2018-03-09
323
I. THE LAND
LOCATION
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island constitutes the greater part of the islands known as the British Isles. The largest island is Great Britain proper comprising England, Scotland and Wales. The second largest island, Ireland, is shared by Northern Ireland ( or Ulster) and the Republic of Ireland ( also known as Eire, which is politically independent of the UK ). These and over 5,500 smaller islands (such as Anglesey, the Hebrides, the Orkneys, the Shetlands, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly) are included in the British administrative and political union.
The total area of the country is 243, 000 sq. km.
The British Isles are separated from continental Europe by the English Channel; the shortest stretch of its water (32 km.) between Dover in southern England and Calais in France is called the Strait of Dover.
The eastern coast reaches the waters of the North Sea. The Atlantic Ocean washes the coast in the west and north-west. Great Britain is separated from Ireland by the Irish Sea, the North Channel and St. George’s Channel.
The British coastlines are deeply indented with numerous bays, inlets, and estuaries. Consequently, no part of the country is more than 120 km from some type of tidal water. However, tides along the coasts and in inland rivers can cause frequent flooding in many parts, particularly on the English east coast. Substantial financial and other resources are needed to construct defenses against this threat, For example, a flood barrier was completed in 1984 across the river Thames in central London in order to protect the capital.
The seas around the coasts are not deep, often less than 90 meters, because the greater part of the British Isles lies on the continental Shelf.
|
|
|
For millions of years Britain was part of the European mainland. Remains of elephants and other extinct species of animals and plants helped establish that after the melting of the glaciers in the last Ice Age the British Isles became separated from the continent. Evidently, the first human inhabitants of Britain were able to migrate there on foot long before man mastered the skill of boat making.
CLIMATE
The climate of the British Isles is generally mild. The warm North Atlantic Current (the Gulf Stream) heats the sea water and air as it travels from the Atlantic Ocean across the Shelf. The Gulf Stream also influences the shallow coastal waters that are important breeding grounds for various kinds of fish on which the national fishing industry is largely dependent.
There are no extreme contrasts in temperature anywhere in Britain, with temperatures normally ranging between cool and mild. In general, British temperature rarely rises above 32 Celsius in the summer or falls below minus 10 Celsius in the winter, though there are differences between those of the north and the south.
The temperature is also modified by altitude, so higher land is colder than the low-lying land. Consequently, much of Scotland, because of its height, is cooler in summer and colder in winter than most of England. Upward areas of Wales and England also tend to be colder than lowland areas.
The prevailing winds are south-westerly; they bring rain from the Atlantic to the hills and mountains of the west. This means that the western parts of Britain are wetter than the east. As has been mentioned, the high ground in the west to a large degree protects the lowlands of the south and east, so annual rainfall there is moderate.
It may be safely argued that the British climate has three dominant features: it is mild, humid and changeable. This means that winters are extremely mild and that the growing season is fairly long. The cattle are kept out in the fields virtually the whole year round.
Though Britain is fortunate to have warmer winters than other countries at the same latitude, the changeability of weather is the main disadvantage. The English often say that they have no climate but only weather, or that they have three types of weather: rain in the morning, rain in the afternoon or rain in the evening.
PHYSICAL RELIEF
Though the geographical features of Britain are comparatively small, there is astonishing variety almost everywhere.
Britain’s physical relief can be roughly divided into two main regions – Highland Britain and Lowland Britain. The borderline between the two regions is roughly a line from the mouth of the river Exe in Devonshire, to the mouth of the Tyne on the north-east coast. Historically, this division has been significant for the settlement of people, military conquest, communications, agriculture and industry. To the north-west of the line there is Highland Britain.
|
|
|
Highland Britain
Highland Britain comprises the whole of Scotland (the hills and moors of southern Scotland as well as the mountains of the north); the Lake District ( in the north-west of England ); the broad central upland chain, known as the Pennines; almost the whole of Wales; and the south-west peninsula of England, coinciding with the counties of Devon and Cornwall. The mountains and hills of Highland Britain consist mainly of old, hard rocks, but the top strata in the valleys and the plains are more recent and similar to those in the northern and western parts of Lowland Britain. The recent rocks are rich in coal and minerals that have been the foundation of Britain’s industrial wealth. The majority of British coalfields lie in the borderlands between Highland and Lowland Britain.
Lowland Britain
To the south-east of the borderline running from the river Exe to the mouth of the Tyne is Lowland Britain. It comprises most of England, central lowlands of Scotland and some areas in south Wales. Lowland Britain is fertile, with good arable soil and valuable pastureland.
Scotland
Scotland may be divided physically into three main regions. The first is the North-West and the Central Highlands (Grampians). The Highlands are divided by the Great Glen (also called Glen More), where the world-famous Loch Ness lies. The Highlands contain the most ancient of the British geological formations and the majority of Britain’s highest mountains – nearly 300 peaks over 900 m. The highest mountains are the Grampians, with Ben Nevis as the tallest peak.
The second region is the Central Lowlands that contain one-fifth of the land area but three quarters of the Scottish population, most of the industrial and commercial centres as well as fertile farmlands.
The third is the Southern Uplands that mainly consist of ranges of rounded hills stretching towards the border with England (the Border Country) and is a largely agricultural and pastoral area with many rivers.
Isolation, physical conditions and the harsh climate in many parts of Scotland have made conquest, settlement and agriculture difficult.
Wales
Wales is mainly a highland country, too. The plateaux of Wales are often broken by deep valleys created by rivers such as the Dee, the Wye and the Severn. This upland mass that contains the Cambrian Mountains descends eastwards into the English counties of Shrophire and of Hereford and Worcester. The highest mountains of Wales are in Snowdonia in the north-west.
The south of Wales is an industrial area. Two-thirds of the Welsh population lives in and around chief centres such as the capital, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham, located in the lowland east and south-east Wales.
England
England consists largely of flat lowland countryside. But lower hill ranges also stretch over much of the country, most important of these are the North Yorkshire Moors, the limestone Cotswolds, the chalk North Downs and South Downs, and the Chiltern Hills. The east of the country is particularly low and flat. Some areas lie below sea level. These low-lying lands include the Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire Fens, the Norfolk Broads and the Suffolk Marshes.
England’s upland areas include such major hilly regions as:
· The broad central upland belt of the Pennines forming the 890-km. long backbone of Britain and reaching the Peak District in the south;
· The north-western mountain region of the Lake District rising to Scafell Pike (978 m) – the highest point in England and the Cumbrian Mountains;
· the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland;
· the Yorkshire dales, running to the east coast of Yorkshire.
In the extreme south-west is Cornwall Peninsula open to the winds of the Atlantic where ancient rocks make a low plateau, rising to the high moorlands of Exmoor and Dartmoor.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland (or Ulster) is situated in the north-west of the island of Ireland. Since the partition of Ireland in 1921, it has a 488-km border with the Republic of Ireland. Physically, Northern Ireland reminds a saucer with a central fertile plain with boggy areas, rising gradually to higher land on all sides: hills and mountainous areas of the Sperrin Mountains in the north-west and the Mountains of Antrim in the north-east. The country can boast of a rocky coastline in the north with interesting geological formations such as the Giant’s Causeway. The north-eastern tip that is only 13 miles from the Scottish coast had encouraged both Irish and Scottish migration in the past.
Rivers and Lakes
The British Isles have many rivers but they are short and, since the west coast is mountainous, most of them flow eastward. Because of the humid climate, the water-level is always high. Their easy navigability made them important as part of the inland transport network in the 19thb century for the transportation of bulk products such as coal, iron ore and steel. Rivers now are not used much for navigation. At present, many town and cities, including London, draw all or part of their water supply from these rivers since they seldom freeze in the winter.
The largest river in England is the Thames – 346 km. It originates in the Cotswolds and first flows eastward, turning south through the Chiltern Hills and then through London to the North Sea. The Severn (354 km) is considered longer than the Thames.
Other important rivers are in northern England: the Tyne, the Wear and the Tees, which all originate in the eastern Pennines and flow to the North Sea. The Mersey (112 km) in north-western England flows into the Irish Sea. The Trent (297 km) from the southern Pennines flows eastward, the Great (or Bedford) Ouse (230 km) flows north-east into the Wash.
Scotland’s chief river is the Tay (188 km long). The Forth (about 183 km) is a river in south Scotland. The Clyde (170 km) in southern Scotland flows past Glasgow.
The Shannon is the largest river of Ireland, but it flows through the Republic of Ireland. In Northern Ireland proper, there are few rivers worth mentioning: the Lagan in the estuary of which Belfast is situated; the Foyle, famous for its eel fisheries; the Upper Bann and the Lower Bann, which are particularly good for salmon fishing.
|
|
|
The chief river of Wales is the Wye.
The British lakes are generally rather small and remote. They have no outlets, so they afford limited economic possibilities as navigable waterways, though they are attractive as areas for relaxation due to their special charm, beauty and peace.
The long and narrow lakes of Scotland – usually called lochs – lie among the steep slopes of the Highlands. Among 16 major lakes of Scotland Loch Lomond is the largest and Loch Ness is the most famous.
Still, the largest lake of the United Kingdom is to be found at the centre of Northern Ireland – Lough Neagh with the water mirror of some 396 sq. km.
The largest lake of Wales – Lake Bala – is only 10 sq. km.
The scenic Lake District which is a number of lakes in beautiful mountain scenery on the north-west side of the Pennine system also enjoys world fame, attracting many tourists. The largest of the lakes that occupy many of its ice-deepened valleys are Windermere, Ullswater, Derwentwater and Conistonwater. This mountainous district is widely known for its association with the history of English literature and especially with the name of William Wordsworth (1770-1850). He spent sixty years out of his eighty years in the Lake District and was the acknowledged head and founder of the Lake School of Poets (Coleridge, Southey).
Major Islands
The Hebrides is a series of islands off the north-west coast of Scotland. They consist of two groups, the Outer Hebrides, that Scots sometimes call simply the Western Isles, and the Inner Hebrides. One of theses islands called Iona is famous for a very beautiful abbey built by St. Columba. Another large island, Skye, has magnificent mountains and Highland cattle. People go there to climb. The main industries are farming, especially sheep, and the making of a cloth called tweed. This is made of wool light in weight but very warm. Many of the islanders speak Gaelic, the native Scottish tongue.
The Orkney Islands is a sizeable group of islands lying to the north of Scotland.
The Shetland Islands are situated further north and are famous for the long summer twilight. The largest island is Mainland and the most northerly is Unst. This has a reputation for two famous products – ‘lace-work’ shawls and ponies, or ‘shelties’. For many centuries, Scandinavia ruled the islands. This link is clear in the many Norse archeological sites and place names. From the 1970s, the Shetlands have become an increasingly important centre of the North Oil industry.
The Isle of Man is the island of motorcycle races and Manx cats (cats without tails or with very short ones). The Isle of Man is also famous for Manx sheep, a handsome four-horned breed, of which only one small flock is left.
The Isle of Anglesey lies off the coast of northern Wales.
The Isles of Scilly are a group of about 140 small islands off Cornwall, England. These are Britain’s warmest islands. Many semitropical plants and flowers grow there. Early vegetables and spring flowers are grown there in the fields with tall hedges and walls to protect them from Atlantic winds in all weathers.
The Isle of Wight lies off the southern coast of England across a stretch of water called the Solent. It is reachable by ferry from Portsmouth or Southampton. The island is a county of England and is a favourite place for about two million holidaymakers a year. Queen Victoria lived there after Prince Albert died.
The Channel Islands are found off the south-east coast of England in the Channel. The two largest islands are Jersey and Guernsey. They have been part of Britain since the Norman Conquest in 1066. Jersey and Guernsey have liberal tax laws and many rich people live there. The islands are popular with the British tourists in the summer.
|
|
|
The Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands off the French coast are not part of the United Kingdom, although they are members of the Commonwealth. They are self-governing Crown Dependencies possessing their own administrative structures, legal systems and legislatures. However, the British government as a royal representative is responsible for their defence and international relations and can interfere if good administration is not maintained.
The Falklands are a group of small islands in the South Atlantic close to Argentina, with a population of about 1,200 British citizens. They have been British territories since 1892. Disputes about who own the islands date back to the 18th century. Argentina has long claimed that the islands they call the Malvinas belong to them. They occupied the islands in April 1982. The Falklands War lasted until July 1982 when British forces won them back. This war had an enormous influence on Britain and is still controversial. Some people considered it a restoration of Britain’s old imperial power. Others saw the war as a political mistake turned into a piece of propaganda.
II. AN OUTLINE OF BRITAIN’S HISTORY
