GEOGRAPHY OF THE UK
The UK is made up of: Great Britain (the formerly separate realms of England Scotland, and the principality of Wales. ) Northern Ireland (also known as Ulster) Numerous smaller islands including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos.
Where is the UK? The UK is an island nation in Western Europe just off the coast of France. The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 59°N and longitudes 8°W to 2°E. The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 miles) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.
How big an area does the UK cover? The UK has a total area of approximately 245, 000 km², almost a quarter-of-a-million square kilometres. Seas surrounding the UK The UK is made up of several islands. The only land border connecting the UK to another country is between Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland. The UK is bordered by four seas: to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from continental Europe to the east by the North Sea to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean Climate The UK's climate varies greatly according to season and location, but on the whole can be described as mild with few extremes. Find out more about the climate
The Land The UK Landscape is very varied, ranging from the Grampian Mountains of Scotland to the lowland fens of England which are at or below sea level in places. Scotland Wales are the most mountainous parts of the UK. A ridge of hills, the Pennine, runs down the centre of northern England. Many coastal areas are low-lying, especially in the east and south of England. These include the wetlands of the Somerset levels, that regularly flood during heavy rain. Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hills with isolated areas of high ground such as Dartmoor in the southwest of England or the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland.
Lakes Northern Ireland is also home to the UK's largest lake, Lough Neagh, which covers an area of 396 sq. km (153 sq miles). Other major lakes include Windermere in the English Lake District and Loch Lomond in Scotland. Another of Scotland's lakes, Loch Ness is famous for sightings of 'Nessie', a mythical monster! Find out more about the landscape of England UK Rivers Being a relatively small Island, the UK's rivers are not very long. The Severn, its longest river, is just 338 km in length, beginning in Wales and entering the Atlantic Ocean near Bristol in England. Other major rivers include the Thames, which flows through Oxford and London, and the Trent and Mersey rivers, which drainfall from large areas of central England. Find out more about UK Rivers
Culture in Great Britain It you're staying in London for a few days, you'll have no difficulty whatever in finding somewhere to spend an enjoyable evening. You'll find opera, ballet, comedy, drama, review, musical comedy and variety. Most theatres and music -halls have good orchestras with popular conductors. At the West-End theatres you can see most of the famous English actors and actresses. As a rule, the plays are magnificently staged - costumes, dresses, scenery, everything being done on the most lavish scale. The last half of the XVI and the beginning of the XVII centuries are known as the golden age of English literature, It was the time of the English Renaissance, and sometimes it is even called "the age of Shakespeare". Shakespeare, the greatest and most famous of English writers, and probably the greatest playwright who has ever lived, was born in Stratford-on-Avon. In spite of his fame we know very little about his life. He wrote 37 plays. Among them there are deep tragedies, such as Hamlet, King Lear, Othello, Macbeth, light comedies, such as The Merry Wives of Windsor, All's Well That Ends Well, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing. . .