Island states of Great Britain. British Isles. Geography and history. Geography of the British Isles

The British Isles are an archipelago located northwest of the European continent and separating the Atlantic Ocean from the North Sea. At the same time, the islands are separated from the European mainland by two straits - the English Channel and Pas de Calais. The states of the British Isles have a long history and rich traditions of democracy and market economies. They occupy a special place on the map of modern Europe, since it was on their territory that the shape of modern capitalism was formed.

Geography of the British Isles

The total area of ​​the islands of the archipelago exceeds 315 million square kilometers, but the overwhelming number of islands are extremely modest in size. The largest islands are Great Britain and Ireland. There are two states in the British Isles: the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In addition, some of the islands have a special status as crown possessions of the ruling house of Great Britain.

The northernmost and southernmost points are located a thousand kilometers apart, and the archipelago is eight hundred kilometers wide. The northernmost point of the islands is Cape Herma Ness. The extreme southern point is Cape Lizard, located in the English county of Cornwall. Cape Lowestoft is called the easternmost point of the archipelago, while the westernmost point is Slyne Head.

The largest geographical features are the Scottish Highlands, the Pennines and the low-lying plain in the south-west of Great Britain called the London Basin. The largest rivers are considered to be the Thames, Severn, Trent and Shannon.

Political map

The countries of the British Isles have a long history together, full of both tragic events and powerful breakthroughs. For many centuries, local residents competed with each other, resisted foreign invaders, fought with the Roman Empire, France, seized colonies and waged religious wars with their closest neighbors.

On the modern political map of the islands there are two states: Great Britain and Ireland. The islands of Guernsey, Jersey and Maine have special legal status.

Until recently, both states were members of the EU, but in 2017 a referendum was held in the UK, in which citizens voted in favor of the country leaving the European Union.

History of the British Isles

It is reliably known that the settlement of the archipelago by modern humans began more than thirty thousand years ago. Subsequently, the people who settled the islands formed a culture that scientists call the culture of the island Celts.

Already in prehistoric times, Great Britain was inhabited by the Britons, while the island of Ireland was inhabited by the Gaels, whose distant descendants live today in Scotland.

An important milestone in the history of the islands was their conquest by the Roman Empire in 43 AD. Although the Romans managed to conquer only the southern part of the islands, their four-hundred-year reign left its mark on the local culture and had a huge impact on both technological development and the formation of local languages, although they do not belong to the Romance family.

Norman Conquest

The conquest of the British Isles by the Normans began in 1066, when the first boats of the northern conquerors landed on the shores of England. Quite quickly, the foreigners also managed to subjugate Wales. Realizing the danger posed by aggressive warriors, the inhabitants of Scotland themselves invited the Normans to settle in their country.

Despite the fact that the invaders brought their customs and French-style feudalism to the country, they were nevertheless quickly assimilated by the local population and disappeared without a trace into the culture of the indigenous population.

It was the Norman conquest that created the preconditions for the formation of a single cultural space on the territory of England and Wales and the subsequent annexation of Wales by the British. Scotland, however, managed to maintain its independence over the next several centuries, despite constant conflicts with England.

History of Scotland

As part of modern Great Britain, Scotland is an autonomous administrative unit with its own parliament and other self-government bodies. But its head is the English monarch.

The history of the relationship between the metropolis and Edinburgh dates back many centuries of struggle and attempts by English kings and queens to conquer their northern neighbors. Scotland was first conquered by England in 1296, but the greed of the English rulers provoked discontent among the local residents, and a year later they rebelled. Scotland was again liberated, but the next few decades were marred by bloody wars.

The final unification of the two states occurred in 1707 after the signing of the “Act of Union”. Since then, the issue of Scottish secession has been raised several times, but has always been resolved in favor of unity.

Special status of crown lands

The insular possessions of the British monarch, which are not part of the Kingdom of Great Britain and are governed directly by the king through his viceroy, are called the crown possessions. These include the Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey.

Despite the fact that historically these islands are closely connected with all the surrounding states, and from a geographical point of view they belong to the British Isles, the possessions have never been part of the EU. Each of the islands has its own parliament and is governed by a lieutenant governor appointed by the British monarch.

The Isle of Man Parliament, known as the Tynwald, claims to be the oldest existing parliament, having first convened in 979.

Great Britain

The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is located in the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and a large number of small islands. Their total area is more than 314 thousand square meters. km. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The west coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. In the south it borders with the Irish Republic. The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (southern and middle part of the island), Wales (mountainous peninsula in the west) and Scotland (northern part of the island).

There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north, the Cheviot Hills separate England from Scotland; The Pennine Mountains stretch from Northern England through almost its entire central part; The Cambrian Mountains occupy most of Wales; The North Scottish Highlands are the highest mountains in Britain. There is very little flat country in Britain except in the area known as East Anglia. Most rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest and longest river in Britain. Some of Britain's largest ports are located on the Thames, Mersey, Trent, Tayn, Clyde and Bristol Avon estuaries. Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources. It has small deposits of coal and iron ore and rich deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.

Warm currents from the Atlantic Ocean influence the UK's climate. Winters here are not very severe, and summers are rarely hot. The population of the United Kingdom is more than 58 million people. Main nationalities: English, Welsh, Scots and Irish. There are many immigrants in Britain from Britain's former Asian and African colonies. Great Britain is a country with a highly developed industry. Over the past three decades, new industries have developed. The main industrial centers are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Bristol. The capital is London. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy.

Geographical location of Great Britain

On the northwestern coast of Europe there are two large and several small islands. Together they are known as the British Isles. The largest island is called Great Britain. The smaller one is Ireland. Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel. The country is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Great Britain is separated from Belgium and Holland by the North Sea, and from Ireland by the Irish Sea.

There are two states in the British Isles. One of them occupies the island of Ireland. This state is usually called the Irish Republic. The remaining territory is subordinated to another state. The official name of this country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is usually known by the short name "United Kingdom". The total area of ​​Great Britain is 244,000 km2.

It is said that the British love of compromise is a result of the country's geographical location. This may or may not be true, but the truth is that the UK's terrain and climate lack any contrast. The mountains in the country are not very high. It is not very cold here in winter and not very hot in summer. There are no active volcanoes in the country. The earthquakes reported in the media only cause cups to rattle in a few houses. The island geographical location of Great Britain contributes to the development of shipbuilding and various trade relations with other countries.

UK climate

Great Britain is located on islands. It is washed by seas on all sides. Therefore, the climate and nature of Great Britain are very specific. The popular belief that it rains all the time in Britain is not entirely true. In fact, London receives no more rainfall in a year than most other European cities. In general, the further west you go, the more precipitation you get. Mild winters mean there is snow only at higher elevations. Winters are generally colder in the east of the country than in the west. At the same time, in summer it is warmer and sunnier in the south than in the north. In addition, Britain is famous for its fogs. Sometimes the fogs are so thick that it is impossible to see anything at a distance of 2 or 3 meters.

Why does Britain's climate have such a bad reputation? Maybe it's because the British seem to talk about the weather all the time. There is a saying that Britain has no climate, it only has weather. You can never be sure that it will be a dry day, although there may not be much rain. There may be cool and even cold days in July and warm days in January.

The weather changes very often. Mark Twain said about America: “If you don't like the weather in New England, wait a few minutes,” but this is more like what was said about England. The lack of sharp contrasts is the reason that in some cases, when it gets very hot or cold, the country seems unprepared for it. A little snow and a few days of frost - and trains stop running and roads become blocked. If the thermometer shows more than 2TC, people behave like in the Sahara, and the air temperature becomes the topic of the front pages of newspapers. But these things happen so rarely that there is no point in specially preparing for them. Everyone who comes to England says that it looks like one big beautiful park. The British love their country and care about it.

Population of the British Isles

The British Isles are home to four nations: English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. Although foreigners often refer to all British people as English and sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between them, the nations that make up the United Kingdom are well aware of their individual characteristics.

The Scots, Welsh and Irish mostly consider themselves Celts, while the English are of Anglo-Saxon origin.

British society as a whole does not have a common cultural characteristic.

In 1993, the population of the United Kingdom was approximately 58 million. This figure shows the population density - 600 people per 1 sq. mile (284 - per 1 sq. km).

In England, the average population density is 980 people per square meter. mile (364 per 1 sq. km).

In the southeast, this figure is even higher. In Europe, only the Netherlands has a higher population density than England.

Religion of Great Britain

British religion was closely associated with kings, queens and politics. England was a Roman Catholic country until 1534.

In 1525, King Henry VIII decided to divorce his queen, Catherine of Aragon, because he had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn. But when Henry asked the pope for permission to divorce Catherine, he refused.

Henry was so angry with the pope that he broke off all contacts between England and Rome. He divorced Catherine of Aragon without papal permission and married Anne Boleyn.

In 1534, Parliament named Henry head of the Church of England. The Anglican Church was not close to the Protestant Church, and Henry, of course, did not feel like a Protestant. However, the Protestant movement in Europe was becoming very strong at that time. When Henry quarreled with Rome and ordered the Bible to be translated into English, the way was opened for Protestantism to spread to England.

In the following years, many people accepted this religion. In 1553, Mary, Henry's daughter by Catherine of Aragon, became Queen of England. The country returned to the Roman Church, since Mary was a Roman Catholic.

The Protestants were glad when Mary died because when she was queen, many Protestants were burned for their beliefs. After Mary, Elizabeth became the head of the Church of England, and Roman Catholicism was never again the official religion of England.

The Church of England is still influential in the country today. But despite the wide variety of religious beliefs, only a small number of people regularly go to church in Britain today. Most people think of Sunday as a day for family fun or for doing things around the house or garden.

UK cities

The capital of the Great Britain is London. It is located at the center of an extensive national and international communications network. London is made up of four boroughs that are distinct from each other. These are the City, Westminster, West End and East End. London's industry is diverse. It includes an extensive system of dock and port industries, electrical engineering, automobile industries and others. Other cities located north of the Thames are Oxford and Cambridge.

Oxford was first mentioned in written history in the 10th century and later became an important trading center of the Middle Ages, then a leading educational center. Cambridge is also well known for its ancient university. Its industry is mainly represented by electronics, which has an international reputation. Bristol is known in southwest England as the region's largest seaport and largest city. It is an important center for metallurgy, aircraft manufacturing and the chemical industry. Among the cities located in the south of England, the largest are Southampton, Portsmouth and Brighton. Southampton is primarily a seaport, the most important on the south coast.

Brighton is one of Britain's most popular seaside resorts. There is a mild climate, warm sea and beautiful beaches. Manchester is an ancient city. By the 17th century it was a large trading city, the center of the textile industry. Today, mechanical engineering and light industry are the most important industries here. Sheffield, located in south Yorkshire, produces almost 2/3 of the country's stainless steel; it is famous for its tools and cutlery. Other industries include the food and paper industries. In North Yorkshire the largest city is York. The leading industries are mechanical engineering and food. York attracts many tourists with its famous medieval city walls.

Tower of London

The Tower of London is one of London's most prominent and popular historical landmarks. It includes not one, but 20 towers. The oldest of them is the White Tower, which dates back to the 11th century and the time of William the Conqueror. Today, many tourists visit the Tower of London, attracted by its evil reputation as a prison. The Tower is known as the repository of the royal jewels. Today they can be seen in the new jewelry house. Among them is the crown of Queen Elizabeth's mother, which contains the famous Indian diamond.

Many stories related to British history come from the Tower. In 1483, two sons of King Edward IV were killed in the so-called Tower of Blood. Two centuries later, the skeletons of two boys were buried under the steps of the White Tower.

Traitor's Gate has steps leading down into the River Thames. Large numbers of prisoners, including the future Queen Elizabeth I of England, were brought to the Tower by barge and walked up the steps before becoming prisoners. For many, this was the last moment of freedom before death. But Elizabeth was released from the Tower and became queen. The king's second wife, Anne Boleyn, was put on trial in 1536 and beheaded. Six years later, her cousin Catherine, Henry VIII's fifth wife, suffered the same fate. Thomas More was beheaded here in 1535.

Of course, a visit to the Tower wouldn't be complete unless you saw the crows, the huge black birds that are the legal inhabitants of the Tower. Legend has it that if the ravens leave the Tower, the crown will fall and Britain will fall with it. Under the special supervision of the crow's owner, they are given a daily portion of raw meat. And there is no fear that they will fly away because their wings are clipped.

Description of work

The full name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is located in the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and a large number of small islands. Their total area is more than 314 thousand square meters. km. The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The west coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea. Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. In the south it borders with the Irish Republic. The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (southern and middle part of the island), Wales (mountainous peninsula in the west) and Scotland (northern part of the island).

What countries are part of Great Britain? Rich in history and culture, it intertwines the traditions of four historical and geographical regions, which are distinguished by their religious characteristics. This island nation has many interesting facts.

The history of the formation of Great Britain dates back to the 1st century BC, when almost all lands came under the rule of the Romans. The latter began the construction of cities and proclaimed Christianity. Later, in the 5th century AD, Germanic tribes captured the islands and drove out the Romans, giving the country the name England.

In the IX-XI centuries. Britain was regularly attacked by Vikings, and in 1066 the island was conquered by the Norman Duke William, who later became King William I of England. Around this time, the English language was formed, combining Scandinavian, German and French words.

England developed rapidly. And at the end of the 16th century, international trade became the most developed type of activity.

The state's main competitor in this industry was Spain, which at that time was at war with Holland. In this struggle, England actively supported Holland. Later, Britain more than once showed its strength in military matters, seizing and colonizing new lands in Australia, Asia, America, Africa and Oceania.

Map of the Colonies of the British Empire

In 1707, Great Britain consisted of England, Wales and Scotland, and 100 years later Ireland joined the union. But at the beginning of the 20th century, part of Ireland defended its independence and left the union, and Northern Ireland remained part of the United Kingdom.

At the beginning of the 18th century, the country began to develop rapidly economically. Trade still occupied a significant place. Gradually, Great Britain gained the status of a great naval state, turning into an industrialized power.

In the 20th century, the world was rocked by two wars in which Great Britain was positioned as the future victors. But over time, the influence of the state became less, and in the second half of the 20th century it lost some of its colonies.

Interesting facts about Great Britain are described in this video:

UK government

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located in the British Isles, located in Western Europe. The islands are separated from the mainland by two straits: the English Channel and Pas de Calais. The state occupies the entire part of the island of Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland and a large part of the British Isles.

Great Britain and Ireland, political map

The country covers an area of ​​244 thousand square meters. km. About 65 million people live in the UK. The capital of the state is London, and its current ruler is Queen Elizabeth II.

As you know, Britain is a constitutional monarchy, the government of which consists of the reigning monarch and parliament, which forms the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Such a government has virtually unlimited influence in matters relating to population and territory. The throne is inherited by seniority. The eldest son or eldest daughter is appointed monarch if there are no sons in the family.

UK composition

The countries that make up the UK are as follows:

• England;
• Scotland;
• Wales;
• Northern Ireland.

England

Everyone knows England as Foggy Albion. It rains here almost every day. But the government of England cares about the ecology of the capital and the whole country. Despite the dreary weather, the capital, London, is a city with a friendly population. Many tourists visit it, because there is something to see here. The most famous attractions are Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the British Museum, and Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace, home of the royal family, has become accessible to tourists.

Scotland

In 2012, a referendum took place in Scotland. According to its results, Scotland decided to remain within the UK. The country is famous for whiskey, kilts and bagpipes. The expanses of the state lie on 787 islands. The capital of the country is Edinburgh. The state has not only thousand-year-old traditions and a rich history full of wars, but also a charming nature. Majestic castles, mountain spirit and rocky coastlines make Scotland a popular tourist destination. The Scots are distinguished by their wayward temperament, they are independent and extraordinary, sociable and friendly, but they will not open up to a stranger.

Wales

The Principality of Wales occupies a small territory in the western part of the island of Great Britain with a population of 3 million people. The capital of Wales is Cardiff. The country is a land of amazing landscapes and majestic medieval castles, of which there are countless numbers. Speaking about the beauty of the area, it is impossible to convey in words all the uniqueness of the architecture. This historic area of ​​Great Britain is famous for its cheeses, tender beef and lamb, and seafood is also popular here.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is known as a major European student center and has a rich culture. The capital of Ireland is Belfast, the city famous for being the builder of the Titanic. Among the attractions of Northern Ireland are the Giant's Causeway, Oxford, Glenariff and Cable national parks, and Cooley Castle.

Great Britain is a country of a combination of nations

The ethnic composition of Great Britain is quite diverse for a European state. As the British Isles suffered numerous attacks from mainland Europe, the Romans, Normans, Saxons and Danes occupied the low-lying terrain, driving the indigenous population into the mountains and to the west and north of the island.

Since the British Isles were a colonial state, the composition of the population here has changed markedly. There was a migration of people from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. Chinese, Pakistanis, Indians and Africans have diluted the ethnic composition.

Back in the Middle Ages, three main ethnic communities were formed in Great Britain, which were represented by the English, Scots and Welsh. A special role in the political sphere of the country is always played by the relationship between these indigenous peoples.

The national composition of Great Britain is not as diverse as its ethnic composition. After the Second World War, the British Isles experienced an influx of workers from European countries amounting to 1 million people. In addition, every year the country is populated by 50 thousand Europeans and Asians who come here in search of work.

Of the 65 million people, the dominant part is occupied by the English with a population of about 53 million. They mainly live in England, a small part of the English occupy Wales and Scotland.

The second largest population is occupied by the Scots, who are represented by 6 million people. Most of the Celts live in the northwestern part of the island of Great Britain and numerous northern islands.

The Irish make up 1.5 million people in the British Isles, and the Welsh make up 1.2 million. The other nations of Great Britain number about 3 million people.