Great Britain on a physical map. UK map in Russian. Detailed map of Great Britain with cities, counties, roads, airports. Animal and plant world

GREAT BRITAIN

(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

General information

Geographical position. Great Britain is a state in the north-west of Europe. It consists of the island of Great Britain, which contains England, Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland, which occupies part of the island of Ireland. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are dominions of the United Kingdom, but are not part of it.

Square. The territory of Great Britain occupies 244,110 sq. km.

Main cities, administrative divisions. The capital of the Great Britain is London. Largest cities: London (7,335 thousand people), Manchester (2,277 thousand people), Birmingham (935 thousand people), Glasgow (654 thousand people), Sheffield (500 thousand people), Liverpool (450 thousand people), Edinburgh (421 thousand people), Belfast (280 thousand people).

Great Britain consists of 4 administrative and political parts (historical provinces): England (39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London), Wales (8 counties), Scotland (9 districts and an island territory) and Northern Ireland (26 counties). The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands have a special status.

Political system

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II (in power since 1952). The head of government is the prime minister. Legislative power is vested in Parliament, which consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

Relief. On the territory of England are the Pennines (in the north of the region) with the highest point - Mount Scafell Pike (2178m). South of the Pennines and east of Wales stretches a vast plain that occupies most of central and southern England. In the extreme south are the Dartmoor Hills (about 610 m above sea level).

Scotland, which is mostly mountainous, can in turn be divided into three regions: the Highlands in the north, the Central Lowlands in the center and the Suzen Uplands in the south. The first region occupies more than half of the territory of Scotland. This is the most mountainous region of the British Isles, cut in many places by narrow lakes. In the Grampian Mountains of this region is the highest point in Scotland and the entire United Kingdom - Mount Ben Nevis (1343 m). The central region is more or less flat with few hills. And although it occupies only a tenth of the territory of Scotland, the majority of the country's population is concentrated here. The southernmost region is the moorland, considerably lower than the Highlands. >

Wales, like Scotland, is a mountainous region, but the mountains here are not so high. The main mountain range is the Cambrian Mountains in the center of Wales, the Snowdon massif (up to 1,085 m high) is located in the northwest. Most of the territory of Northern Ireland is occupied by a plain, in the center of which is Loch Nee. In the northwest are the Sperin Mountains, on the northeast coast - the Antrim Highlands and the Murne Mountains in the southeast of the region, they also contain the highest point in Northern Ireland, Slieve Donard (852 m).

Geological structure and minerals. On the territory of Great Britain there are deposits of coal, oil, natural gas, iron ore, rock and potash salts, tin, lead, quartz.

Climate. The climate of the country varies depending on the region. In England, the climate is mild due to the relative warmth of the seas surrounding it. The average annual temperature is around +11°C in the south and around +9°C in the northeast. The average July temperature in London is about +18°C, the average January temperature is about +4.5°C. The average annual rainfall (the heaviest rains come in October) is about 760 mm. Scotland is the coldest region in the UK. The average January temperature is about +3°C, and snow often falls in the mountains in the north. The average July temperature is around +15°С. The highest amount of precipitation falls in the west of the Highlands region (about 3,810 mm per year), the least - in some eastern regions (about 635 mm per year). The climate of Wales is mild and humid. The average January temperature is around +5°C. Average July - about +15°С. Average annual rainfall is approximately 762 mm in the central coastal region and over 2,540 mm in the Snowdon Massif. The climate of Northern Ireland is mild and humid. The average annual temperature is about +10°С (about +14.5°С in July and about +4.5°С in January). Rainfall in the north often exceeds 1,016 mm per year, while in the south it is about 760 mm per year.

Inland waters. The main rivers of England are the Thames, the Severn, the Tyne, and the picturesque Lake District is located in the Mersinnins. The main rivers of Scotland are the Clyde, the Tay, the Force, the Tweed, the Dee and the Spey. Loch Ness, Loch Tay and Loch Catherine stand out among the numerous lakes. The main rivers of Wales are the Dee, Usk, Teifi. The largest lake is Bala. The main rivers of Northern Ireland are the Foyle, the Upper Ban and the Lower Ban. Loch Neagh (about 390 sq. km) is the largest lake in the British Isles.

Soils and vegetation. The vegetation of England is quite poor, forests occupy less than 4% of the region, most often there are oak, birch, pine. In Scotland, forests are more common, although moorland dominates the region. Oak and coniferous trees (spruce, pine and larch) grow mainly in the forests in the south and east of the Highlands. In Wales, the forests are mostly deciduous: ash, oak. Coniferous trees are common in mountainous areas.

Animal world. Deer, fox, rabbit, hare, badger are common in England; among the birds - partridge, dove, raven. Reptiles, of which there are only four species in all the British Isles, are rare in England. The rivers of the region are mainly inhabited by salmon and trout. For Scotland, the most characteristic deer, roe deer, hare, rabbit, marten, otter, wild cat. Of the birds, partridges and wild ducks are found mainly. There are also many salmon and trout in the rivers and lakes of Scotland. Cod, herring, haddock are caught in coastal waters. In Wales, the fauna is almost the same as in England, with the exception of the black polecat and pine marten, which are not found in England.

Population and language

The population of the United Kingdom is approximately 58.97 million people, with an average population density of about 241 people per sq. km. km. Ethnic groups: British - 81.5%, Scots - 9.6%, Irish - 2.4%, Welsh - 1.9%, Ulsters - 1.8%, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Arabs, Africans. The state language is English.

Religion

Anglicans - 47%, Catholics - 16%, Muslims - 2%, Methodists, Baptists, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs.

Brief historical outline

In 43 AD e. Britain became part of the Roman Empire and remained there until 410, when the Celts, Saxons and other tribes replaced the Romans.

In 1066, the petty kingdoms of Great Britain were conquered by the Norman commander William and united into a single state.

In 1215, King John the Landless signed a guarantee of rights, providing for the rule of law "Magna Carta" (a document to this day is one of the main parts of the country's constitution).

In 1338, England entered the war with France, which lasted more than a hundred years (until 1.453). Almost immediately after its end, a war broke out for the English throne (the War of the Scarlet and White Roses - two rival dynasties of Lancaster and York, as a result of which both dynasties died), ending in 1485 with the victory of the Tudor dynasty "

During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), England developed into a great maritime power and conquered vast colonies on several continents.

In 1603, when the Scottish king James VI ascended the English throne as King James I, Scotland and England were effectively united into one state. However, the Kingdom of Great Britain was proclaimed after the signing of the act of unification in 1707, from the same time London became the capital of a single state.

In 1642-1649. the conflict between the royal house of the Stuarts and Parliament led to a bloody civil war, which resulted in the proclaiming of a republic led by Oliver Cromwell. The monarchy was soon restored, but the rights of the king were significantly curtailed and, in fact, the full power was in Parliament.

At the end of the XVIII century. Great Britain lost 13 American colonies, but significantly strengthened its position in Canada and India.

In 1801, Ireland was annexed to the kingdom. In 1815, Great Britain played a big role in the defeat of the Napoleonic army, which strengthened its position as one of the most important European powers. After that, the country lived in peace for a century, expanding its colonial possessions, which especially grew during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901).

After the First World War, Great Britain was in a difficult economic situation, which partly played in favor of the Irish liberation movement, and in 1921 Ireland declared independence.

After the Second World War, national problems in Scotland and Northern Ireland became more acute. The events in Northern Ireland took on a particularly dramatic character, where a war had actually been waged since 1969.

In August 1994, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) announced a unilateral ceasefire, and the peace process, which began in the early 1990s with negotiations between the British and Irish governments, moved a little faster. However, dissatisfied with the course of the negotiation process, the IRA militants resumed their terrorist activities in early 1996. An agreement was reached between England and Ireland to settle their differences by peaceful political means.

Brief economic essay

Great Britain is an economically developed industrial country. Extraction of oil, natural gas, coal. The leading industry is mechanical engineering, including electrical and radio-electronic, transport (aerospace, auto and shipbuilding), tractor and machine tool building. The oil refining, chemical (production of plastics and synthetic resins, chemical fibers, synthetic rubber, sulfuric acid, mineral fertilizers), textile, and food industries are well developed. Large footwear, clothing and other branches of light industry. The main branch of agriculture is meat and dairy and dairy farming. Grain farming predominates in crop production; sugar beet cultivation, potato growing. Fishing. Export: machinery and equipment, oil and oil products, products of the chemical industry. The UK is a major exporter of capital. Foreign tourism.

The monetary unit is the pound sterling.

A Brief Outline of Culture

Art and architecture. In Great Britain, the largest, unusually folded and integral in composition megalithic complexes of the Neolithic and Bronze Age (Stonehenge, Avebury), the remains of Roman buildings of the 1st-5th centuries, stone carving and metal products of the Celts, Picts, Anglo-Saxons have been preserved. By the 7th - 10th centuries include churches (in Earl Barton, 10th century) derived from folk frame buildings, and miniatures with a complex curvilinear pattern. Anglo-Norman temples (in Norwich, Wickchester) with narrow, long naves, choir and transept and powerful square towers, tower-like castles (Tower of London, begun around 1078), colorful miniatures of the Winchester school are characteristic of the Romanesque style of the 11th-12th centuries . Developed from the 12th century English Gothic (the first Gothic construction in Europe - in Durham Cathedral) is represented by cathedrals in Canterbury, Lincoln, Salisbury, York, Westminster Abbey in London; they are characterized by a combination of simplicity and massiveness of elongated squat volumes with an increasing abundance of decor, an increasingly complicated pattern of wide facades; decorative finesse

teas gothic paintings, miniatures, sculptures, tombstones with stone or engraved figures on copper sheets. Late Gothic (“perpendicular style”, from the second half of the 14th century) is marked by the richness of carved decoration of light, spacious interiors of churches and secular buildings (St. the emergence of easel, including portrait, painting.

The Reformation (begun in 1534) gave English culture a purely secular character, and after the English revolution of the 17th century. in construction and everyday life, the desire for rationality and comfort intensified.

In painting of the XVI-XVII centuries. the main place was occupied by the portrait: the traditions of H. Holbein, who came to Great Britain, were developed by the English miniaturists N. Hilliard, A. Oliver, S. Cooper; the type of spectacular aristocratic portrait of the 17th century, introduced by foreigners who settled in Great Britain - L. van Dyck, P. Lely, G. Neller, acquired from their English successors - W. Dobson and J. Riley, great simplicity, rigor and objectivity.

The classically clear buildings of I. Jones (Banquet Hall in London, 1619-1622) served as the starting point for the development of English classicism of the 17th-18th centuries, distinguished by restrained, strict solemnity, and a clear logic of the composition of urban ensembles (Greenwich Hospital, 1616-1728, architect K Wren and others, Fitzroy Square, about 1790-1800, architects R. and J. Adam, in London), churches (St. Paul's Cathedral, 1675-1710, and 52 churches in London, built by C. Wren after fire of 1666).

Great Britain was the birthplace of the romantic trend of pseudo-Gothic and landscape "English" parks (W. Kent, W. Chambers).

The rise of English art in the 18th century opens with the work of W. Hogarth. A galaxy of brilliant portrait painters: A. Ramsey, J. Reynolds, H. Raeburn skillfully combined the ceremonial impressiveness of the composition with the naturalness and spirituality of the image. National schools of landscape (G. Gainsborough, R. Wilson, J. Krom; watercolorists J. R. Cozens, T. Girtin) and genre painting (J. Moreland, J. Wright) have developed.

In the first half of the XIX century. along with the romantic sci-fi graphic artist W. Blake and the bold colorist landscape painter W. Turner, the founder of the plein-air realistic landscape J. Constable, the subtle landscape painter and historical painter R. P. Bonington, the masters of the watercolor landscape J. S. Kotman and D. Cox.

London. British Museum (which houses world-famous archaeological finds, collections of drawings, coins, medals, specialized exhibitions are regularly held); Victoria and Albert Museum (which is one of the most interesting museums of applied arts with the richest collections of objects from almost all countries of the world, all styles and eras, national collections of post-classical sculpture, photography, watercolors); Museum of Natural History with magnificent collections of animals, insects, fish, a specialized exhibition of dinosaurs; Museum of London History with a collection of exhibits from the time of the Roman Empire to the present day; the Tate Gallery with magnificent collections of British and European paintings of the late 19th and 20th centuries; National Gallery with a collection of Western European paintings from the 13th century. to the 20th century; London Gaol - a medieval horror museum with torture chambers; Madame Tussauds is the world famous wax museum; cathedral of st. Paul (XVII-XVIII centuries); The Tower of London is a museum complex, which, in particular, contains the jewels of the British crown; Westminster Abbey (XI century) - the place of coronation of all British monarchs; the Palace of Westminster (Parliament Building), the most famous part of which is the clock tower with the Beat Ben bell; Buckingham Palace is the royal residence. Trafalgar Square with Nelson's Column, erected in honor of the victory at Trafalgar; a large number of parks, among which Hyde Park with a "speakers' corner" stands out; Regent's Park with a magnificent zoo, Kew Gardens with a greenhouse, an aquarium and the Butterfly House, where tropical butterflies fly all year round. Edinburgh. Edinburgh castle; church of st. Margaret (XI century); Castle Rock Castle, the royal residence in Scotland, Holyrod Palace; church of st. Gilles (XV century); the Scottish Parliament building (1639); home of a 16th-century Protestant reformer John Nonce; National Gallery of Scotland; National Portrait Gallery of Scotland; Royal Museum; Museum of Modern History; Museum of Scottish History. Belfast. City hall; Protestant Cathedral of St. Anna; Ulster Museum. Glasgow. Cathedral of St. Mungo (1136 - mid-15th century); the Glasgow Museum, one of the best art galleries in Britain; Hunterian Museum; Botanical Garden; zoo. Cardiff. Cardaf Castle (XI century); Cathedral of Llandaf; church of st. John the Baptist (XV century); National Museum of Wales. Stratford-upon-Avon (England). House-Museum of W. Shakespeare; Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Invernes (Scotland). Castle of the 12th century; the remains of the fort GUv.; nearby is the famous Loch Ness, in which a monster with the affectionate name Nessie allegedly lives.

The science. D. Priestley (1733-1804) - chemist who discovered oxygen; T. Mor (1478-1535) - one of the founders of utopian socialism; W. Gilbert (1544-1603) - physicist, researcher of geomagnetism; F. Bacon (1561-1626) - philosopher, founder of English materialism; W. Garvey (1578-1657) - the founder of modern physiology and embryology, who described the large and small circles of blood circulation; R. Boyle (1627-1691) - chemist and physicist, who laid the foundation for chemical analysis; J. Locke (1632-1704) - philosopher, founder of liberalism; I. Newton (1643-1727) - mathematician, mechanic, astronomer and physicist, creator of classical mechanics; E. Halley (1656-1742) - astronomer and geophysicist, who calculated the orbits of more than 20 comets; J. Berkeley (1685-1753) - philosopher, subjective idealist; S. Johnson (1709-1784) - lexicographer who created the Dictionary of the English Language (1755); D. Hume (1711_1776) - philosopher, historian, economist; V. Herschel (1738-1822) - the founder of stellar astronomy, who discovered Uranus; G. Kort (1740-1800) - inventor of the rolling mill; E. Cartwright (1743-1823) - inventor of the loom; T. Malthus (1766-1834) - economist, founder of Malthusianism; D. Ricardo (1772-1823) and A. Smith (1723-1790) - the largest representatives of classical political economy; J. Watt (1774-1784) - inventor of the steam engine; J. Stephenson (1781-1848) - inventor of the steam locomotive; M. Faraday (1791-1867) - physicist, founder of the theory of the electromagnetic field; J. Nesmith (1808-1890) - creator of the steam hammer; C. Darwin (1809-1882) - naturalist, creator of the theory of evolution; J. Joule (1818-1889) - physicist, experimentally substantiated the law of conservation of energy; J. Adams (1819-1892) - astronomer and mathematician who calculated the orbit and coordinates of Neptune; G. Spencer (1820-1903) - philosopher and sociologist, one of the founders of positivism; J. Maxwell (1831-1879) - physicist, creator of classical electrodynamics; W. Batson (1861-1926), biologist, one of the founders of genetics; G. Rutherford (1871-1937) - physicist, one of the founders of the theory of radioactivity and the structure of the atom; A. Fleming (1881-1955) - microbiologist who discovered penicillin; J. Keynes (1883-1946) - economist, founder of Keynesianism; J. Chadwick (1891-1974) - physicist who discovered the neutron; P. Dirac (1902-1984) - physicist, one of the creators of quantum mechanics; F. Whittle (b. 1907) - inventor of the turbojet engine.

Literature. The epic poem "Beowulf" (7th century) has come down to us in the lists of the 10th century. On British soil in the VIII-X centuries. the religious lyrics of the Anglo-Saxons, theological works, chronicles arose. After the conquest of England by the Normans in the XI-XIII centuries. trilingual literature develops: church writings in Latin, chivalric poems and poems in French, English traditions in Anglo-Saxon. The synthesis of the culture of the era of mature feudalism and the anticipation of the early Renaissance are characteristic of the Canterbury Tales (XIV century) - a collection of poetic stories and short stories by J. Chaucer. In the prologue to this work, a description is given of people of all classes and professions going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. The medieval romance of chivalry is combined here with the prosaic humor of the townspeople; in the assessments of life phenomena, the emergence of early humanism is felt. The Hundred Years' War with France, then the War of the Scarlet and White Roses, slowed down the development of literature. Among the few monuments is the presentation in prose of the legends about the knights of the "Round Table" - "The Death of Arthur" by Thomas Malory (XV century). At the beginning of the XVI century. Thomas More, the author of Utopia, which contained not only criticism of the feudal system, but also a picture of an ideal state, is speaking.

At the beginning of the XVII century. the genre of essays (F. Bacon) and characteristics (G. Overbury) appears. The dramaturgy of the mature English Renaissance reached its highest artistic height. In the XV century. the genres of morality and interlude appear in the theater. In the folk theater, which experienced rapid development in the 2nd half of the 16th century, an original national dramaturgy arose: K. Marlo (1564-1593), T. Kid (1558-1594) and others. Their activities paved the way for the creativity of the great playwright W. Shakespeare (1564-1616). In his comedies, he reflected the cheerful spirit of the Renaissance and the optimism of the humanists; among his works are chronicle plays from the history of England ("Richard III", "Henry IV", etc.). Tragedies (Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, etc.) became the pinnacle of Shakespeare's work.

J. Milton (1608-1674) during the Restoration period created an epic poem on the biblical story "Paradise Lost" (1667).

The leading ideological trend of the XVIII century. enlightenment becomes. The primacy in literature passes from poetry to prose; a bourgeois novel arises, the creator of which was D. Defoe (1661-1731), who became famous for his novel Robinson Crusoe (1719). Satire J. Swift (1667-1745) "Gulliver's Travels" (1726) brought the author worldwide fame. Sentimental novels by S. Richardson (1689-1761), written in epistolary form, gained fame. The satirical line in social comedy continued to develop and culminated in the work of R. B. Sheridan (1751-1816), author of the satirical comedy The School of Scandal (1777).

The revival of interest in folk poetry led to the popularity of the Scottish poet R. Burns (1759-1796). In the 90s of the XVIII century. the works of the romantics W. Wordsworth (1770-1850), S. T. Coleridge (1772-1834), R. Southey (1774-1843), sometimes united by the concept of "lake school", appear. The second generation of English romantics - J. G. Byron (1788-1824), P. B. Shelley (1792-1822), J. Keith (1795-1821). W. Scott (1771-1832) creates the genre of the historical novel.

30-60s of the XIX-period of the heyday of critical realism: in the novels of Ch. 1810-1865). Thackeray creates a "novel without a hero" "Vanity Fair" (1847-1848). At the end of the XIX century. in the English novel there is a sharp contrast between the neo-romanticism of R. L. Stevenson (1850-1894) and the harsh realism of T. Hard (1840-1928) and S. Butler (1835-1902). Representatives of English naturalism J. Moore (1852-1933) and J. Gissing (1857-1903) were followers of E. Zola.

In the 90s. the period of modern English literature begins. At its threshold stands a brief period of decadence and symbolism, presented by O. Wilde (1854-1900). The coryphaeus of English symbolism is the Irishman W. B. Yeats (1865-1939).

The last decade of the 19th century and the years preceding the First World War were marked by a powerful development of critical realism, for example, the plays of B. Shaw (1856-1950, Heartbreak House, Back to Methuselah, etc.), fantastic and philosophical novels by H. J. Wells (1866-1946, "The First Men in the Moon", etc.), the trilogy "The Forsyte Saga" and "Modern Comedy" by J. Galsworthy (1867-1933), the works of W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965, "The Burden of human passions", "The Razor's Edge", "Moon and a penny", "Theater", etc.), E. M. Forster (1879-1970), Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) and others. J. Conrad stands apart ( 1857-1924), who combined the romance of sea voyages and descriptions of exotic countries with subtle psychologism. Poetry is most originally represented by R. Kipling (1865-1936).

The main place in the literature of the pre-war period remains with the novel, in which modernist experimentation arises. The Irishman J. Joyce (1882-1941) in his novel "Ulysses" (1922) applied the method of "stream of consciousness" in literature, marking the smallest details of the inner life of the characters.

Great Britain or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island nation located in the west of Europe. A map of Great Britain shows that the country occupies the British Isles and borders continental Europe along the English Channel. The country is washed by the Atlantic Ocean, Celtic and North Seas. The country is connected to Europe by a 50-kilometer Eurotunnel, 38 km of which pass under water. The UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain is a state that is the successor of the Great British Empire. Today, the country's own territory is 243,809 km2. A detailed political map of Great Britain shows that the country has sovereignty over 17 territories: 14 British Overseas Territories and 3 Crown Lands.

The largest cities in the country are London (capital), Glasgow, Birmingham, Belfast, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Foggy Albion is one of the main world powers. The country is a member of the EU, NATO, UN Security Council, G8, WTO and OSCE. Britain has a developed economy (6th in the world). More than 73% of GDP comes from the service sector.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, where kings are more symbols than real rulers. The country is ruled by Parliament.

Historical reference

BC. Britons lived in the British Isles. In 43, the Roman conquest of Britain began. After 400 years, the British Isles were captured by the Anglo-Saxons, who formed the kingdom of England. The Pictish tribes united to form the Kingdom of Scotland. In 1066, the Normans conquered England and Wales.

1337-1453 - Hundred Years' War with France

16th century - Reformation and establishment of the Anglican Church

17th century - civil wars and the creation of the English Republic

18th century - colonial policy

1801 - creation of the state of Great Britain

XIX-XX centuries - the British Empire, participation in world wars and the policy of decolonization.

must visit

The map of Great Britain is literally “replete” with sights. Mandatory to visit the capital of 4 countries that make up the United Kingdom: London (England), Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales) and Belfast (Northern Ireland).

It is recommended to visit the castles of Great Britain, Stonehenge, abbeys and cathedrals, the Palace of Westminster, Edinburgh Castle, the Tower, the Lake District, the scientific cities of Oxford and Cambridge, the mountains of Scotland (Cape Ben Nevis), museums and other attractions of the country.

Great Britain on the world map

Administrative division
England - 39 counties and 7 city-counties, the central city is London;
Scotland is 12 regions, the center of Edinburgh;
Wales - 9 counties, 13 city-counties, the center of Cardiff;
Northern Ireland consists of 26 counties, the center is Belfast.
The area of ​​the country is 244,840 sq. km. About 91 million people live on it, the indigenous people are the British, Irish, Scots, Welsh, the official language is English. There are currently 17 territories under British control.

UK map in Russian

Climate
The UK has a temperate continental climate, with warm winters and cool summers. Temperature ranges from -10°C to +30°C. In the highlands of Wales and Scotland, temperatures drop lower than in the rest of the country. The type of climate is marine - strong winds blow throughout the territory, especially in winter and spring.

Tourism
The ancient history of this original country attracts tourists from all over the world. The first settlers were the Romans, who founded many large cities, including London. Some architectural monuments of the 1st millennium BC have been preserved on the territory of the country.
To admire the nature of England, you can visit the countless gardens of Kent. Aristocratic castles amaze with their beauty and grandeur, and parks with their exquisite splendor. An interesting custom is to celebrate the wedding in the magnificent castles of Great Britain.
The lake in Scotland - Loch Ness, strikes with its unforgettable and virgin beauty. According to legend, the semi-mythical monster Nessie lives in its depths.
There are a lot of beautiful cities in the country, they contain monuments of culture and architecture, museums, sculptures and monuments.
The most wonderful and majestic city is London, its wonderful sights and beautiful old architecture can be studied endlessly. Photo materials used from Wikimedia © Foto, Wikimedia Commons

England is very often used in other meanings: Great Britain, Britain, the United Kingdom. England on the world map is the largest historical and administrative part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. The capital of England - London. This city is the largest city in Great Britain and the European Union. England occupies the southeastern part of Great Britain.

The flight time to London, the capital of Great Britain, is short and families with small children will not need to make a transfer in order for the child to take a break from the flight.

From North the country borders on Scotland, and from the west with Wales. England is separated from France by two straits: the English Channel and the Pas de Calais, under which a large Eurotunnel passes, which connects Europe and Great Britain by rail. The coast of England is washed by the waters of two seas: the North and Irish, and the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. A detailed map of England with cities in Russian is presented on our website.

The southern half of England is in the plains, which are separated by hills and uplands. In the north, the country becomes mountainous and here are the Pennines, which stretch for 350 kilometers. Mountains separate the northwest of the country from Yorkshire and the northeast. The Pennines are also often referred to as "the backbone of England". The highest point in England is Scafell Pike, which has a height of about 978 meters. The eastern part of England is occupied by marshy lowlands, which have been drained for agricultural work.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island nation located in northwestern Europe. The country is washed by the waters of the North Sea from the east, the Norwegian - from the north and the Atlantic Ocean - from the west and south. It occupies the entire island of Great Britain, as well as the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and small nearby islands and archipelagos.

A detailed map of the UK shows that the country also extends its sovereignty to a number of island territories in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, as well as the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Great Britain on the world map: geography, nature and climate

Great Britain on the world map occupies 243,809 km 2, of which 229,946 km² falls on the island of Great Britain. Despite its relatively small size, the country has an extremely long coastline of 17,820 km.

The length of the land border is only 360 km. The only land neighbor of the UK is Ireland, which occupies most of the island of the same name. However, the overseas territories of the country border on Spain (on a small stretch near the city of Gibraltar) and Cyprus (in the area of ​​the location of sovereign British military bases). Great Britain recognizes more than two dozen states as its maritime neighbors, but the main territory borders only on France through the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais.

Geographic location of Great Britain

The relief of the country is very diverse. The northern regions of Great Britain are represented by the North Scottish Highlands. It is here that on the maps of Great Britain in Russian you can find the highest point of the country - Mount Ben Nevis (1344 m). To the south, the Mid-Scottish Lowland begins, resting on the Pennine Range, which stretches for 350 km from north to south. Behind him begins the Midland - a plain that occupies most of the island. Another small mountain range, Snowdonia, is located in Central Wales in the west of the country.

The Northern Irish enclave of the country, despite its small size, is also distinguished by a variety of relief. It is here that the largest lake in the country, Loch Neagh, is located, whose area is 396 km². There are a sufficient number of large full-flowing rivers in the UK, but the length of the longest - the Severn - does not exceed 354 km.

Animal and plant world

The nature of the country has been subjected to significant human interference since ancient times. Up to 70% of the UK is used for agricultural purposes. And only 10% of the land is occupied by forests. In the northern mountainous regions, mixed oak-pine forests are common. To the south of the bowl there are elms, hornbeams, birches, beeches and ash trees. A significant part of animal species was exterminated. To date, only 53 species of mammals live in the UK. The most common are red deer, wild goats, roe deer, badgers, foxes, otters and weasels. Gray and common seals are often found on the coasts. Coastal waters are rich in commercial fish species - mackerel, herring, sprat, cod and sardine.

Climate

Thanks to the warm current of the Gulf Stream, the country's climate is milder than in countries of the same latitude. Most of the UK lies in the temperate oceanic climate zone. The average winter temperature ranges from 2-4 0 C, and the summer temperature rarely exceeds 15-16 0 C.

It should be noted that in the mountainous and most northern regions these figures will be 2-3 degrees lower. The number of rainy and cloudy days in the country is high, so the rainfall in the most humid western regions can reach 3000 mm per year. However, in most areas of the UK, the average rainfall does not exceed 800 mm.

UK map with cities. Administrative division of the country

The UK has a very confusing structure. Apart from overseas territories, the country is divided into 4 main parts, which are actually autonomous states. These are England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Moreover, each of the parts has its own internal administrative division, which differs from the others. So Northern Ireland is divided into 6 counties and 11 districts, Scotland - into 32 districts, and Wales - into 9 counties, 10 city-counties and 3 cities. England has the most complex division: 28 counties, 6 city-counties, 9 regions, 55 unitary units, Greater London and the Scilly archipelago, which has a special legal status. A map of Great Britain with cities in Russian makes it clear that most of the country's population (up to 85%) lives in England, which occupies about 53% of the area of ​​Great Britain.

London- the capital of Great Britain and the third most populous city in Europe. Located in the southeast of the country on the banks of the River Thames. It is one of the key economic and financial centers of the world.

150 km northwest of London is Birmingham is the second largest city in the UK. Historic center of British industry and engineering. It is also one of the leading European scientific and educational centers.

City of Leeds located closer to the geographical center of the country in Yorkshire and is the third largest city in the UK. After the capital, it is the second most important financial center of the country.