Islands located in United Kingdom

The island of Great Britain, occupied by Scotland, England, and Wales, offers some of the world's most beautiful and diverse topography, from the alluvial plains and marshlands along the jagged and deeply indented coasts to the rolling hill country broken by steep cliffs, and from pristine blue lakes to rugged mountainous areas. The largest island in Europe, Great Britain lies between the west coast of the continent and Ireland, separated from Ireland by the Irish Sea and from Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel. The island's greatest length from north to south is about 968 kilometers (601 miles) and the greatest width is 520 kilometers (320 miles). England occupies the bulk of the island, especially the southern and eastern parts. The most densely populated area, England is known for its moors, hilly grasslands, marshlands, and chalky hills. The Pennine Chain extends from Scotland to central England. In the southwest corner of England, the shimmering lakes, green pastures, and mountain ridges and peaks of the Lake District are a walker's paradise. On the North Sea coast, a drained marsh area called the The Fens is the lowest point on the island. Steep chalk cliffs rise from the English Channel. In the northern third of the island, nature has divided Scotland into the Highlands, the Central Lowlands, and the Southern Uplands, along with several clusters of islands. The rugged mountains, moors, forests, and plains of the Highlands, which cover more than half of the country, are crossed by Loch Ness, famous for its mythical monster, and Loch Lochy. Ben Nevis, the highest peak on Great Britain, rises to 1,343 meters (4,406 feet) in the Grampian Mountains. The Central Lowlands, where most of the people live, form a sort of belt around the midsection of the country. Rolling moors, broken by rocky cliffs, cover Scotland's Southern Uplands. The peninsula of Wales juts into the Irish Sea from the southwestern part of the island, occupying about a tenth of Great Britain. The Cambrian Mountains cover about two-thirds of Wales and coastal plains and valleys account for the rest. In the northwest, the magnificent Snowdon massif, a cluster of five peaks linked by sharp ridges, is part of Snowdonia National Park, the largest park in Wales. In the southwest, spectacular cliffs rise from the coast in Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.

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