Geographical position

З усіх проблем, що були успадковані з попереднього століття найбільш небезпечною стала проблема міжнародного тероризму.

General Information. Geographical position.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) and Britain, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands which jointly form the British Isles archipelago or the British Isles. The British Isles embody two large islands: Great Britain and Ireland, and 5 000 small islands: most notably the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands which are not part of the United Kingdom, instead being self-governing dependent territories with their own legislative and taxation systems; the Isle of Wight, the Isles of Scilly, the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, and the Hebrides.

Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west.

The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres (94,060 sq mi). Approximately 10% of the UK is forested, 46% is used for pastures and 25% is used for agriculture. The UK is famous for the Royal Greenwich Observatory in London which comprises the defining point of the Prime or Zero or Greenwich Meridian.

The name “ The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ” refers to the union of four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland while “Great Britain” only comprises England, Scotland and Wales. All the four countries present unique geographic and historical territories. The capital of the UK is London.

England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK, covering 130,395 square kilometres (50,350 sq mi). Most of the country consists of lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain to the north-west; including the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, the Severn, the Humber, the Tees, the Tyne, the Tweed, the Avon, the Exe and the Mersey. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike (978 metres (3,209 ft)) in the Lake District. The capital of England is London.

Scotland accounts for just under a third of the total area of the UK, covering 78,772 square kilometres (30,410 sq mi) and including nearly eight hundred islands, predominantly west and north of the mainland; notably the Hebrides, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands. The topography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault—a geological rock fracture—which traverses Scotland from the Isle of Arran in the west to the town of Stonehaven in the east. The faultline separates two distinctively different regions: the Highlands to the north and west and the Lowlands to the south and east. Ben Nevis (1,343 metres (4,406 ft) is the highest point not only in the highlands but in the British Isles in general. Lowland areas, especially the narrow waist of land between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central Belt, are flatter and home to most of the population including Glasgow, Scotland's largest city, and Edinburgh, its capital and political centre.

Wales accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK, covering 20,779 square kilometres (8,020 sq mi). Wales is mostly mountainous, particularly in three main regions: Snowdonia in the north west, the Cambrian Mountains in mid Wales, and the Brecon Beacons in the south. The mountains largely assumed their present shape during the last ice age. The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia and include Snowdon which, at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft), is the highest peak in Wales. The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the coastal cities of Cardiff, which is the capital of Wales, Swansea and Newport, and the South Wales Valleys to their north.

Northern Ireland accounts for just 14,160 square kilometres (5,470 sq mi) and is mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh which is the largest lake in the British Isles by area. The highest peak in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains. The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast.

Administrative division

The administrative geography of the United Kingdom is complex, multi-layered and non-uniform. Each country comprised by the UK has its own system of administrative and geographic demarcation. Historically, the subnational divisions of the UK have been counties, used for the purposes of administrative, geographical and political demarcation. By the early 17th century all of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland had been divided into counties. The older term "shire" was historically equivalent to "county". In some areas of England and Wales, counties are still used to perform the functions of modern local government, while in other parts of the United Kingdom they have been replaced with alternative, unitary, systems; which are considered 'county level' authorities. (A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area. Typically unitary authorities cover towns or cities which are large enough to function independently of county or other regional administration).

All in all the current subdivision is as follows:

1. For local government purposes England and Wales are divided into counties ( 48 in England and8 in Wales), which are grouped in regions (2 in Wales and 9 in England) for statistical purposes. The primary organ of the county is the elected council.

Counties can be of 2 types and have subdivisions:

Greater London (London) is a separately standing subdivision which contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.

2. For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas which are all governed by unitary authorities designated as "councils". The lowest level of subdivision is the communities which elect community councils.

3. Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes.

Languages.

All the traditional languages spoken in the United Kingdom are of the common Indo-European origin. They derived from a tongue so ancient that, over the millennia, it has split into a variety of languages, each with its own peculiarities in sounds, grammar, and vocabulary.

Of the surviving languages the earliest to arrive to Great Britain were the two forms of Celtic:

Climate.

The United Kingdom has a temperate maritime climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round which is defined by the exposure of the island to surrounding water. The temperature varies with the seasons seldom dropping below −11 °C (12 °F) or rising above 35 °C (95 °F). The prevailing wind is from the south-west and bears frequent days of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean, although the eastern parts are mostly sheltered from this wind—as the majority of the rain falls over the western regions the eastern parts are therefore the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters; especially in the west where winters are wet and even more so over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south-east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Heavy snowfall can occur in winter and early spring on high ground, and occasionally settles to great depth away from the hills.

Nature.

Plants. The flora of Great Britain is impoverished compared to that of continental Europe. Great Britain's flora comprises 3,354 species, of which 2,297 are native and 1,057 have been introduced into the island. The island has a wide variety of trees, including native species of birch, beech (бук), ash (ясень), hawthorn (боярышник), elm (вяз, карагач)), oak, yew (тис), pine, cherry and apple. Other trees have been naturalized, introduced especially from other parts of Europe (particularly Norway) and North America. Introduced trees include several varieties of pine, chestnut (каштан), maple, spruce (пихта), sycamore (платан) and fir, as well as cherry plum (алыча)and pear trees.

There are at least 1,500 different species of wildflower in Britain. Some 107 species are particularly rare or vulnerable and are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is illegal to uproot any wildflowers without the landowner's permission. A vote in 2002 nominated various wildflowers to represent specific counties. These include red poppies, bluebells, daisies, daffodils (нарцисс), rosemary, gorse (утесник, дрок), iris, ivy (плющ), mint, orchids, brambles (brambles), thistles, buttercups (лютик), primrose (примула), thyme (тимьян), tulips, violets, heather (в ереск) and many more. There are also many species of algae and mosses across the island.

Animals. Animal diversity is modest, as a result of factors including the island's small land area, the relatively recent age of the habitats developed since the last Ice Age and the island's physical separation from continental Europe, and the effects of seasonal variability. Great Britain also experienced early industrialization and is subject to continuing urbanization, which have contributed towards the overall loss of species. A DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the background extinction rate. However, some species, such as the brown rat, red fox, and introduced grey squirrel, are well adapted to urban areas.

Rodents (грызун) make up 40% of the total number of mammal species in Great Britain. These include squirrels, mice, voles (полевка), rats and the recently reintroduced European beaver. There is also an abundance of rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, shrews, moles and several species of bat. Carnivorous (плотоядный) mammals include the fox, badger (барсук), otter (выдра), weasel (ласка), stoat (горностай) and elusive wildcat. Various species of seal, whale and dolphin are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are deer. The red deer is the largest species, with roe deer (косуля) and fallow deer (лань) also prominent; the latter was introduced by the Normans. Sika deer (пятнистый олень) and two more species of smaller deer, muntjac and Chinese water deer, have been introduced. Habitat loss has affected many species. Extinct large mammals include the brown bear, grey wolf and wild boar; the latter has had a limited reintroduction in recent times.

There is a wealth of birdlife in Britain, 583 species in total, of which 258 breed on the island or remain during winter. Because of its mild winters for its latitude, Great Britain hosts important numbers of many wintering species, particularly ducks, geese and swans. Other well known bird species include the golden eagle, grey heron, kingfisher (зимородок), pigeon, sparrow, pheasant, partridge, and various species of crow, finch (зяблик), gull, auk (гагара), owl and falcon. There are six species of reptile on the island; three snakes and three lizards. One snake, the adder, is venomous but rarely deadly. Amphibians present are frogs, toads and newts.