territory of the British Isles. They are separated by the Irish Sea. The larger island, called Great Britain, includes 3 countries: England, Scotland and Wales. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh and Cardiff, respectively. The smaller island, called Ireland, includes Northern Ireland as a part of the UK and the independent Irish Republic. The capitals are Belfast and Dublin. In addition to these two islands, the British Isles include over five hundred small islands.

The UK is one of the world’s smallest countries (France and Spain are twice as large) with an area of 244, 100 square kilometers. It is situated on the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic ocean in the north and northwest, and the North Sea in the East and is separated from the European continent by the English Channel (or La Manche) and the Strait of Dover (or Pas de Calais). Northern Ireland is separated from Great Britain by the North Channel. The St. George’s Channel separates Great Britain from Ireland.

Geographically, the island of Great Britain is subdivided into two main regions - Lowland Britain (in the south and east) and Highland Britain (in the north and west. Lowland Britain occupies southern and eastern England. Highland Britain consists of Scotland, most of Wales, the Pennines, and the Lake District. England is separated from Scotland by the Cheviot Hills, running from east to west. The Pennines Chain extends southward from the Cheviot Hills into the Midlands, a plain region with low hills and valleys. Forty kilometers south of the modern border between Scotland and England is Hadrian’s Wall. It was built by the Roman Emperor, Hadrian, nearly two thousand years ago. England is mostly a lowland country. There are upland regions in the north and the south west, but the rest of England is almost flat. Northern England, Midlands and South England are different from each other. There are many lakes in Great Britain. Lake District in Northern England with its lakes, mountains and valleys is a favorite holiday resort. It lies on the northwest side of the Pennine system. The Lake District is a beautiful part of Britain. Many writers and poets have lived there. The most famous was the poet William Wordsworth (1770-1850), the founder of the “Lake School” of poets. Lake Windermere is England’s largest lake. On either side of the Pennines the plains of Yorkshire and Lancashire stretch to the sea. In South England between Highlands lie Lowlands.

The mountains in Great Britain are not very high; the highest is Ben Nevis, 1, 343 m, in Scotland.

There are no very long rivers in Great Britain. The longest river in Great Britain is the Severn, flowing along the border between England and Wales. Its tributaries include the Avon, made famous by Shakespeare; the Thames, the deepest one, which flows eastward to the port of London through rich agricultural districts into the North Sea. It’s the busiest and the most important river in England. The swiftest river is the Spey. Other rivers are the Tay, the Clyde, the Tyne, the Tweed, the Trent, and the Wye. The rivers seldom freeze in winter.