What are the British Isles made of? Coursework: British Isles

Diagram illustrating the terminology associated with the British Isles

Geographic realities

• British Isles- an archipelago that includes the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the groups of Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland Islands and the smaller islands of Anglesey, Man, etc. Sometimes the Channel Islands are also included in the British Isles, as UK-owned but located off the coast of France.

• UK (island) is the largest of the British Isles. "Great-" simply means "larger" than Brittany ( historical area in the north of France), and not the "greatness" of the state. The latter was settled by the Britons (from Cornwall) around the year 500 and was called "Britain Minor" by them. For example, in French "Brittany" would be Bretagne, and "Great Britain" - Grande-Bretagne.

• Ireland (island)- the second largest of the British Isles.
• channel islands- a group of islands in the English Channel off the coast of France. They are not directly part of the UK and do not represent a political unity, being divided into two crown lands: Jersey and Guernsey. Geographically they do not belong to the British Isles, but may be included in them for political reasons.

Political realities

4 Components of Great Britain

• Great Britain - short title of the state occupying the island of Great Britain and the north of the island of Ireland, has custody of the Channel Islands and about. Maine, which are not formally part of the country.
  • - full name of the same state
  • Britannia- in the modern sense - an unofficial synonym for the concepts of "Great Britain" and " british empire»; historically Roman province (lat. Britannia), roughly corresponding to the territory of England and Wales.
  • United Kingdom- tracing paper from English. The United Kingdom- term abbreviation The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ), rarely used in Russian and corresponding in Russian to the term "Great Britain".
  • England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - constituent administrative-political parts(Constituent countries) Great Britain.
    • England- the historical core of Great Britain, in colloquial speech can be used as a synonym for the latter.
  • crown lands- the name of three possessions of Great Britain, which are not directly included in its composition, but are not overseas territories. These include: Bailiwicks Jersey And guernsey(Channel Islands) and Isle Of Man in the Irish Sea.

• • In addition, in Russian there are no generally accepted terms for the following concepts:
    • England, Wales and Scotland as one en:Great Britain(lit. Great Britain). In most European languages, as well as in Russian (but with the exception of English), everything is directly called Great Britain United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland whole (eg. Grossbritannien, fr. Grande-Bretagne).
    • UK + crown lands in the British Isles (Maine, Jersey and Guernsey) - en:British Islands(≠ British Isles in the geographical sense). When used loosely in this sense, the term "Great Britain" is usually used.

• Ireland(full title - Republic of Ireland listen)) is another sovereign state in the British Isles, occupying most islands of Ireland.
  • Northern Ireland(Ulster) - one of the four administrative and political parts of Great Britain (see above).
• Brittany- the name of the peninsula in France, once inhabited by the Britons from the south of Britain and gave it its name.

The British Isles are located in the northwest of Europe. The following states are located on them: Ireland, Great Britain and Virgin Islands, which are subordinate to the British crown and are not part of the state.

The largest of the above is the island of Great Britain. It has England, Wales and is very polite, but prim. Throughout the year, many holidays take place in England.

Great Britain is distinguished by rich vegetation. This is due to the humid and warm climate.

The British Isles (Virgin Islands) are different in area. There are 36 of them in total. The largest of them are as follows: Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyck, Anegada.

These lands are located close to Caribbean in and belong to the overseas territory of the islands barely reaches 25 thousand people. Most of them live in Tortola. The British Isles also have their own capital, Road Town.

Throughout its existence, the islands were captured by the Spaniards, the Dutch, the French and even pirates. However, the greatest success in this was achieved by the British. In 1072 they captured this territory. Since 1680, the British began to develop sugar cane plantations here.

The islands are mostly flat and hilly. There are no lakes or rivers. There are some problems with drinking water. They are solved with the help of desalination plants. Animal and vegetable world does not differ in variety. Over the centuries, it was gradually destroyed by people, and today the islanders cannot boast of rich flora and fauna.

Tourism is one of the most developed sectors of the economy. About 800,000 tourists from different countries visit the islands every year. The British Isles attract them with their heat, tropical climate. It's warm here all year round. From July to October, there are often hurricanes that can spoil the holiday a bit. It is worth remembering that it rains 5-7 days a month. The best time to visit is from December to April. At this time, there is the largest influx of tourists. Accordingly, prices will be relatively higher than, for example, in summer.

Many tourists come here to see the magnificent residences of English aristocrats. These fabulous buildings have not lost their grandeur over time and, as before, captivate at first sight. As for entertainment, the British Isles offer them in abundance.

Fans of night festivities will be happy to visit local bars, restaurants and clubs. Dancing and celebration here lasts all night. Nobody will be disappointed.

Very popular on the islands Since 1972, the seven-day Spring Regatta has been held here. This amazing spectacle will be remembered for a long time. Endless peaks, amazing underwater caves with lava tunnels, grottoes and countless marine life makes these places incredibly attractive for divers. There are more than a hundred such zones here. The most popular of them are located near the islands of Green Cay, Little Yost Van Dyke and Sandy Cay. And, of course, what vacation can do without beaches and gentle waves? There are plenty of them in the British Isles, in all shapes and sizes. For couples with children, calm, even beaches with white sand are perfect. And for surfers, it’s better to go where the endless waves rage.

For those who wish to go shopping, it is better to go to Road Town. Here you can find fine leather goods, as well as many of the most various souvenirs.

It should be noted that the cost of service in hotels and restaurants, as a rule, is included in the bill and amounts to 10% of its total amount. Hospitality and highly qualified staff makes rest easy and enjoyable. Having come here once, you will want to come back again.

Geographical position

• northern - Cape Herma Ness - 61 , 1 61° N sh. 1° in. d. /  61° N sh. 1° in. d.(G)(O)
• eastern - Lowestoft - 52.5 , 1.5 52°30' N. sh. 1°30′ E d. /  52.5° N sh. 1.5° in. d.(G)(O)
• southern - Cape Lizard - 50 , -5 50° N sh. 5°W d. /  50° N sh. 5°W d.(G)(O)
• western - Cape Sline Head - 53.5 , 10 53°30′ N. sh. 10°00′ E d. /  53.5° N sh. 10° in. d.(G)(O)

The length from north to south is 1000 km, and from west to east - 820 km.

Large landforms that make up the physical and geographical country: the North Scottish Highlands, the Pennines, the London Basin.

Coastline strongly dissected - numerous bays protrude into the land, the largest of which are Bristol, Cardigan, Liverpool, Firth of Clyde, Marie Firth, Firth of Forth, as well as the estuaries of the Thames and Severn.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Rocks

The territory of the archipelago can be divided into the following areas, which differ in geological structure:

The central part of Great Britain lies on a slab of ancient platforms. Mesozoic rocks are characteristic: clays, limestones, coal rocks.
Southeastern part of Great Britain is confined to the syneclise of the epihercynian platforms. Thick sedimentary deposits of Meso-Cenozoic and Cenozoic age, Jurassic deposits of limestone, chalk and sandstone are typical.

Loch Derg is a lake in the southwest of Ireland. The height at sea level is 33 m. The area is 118 km², the length is 40 km, the width is 4 km. The average depth is 7.6 m, the maximum is 36 m. The basin is of glacial origin, the eastern and northern coasts are low, but in the south and south-west the coasts are steep and rocky. The lake is fresh. It is located in the channel of the Shannon River, therefore it has an elongated shape and is wastewater.

The lakes of the British Isles play an important role in the transport issue. They also have hydroelectric power plants.

Soils

General factors of soil formation

The territory of a physical-geographical country is under the influence of the ocean. The climate is oceanic with mild, not cold winters (January temperatures from +0.3 °C to +8 °C), moderately warm summers (temperatures in July from +15 °C to +23 °C), rather high average annual temperature(from +9 °C to +15 °C), a significant amount of precipitation (mainly from 600 to 1500 mm per year). Broad-leaved forests.

Lessivated soils

distributed in the center and north of the UK, on west bank the islands of Ireland (in moraine relief). Absolute heights predominantly 300-500 m. (They are shown as luvisols on the FAO/UNESCO soil map) Soils are formed mainly on leveled surfaces under conditions of infiltration of atmospheric precipitation into the depth of the profile on loose rocks that do not contain carbonates.
Vegetation - oak, oak-beech forests, more or less lightened.

Lessivage (mechanical removal of colloids) in a slightly humus, biologically active, slightly medium acid medium. The removal of colloids of iron and clay minerals is pronounced. Lessivated soils are considered as climax soils on sandy and acidic soil-forming rocks or as secondary as a result of the degradation of brown forest soils. This was facilitated by human activities (replacement of deciduous forests by coniferous ones) and leaching of absorbed cations from soils with age.

soil profile

There is no coarse-humus horizon due to the fairly rapid decomposition of the forest litter. Horizon A1 (usually less than 10 cm thick) is brownish-dark gray or grayish-brown, finely cloddy, indistinctly granular, with numerous small roots, with a clear border. The humus-eluvial (silt-free) horizon A1 is beige, light brown or yellowish-brown, lumpy, porous, sometimes with horizontal layering, compact, sandy or silty loamy, with a rare transition to the illuvial horizon B (colmatized). This horizon is strongly clayed, dense, dark brown, prism-shaped in the upper part and prismatic-platy in the lower part, with distinct illuviation tiles. Soil thickness is 150-200 cm or more. In the “pseudo-gleyed” lessivated soils, nodules and manganese-ferruginous films are noted in horizon B due to the poor water permeability of the accumulation horizon. The soils are under broad-leaved or secondary coniferous forests, meadows, pastures, and are also widely developed for grain, flax, potatoes ... They respond well to the application of organo-mineral fertilizers.

Brown forest typical soils

They are confined mainly to areas of distribution of carbonate moraines and loess-like loams.

Elementary soil processes

The soil is characterized by processes leading to the release of iron oxide hydrates and claying, the intrasoil formation of secondary clay minerals of hydromicaceous-montmorillonite composition as a result of weak hydrolysis of primary minerals.

soil profile

The soils are characterized by a poorly differentiated profile. The coarse humus horizon is absent. A layer of bedding of small thickness. The litter decomposes during the growing season as a result of significant microbiological activity. Horizon A1 (15-30 cm thick) is brown-gray, with a strong finely cloddy (caprolite) structure, with numerous moves earthworms and a mass of roots; the addition is loose or slightly dense. Transitional horizon A1B (down to about 30-40 cm) with a larger cloddy or walnut cloddy structure. The metamorphic horizon Bt is brown or bright brown, heavier in mechanical composition, dense, with a walnut structure, sometimes with a tendency to prismaticity, with root and earthworm tunnels; its thickness ranges from 30 to 130 cm. The soils are highly biologically active. They have a great biological value in forestry and agriculture, as they are suitable for growing forest crops demanding soil quality, and in agriculture for growing a wide range of crops. When applying organic and mineral fertilizers, stable high yields are obtained.

Vegetation

The British Isles are located in two natural areas the north of the island of Great Britain, up to about 56 ° N, lies in coniferous forests; the rest of the territory, including the island of Ireland, is broad-leaved forests.
Features of the orographic structure of the British Isles significantly affect the distribution of precipitation, the hydrographic network and determine the vegetation and soil cover. The mildness of winters and the absence of stable snow cover on the plains explain the presence of evergreen shrubs (for example, holly) in the undergrowth of broad-leaved forests. Grasslands are the most common type of vegetation in Ireland as well. Moorlands are composed of common and European heather, bilberry, juniper. They are located on rough, strongly podzolized sandy and gravelly soils. Often moorlands interspersed with meadows. The meadows are one of the important natural resources. On their basis, the livestock industry of England and Ireland grew. In terms of forest area (about 4% of the UK), the region stands at last place V Western Europe(excluding Iceland and Arctic islands). Affects, undoubtedly, the centuries-old economic activity human, a high degree of development of intensive agriculture, animal husbandry and industry. Natural regeneration of forests is very slow. Artificial plantations of forests take root well and in the form of small groves, parks, plantations along roads and rivers often give the false impression of a well-forested islands.
About 92% of the forests are privately owned, which makes it difficult to carry out new forest plantations and forest reclamation on a nationwide scale. The existing small tracts of forest parks are confined to less humid areas of the south-east of Great Britain. But here, too, excessive soil moisture prevents the development of beech forests (they are confined to hillsides). Forests of summer and winter oaks, ash with an admixture of birch, larch, pine, and hazel dominate. In Scotland, pine and birch forests are developed on podzolic soils of coarse mechanical composition. The upper altitudinal forest line in the British Isles is the lowest in temperate zone Europe (influence of high humidity, strong winds and grazing in the mountains). Broad-leaved forests reach a height of 300-400 m, coniferous and birch forests up to 500-600 m. The forest fauna that was previously characteristic of the islands has almost not been preserved. At the moment, the share of protected area on the islands is about 22%.

Animal world

The fauna of the British Isles has declined markedly. The largest mammals: deer, roe deer, wild goats. Of the smaller animals, martens, weasels, foxes, rabbits, wild cats, ferrets, and ermines are common. Currently, only 56 species of mammals remain, the largest of which is the red deer. The British Isles are home to 130 species of birds, including the national symbol of England - the red-breasted robin. Millions of birds migrate along the coast of Great Britain from south to north and back. In the autumn in London, late at night, huge flocks of white-browed thrushes and curlews can be seen flying south. Many species are able to adapt to changing conditions, and it is believed that there are more birds in suburban gardens than in any forest. The most common sparrows, finches, starlings, crows, kingfishers, robins, tits. In the waters off the British Isles there are various types of fish: in surface layers sea ​​waters sable fish are found, herring is abundant from May to October, sprat feeds in bays and estuaries, and sardines and mackerel appear off the coast of the Cornish Peninsula. Of the bottom fish that feed on bottom molluscs, worms and crustaceans, the flounder is the most common. The most important commercial species are cod, haddock and marlan.

Literature

• Lobova E.V., Khabarov, A.V. Soils of Eurasia // Soils / Reviewers: Kovda V.A., Aderikhin P.G. - M .: "Thought", 1983. - S. 53, 59-61. - 303 p. - 40,000 copies.
• Ermakova Yu.G., Ignatiev M.G., Kurakova L.I. and etc. Europe // Physiography continents and oceans / Ed. Ryabchikova A.M. - M .: "Higher School", 1988. - S. 84-85, 129-132. - 592 p. - 30,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001354-5

Links

see also

• List of islands of Great Britain (English) Russian

Hercynian Europe is sometimes combined with the British Isles - an island region that includes Great Britain, Ireland and a large number of small islands and archipelagos. Indeed, this is a kind of continuation of the subcontinent of Northern and Central Europe. Ireland separated from the mainland in the Pleistocene, Great Britain - in the post-glacial period. The width of the Pas de Calais is only 32 km. The Hercynian structures in the south of the islands are a continuation of the continental ones, and the folded structures of the Caledonian age in the north are a continuation of the Caledonides of the Scandinavian Highlands. The appearance of the Northern Highlands resembles the mountainous Fennoscandia. The London Basin is essentially insular part Parizhsky with the same system of cuesta on monoclinal layers of Jurassic and Cretaceous sandstones, limestones and chalk. In all components of nature, the northern part of the British Isles is similar to Fennoscandia, the southern part is similar to Hercynian Europe. However, the island character of the country determines the unity and many peculiar features of its nature.

Very big influence The sea affects literally everything. The nature of even the largest island - Great Britain (230 thousand km 2), which recently separated from the mainland, has pronounced island features.

Region - temperate maritime big amount precipitation (1000-3000 mm). Their mode is typical for maritime climates (a small winter maximum is pronounced). Summer is not hot (11-17°С), winter is warm (3-7°С). unstable, frequent fogs.

Center about. Great Britain is occupied by the low (900 m) Pennines, the north - blocky ridges of the North Scottish Highlands. A. Ireland is raised along the edges, and in its central part there is a lowland.

The exogenous relief is dominated by fluvial morphosculpture, the fluid ones have significantly reworked the ancient glacier-accumulative relief, but trough valleys and other exaration forms are well preserved in the north of the region.

The troughs are occupied by rivers, lakes or form fjords. These bays and glacial lakes they are similar and sometimes bear the same name - “loch” (for example, Loch Broom Bay and Loch Ness, Loch Lomond).

The areas of sea plains are relatively large, and the types of coastal relief are diverse. Wherever there are steep coastal cliffs, the sea has developed abrasion ledges, especially peculiar and picturesque on basalt rocks.

The rivers are short, full-flowing throughout the year, usually form estuaries at the mouths or flow into fjords. The rivers are connected by a dense network of canals. Estuaries serve as convenient bays for the entry of sea vessels.

On the islands lying in the zone of broad-leaved forests, there are many treeless territories of both anthropogenic and natural origin. For woody vegetation, high humidity and strong winds are unfavorable, which are characteristic of weather conditions islands, especially on the western windward slopes. Heathlands and wetlands (moors) are widespread.

The islands had significant reserves of coal, on which industry developed. Now they are severely depleted, and gas from the North Sea shelf also serves as their own energy raw material.

The life of the population of the islands is closely connected with the sea. In small archipelagos, most people are engaged in marine fishing and its maintenance. Many fishing towns and villages and on the coasts major islands. Great Britain has long been a well-known trading power, with convenient ice-free ports, lying on busy sea routes, and possessed large fleet. One of major ports world - London, located near the mouth of the river. Thames. A high tidal wave enters the Thames Estuary, which allows ocean-going ships to rise almost to the outskirts of London.

The nature of the British Isles has been greatly modified by man, mainly in the process of industrial production and urban construction. There is also a large share of agricultural land, mainly serving livestock. Forests - secondary and planted, occupy only 8% of the area of ​​Great Britain and 4% - of Ireland. A big problem is air pollution, which is exacerbated by the high humidity of the climate. The measures taken to solve this problem (replacement of fuel types, strict regulation of emissions, etc.), although they gave positive results, did not solve the whole problem: the level of air pollution, especially in cities in the UK, is still very high. The inhabitants of the British Isles take care of those few places where little-changed nature has been preserved - the Lake District in the Cumberland massif, the mountain landscapes of Wales, the North Scottish Highlands, northwestern and southwestern Ireland. There are several hundred natural reserves in the UK, "places of special scientific interest" (several thousand of them) have been allocated, 10 national parks exclusively for recreational use. Ireland also has three national parks and several reserves.

Geographical position

• northern - Cape Herma Ness - 61 , 1 61° N sh. 1° in. d. /  61° N sh. 1° in. d.(G)(O)
• eastern - Lowestoft - 52.5 , 1.5 52°30' N. sh. 1°30′ E d. /  52.5° N sh. 1.5° in. d.(G)(O)
• southern - Cape Lizard - 50 , -5 50° N sh. 5°W d. /  50° N sh. 5°W d.(G)(O)
• western - Cape Sline Head - 53.5 , 10 53°30′ N. sh. 10°00′ E d. /  53.5° N sh. 10° in. d.(G)(O)

The length from north to south is 1000 km, and from west to east - 820 km.

Large landforms that make up the physical and geographical country: the North Scottish Highlands, the Pennines, the London Basin.

The coastline is strongly dissected - numerous bays protrude into the land, the largest of which are Bristol, Cardigan, Liverpool, Firth of Clyde, Mary Firth, Firth of Forth, as well as the estuaries of the Thames and Severn.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Rocks

The territory of the archipelago can be divided into the following areas, which differ in geological structure:

The central part of Great Britain lies on a slab of ancient platforms. Mesozoic rocks are characteristic: clays, limestones, coal rocks.
Southeastern part of Great Britain is confined to the syneclise of the epihercynian platforms. Thick sedimentary deposits of Meso-Cenozoic and Cenozoic age, Jurassic deposits of limestone, chalk and sandstone are typical.

Loch Derg is a lake in the southwest of Ireland. The height at sea level is 33 m. The area is 118 km², the length is 40 km, the width is 4 km. The average depth is 7.6 m, the maximum is 36 m. The basin is of glacial origin, the eastern and northern coasts are low, but in the south and south-west the coasts are steep and rocky. The lake is fresh. It is located in the channel of the Shannon River, therefore it has an elongated shape and is wastewater.

The lakes of the British Isles play an important role in the transport issue. They also have hydroelectric power plants.

Soils

General factors of soil formation

The territory of a physical-geographical country is under the influence of the ocean. The climate is oceanic with mild, not cold winters (January temperatures from +0.3 °C to +8 °C), moderately warm summers (temperatures in July from +15 °C to +23 °C), rather high average annual temperatures (from + 9 °C to +15 °C), a significant amount of precipitation (mainly from 600 to 1500 mm per year). Broad-leaved forests.

Lessivated soils

distributed in the center and north of Great Britain, on the western coast of the island of Ireland (in moraine relief). The absolute heights are mainly 300-500 m. (They are shown as luvisols on the FAO/UNESCO soil map) Soils are formed mainly on leveled surfaces under the conditions of infiltration of atmospheric precipitation into the depth of the profile on loose rocks that do not contain carbonates.
Vegetation - oak, oak-beech forests, more or less lightened.

Lessivage (mechanical removal of colloids) in a slightly humus, biologically active, slightly medium acid medium. The removal of colloids of iron and clay minerals is pronounced. Lessivated soils are considered as climax soils on sandy and acidic soil-forming rocks or as secondary as a result of the degradation of brown forest soils. This was facilitated by human activities (replacement of deciduous forests by coniferous ones) and leaching of absorbed cations from soils with age.

soil profile

There is no coarse-humus horizon due to the fairly rapid decomposition of the forest litter. Horizon A1 (usually less than 10 cm thick) is brownish-dark gray or grayish-brown, finely cloddy, indistinctly granular, with numerous small roots, with a clear border. The humus-eluvial (silt-free) horizon A1 is beige, light brown or yellowish-brown, lumpy, porous, sometimes with horizontal layering, compact, sandy or silty loamy, with a rare transition to the illuvial horizon B (colmatized). This horizon is strongly clayed, dense, dark brown, prism-shaped in the upper part and prismatic-platy in the lower part, with distinct illuviation tiles. Soil thickness is 150-200 cm or more. In the “pseudo-gleyed” lessivated soils, nodules and manganese-ferruginous films are noted in horizon B due to the poor water permeability of the accumulation horizon. The soils are under broad-leaved or secondary coniferous forests, meadows, pastures, and are also widely developed for grain, flax, potatoes ... They respond well to the application of organo-mineral fertilizers.

Brown forest typical soils

They are confined mainly to areas of distribution of carbonate moraines and loess-like loams.

Elementary soil processes

The soil is characterized by processes leading to the release of iron oxide hydrates and claying, the intrasoil formation of secondary clay minerals of hydromicaceous-montmorillonite composition as a result of weak hydrolysis of primary minerals.

soil profile

The soils are characterized by a poorly differentiated profile. The coarse humus horizon is absent. A layer of bedding of small thickness. The litter decomposes during the growing season as a result of significant microbiological activity. Horizon A1 (15-30 cm thick) is brownish-gray, with a strong finely cloddy (caprolite) structure, with numerous earthworm passages and a mass of roots; the addition is loose or slightly dense. Transitional horizon A1B (down to about 30-40 cm) with a larger cloddy or walnut cloddy structure. The metamorphic horizon Bt is brown or bright brown, heavier in mechanical composition, dense, with a walnut structure, sometimes with a tendency to prismaticity, with root and earthworm tunnels; its thickness ranges from 30 to 130 cm. The soils are highly biologically active. They have a great biological value in forestry and agriculture, as they are suitable for growing forest crops demanding soil quality, and in agriculture for growing a wide range of crops. When applying organic and mineral fertilizers, stable high yields are obtained.

Vegetation

The British Isles are located in two natural zones. The north of the island of Great Britain, up to about 56 ° N, lies in coniferous forests; the rest of the territory, including the island of Ireland, is broad-leaved forests.
Features of the orographic structure of the British Isles significantly affect the distribution of precipitation, the hydrographic network and determine the vegetation and soil cover. The mildness of winters and the absence of stable snow cover on the plains explain the presence of evergreen shrubs (for example, holly) in the undergrowth of broad-leaved forests. Grasslands are the most common type of vegetation in Ireland as well. Moorlands are composed of common and European heather, bilberry, juniper. They are located on rough, strongly podzolized sandy and gravelly soils. Often moorlands interspersed with meadows. Grasslands are one of the important natural resources. On their basis, the livestock industry of England and Ireland grew. In terms of forest area (about 4% of the UK), the region ranks last in Western Europe (excluding Iceland and the Arctic islands). There is no doubt that the centuries-old economic activity of man, the high degree of development of intensive agriculture, animal husbandry and industry. Natural regeneration of forests is very slow. Artificial plantations of forests take root well and in the form of small groves, parks, plantations along roads and rivers often give the false impression of a well-forested islands.
About 92% of the forests are privately owned, which makes it difficult to carry out new forest plantations and forest reclamation on a nationwide scale. The existing small tracts of forest parks are confined to less humid areas of the south-east of Great Britain. But here, too, excessive soil moisture prevents the development of beech forests (they are confined to hillsides). Forests of summer and winter oaks, ash with an admixture of birch, larch, pine, and hazel dominate. In Scotland, pine and birch forests are developed on podzolic soils of coarse mechanical composition. The upper altitudinal limit of forests in the British Isles is the lowest in the temperate zone of Europe (influence of high humidity, strong winds and grazing in the mountains). Broad-leaved forests reach a height of 300-400 m, coniferous and birch forests up to 500-600 m. The forest fauna that was previously characteristic of the islands has almost not been preserved. At the moment, the share of protected area on the islands is about 22%.

Animal world

The fauna of the British Isles has declined markedly. The largest mammals: deer, roe deer, wild goats. Of the smaller animals, martens, weasels, foxes, rabbits, wild cats, ferrets, and ermines are common. Currently, only 56 species of mammals remain, the largest of which is the red deer. The British Isles are home to 130 species of birds, including the national symbol of England - the red-breasted robin. Millions of birds migrate along the coast of Great Britain from south to north and back. In the autumn in London, late at night, huge flocks of white-browed thrushes and curlews can be seen flying south. Many species are able to adapt to changing conditions, and it is believed that there are more birds in suburban gardens than in any forest. The most common sparrows, finches, starlings, crows, kingfishers, robins, tits. Various types of fish are found in the waters off the British Isles: sable fish are found in the surface layers of sea waters, there are a lot of herring from May to October, sprat feed in the bays and estuaries of rivers, and sardines and mackerel appear off the coast of the Cornish Peninsula. Of the bottom fish that feed on bottom molluscs, worms and crustaceans, the flounder is the most common. The most important commercial species are cod, haddock and marlan.

Literature

• Lobova E.V., Khabarov, A.V. Soils of Eurasia // Soils / Reviewers: Kovda V.A., Aderikhin P.G. - M .: "Thought", 1983. - S. 53, 59-61. - 303 p. - 40,000 copies.
• Ermakova Yu.G., Ignatiev M.G., Kurakova L.I. and etc. Europe // Physical geography of continents and oceans / Ed. Ryabchikova A.M. - M .: "Higher School", 1988. - S. 84-85, 129-132. - 592 p. - 30,000 copies. - ISBN 5-06-001354-5

Links

see also

• List of islands of Great Britain (English) Russian