The geographical position.

2.1.1. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and North­ern Ireland is situated on the British Isles — a large group of islands lying off the north-western coast of Europe and separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Strait of Dover in the south and the North Sea in the east. The British Isles consist of two large islands — Great Britain and Ireland — separated by the Irish Sea, and a lot of small islands, the main of which are the Isle of Wight in the English Channel, Anglesea and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, the Hebrides — a group of islands off the north-western coast of Scotland, and two groups of islands lying to the north of Scotland: the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands.

2.1.2. Historically the territory of the United Kingdom is divided into four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The total area of the United Kingdom is 244 sq km. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is London, which is among the world's leading commercial, financial, and cultural centers. Other major cities include Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester in England, Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland, Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland, and Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

2.1.3. The coastline of Great Britain is greatly indented, especially in the west and north-west where the moun­tains come close to the coast. The coasts of Scotland, as well as the coasts of the Hebrides, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands, are cut by numer­ous fiords. In the south and east the land gradually slopes down towards the sea, and the coasts are sandy and gentle.

As concerns the relief, England can be divided into: Northern England mostly taken up by the low Pen­nine Mountains, the Central Plain, lowland South­east England, and hilly South-west England. The Pennine Chain is sometimes called the backbone of England. Many of England’s major industrial areas lie on the flanks of the Pennine Chain, where there are many coalfields. To the west are the Cumbrian Mountains, a mountainous dome of ancient rocks deeply eroded by glaciers. This region contains the Lake District, famous for its lakes and scenic beauty.

2.1.4. Of the four countries which make up the United Kingdom, England is the largest. It occupies an area of 131,8 thousand sq. km. England borders on Scotland in the north. In the east it is washed by the North Sea. In the south it is separated from the continent by the English Chan­nel. In the west it borders on Wales and is washed by the Bristol Channel and by the Irish Sea. The highest part of England is in the west. The rivers flowing to the east and emptying into the North Sea form deep estuaries well protected from the sea. The greatest port of the country Lon­don is conveniently situated in the Thames estu­ary.

2.2. Britain's relief.

2.2.1. Scotland is the most northern of the countries that constitute the United Kingdom. It occupies an area of 78,8 thousand sq. km. Scotland is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west and by the North Sea in the east.

The coastline of Scotland is greatly indented. In many places deep fiords penetrate very far inland. Geographically the territory of Scotland can be divided into three regions: the Northern Highlands, the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands are the highest mountains in the British Isles. Their average height does not exceed 457 m above sea level, though some peaks are much higher, rising over a thousand metres. Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles, reaches the height of 1343 m. The Lowlands are the cradle of the Scottish na­tion. They are densely populated.

2.2.2. Wales is a peninsula washed by the sea on three sides: the Bristol Channel in the south, the St. George's Channel in the west, and the Irish Sea in the north. Its territory is 20, 8 thousand sq. km. Geographically Wales may be considered part of highland Britain, the Cambrian Mountains occupy­ing most of the land. It is an area of high mountains, deep valleys, waterfalls and lakes. Wales is a region of heavy rainfall brought by the prevailing west winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The valleys are sheltered by the high mountains from cold east winds. The climate is rather mild.

2.2.3. Northern Ireland occupies the north-eastern part of Ireland, which is separated from the island of Great Britain by the North Channel^. In the south-west Northern Ireland borders on the Irish Republic (Eire). Almost all the area of Northern Ireland is a plain of volcanic origin, deepening in the centre to form the largest lake of the British Isles, Lough Neagh. The greatly indented coastline of Northern Ireland is abundant in rocks and cliffs. The largest lake in GB and the biggest inland loch in Scotland is Loch Lomond (70 sq. km). The longest lake is Loch Ness (56 sq. km) which also has the greatest volume of water.

2.2.4. The rivers of Britain are short; their direction and character are determined by the position of the moun­tains. Most of the rivers flow in the eastward direction since the west coast is mountainous. Due to the humid climate and abundant rainfall, the water level in the rivers is always high. The riv­ers seldom freeze in winter, most of them remain ice-free. Many of the rivers are joined together by ca­nals. This system of rivers and canals provides a good means of cheap inland water transport.

The most important rivers are the Severn, flow­ing from the Cambrian Mountains in Wales into the Bristol Channel, the Thames, flowing across the plains of south-eastern England and emptying into the North Sea, the Tyne and the Trent, flowing from the eastern slopes of the Pennines to the North Sea, the Mersey, flowing down the western slopes of the Pennines and emptying into the Irish Sea at Liv­erpool, and the Clyde in Scotland, which flows west across the Southern Uplands and on which the port of Glasgow is situated.

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