Great Britain

Great Britain’s population. It is heavily populated compared with many other

countries.

Britain is a relatively densely populated country: it is more than twice as densely populated as

France (106 people per sq.km), nine times as densely populated as the USA (27 people per

sq.km) and 100 times as densely populated as Australia (2 people per sq.km).

Britain ranks 18th in the world in terms of population size.

The population is very unequally distributed over the four parts of the UK:

England more or less constantly makes up 84% of the total population, Wales around 5%,

Scotland roughly 8.5 %, and Northern Ireland (since 1921) less than 3%. The most densely

populated areas of England are the major cities and metropolitan areas of London and the South

East, South and West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, the West Midlands, and

the conurbations on the rivers Tyne,Wear and Tees. London has the highest population density

with 4,00 people per square kilometre, and the South West the lowest (210 people per square

kilometre). In 2003, it had a population density of 383 people per sq km compared with Wales

(142), Northern Ireland (125) and Scotland (65). London had a far higher population density than

any of the English regions, with 4,700 people living in each square kilometre on average.

England's population density is more than treble the European average of 117 people per sq km.

England is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world.Resident Population

For the first time ever, the UK has more people aged over 60 than under 16. Today there are five

times more people aged over 85 than there were in 1951.

In mid-2005 the UK was home to 60.2 million people, of which 50.4 million lived in England.

The average age was 38.8 years, an increase on 1971 when it was 34.1 years. In mid-2005
approximately one in five people in the UK were aged under 16 and one in six people were aged

65 or over.

The UK population increased by 7.0 per cent since 1971, from 55.9 million. Growth has been

faster in more recent years partly as a result of a greater number of births than deaths, with

migration an increasing factor from the late 1990s. . Between mid-1991 and mid-2003 the

population grew by an annual rate of 0.3 per cent.

The Geography Of Britain

The United Kingdom (the UK) takes up most of the British Isles. The largest of the islands is

Great Britain, which is divided into England, Scotland and Wales.

The next largest island is Ireland, made up of Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the

Irish Republic. Western Scotland is fringed by the large island chains known as the Inner and

Outer Hebrides, and to the north of the Scottish mainland are the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

With an area of about 93,000 square miles (243,000 square kilometres), excluding inland water,

the UK is just under 600 miles (about 1,000 kilometres) from the south coast to the extreme

north of the Scottish mainland and just under 300 miles (around 500 kilometres) across at the

widest point.

The Geography Of Britain

The United Kingdom (the UK) takes up most of the British Isles. The largest of the islands is

Great Britain, which is divided into England, Scotland and Wales.

The next largest island is Ireland, made up of Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the

Irish Republic. Western Scotland is fringed by the large island chains known as the Inner and

Outer Hebrides, and to the north of the Scottish mainland are the Orkney and Shetland Islands.

With an area of about 93,000 square miles (243,000 square kilometres), excluding inland water,

the UK is just under 600 miles (about 1,000 kilometres) from the south coast to the extreme

north of the Scottish mainland and just under 300 miles (around 500 kilometres) across at the

widest point. Fort William with Britain's highest mountain, Ben Nevis, visible Pic: Visitscotland

Highest mountain:

Ben Nevis, in the Highlands of Scotland, 4,406 ft (1,343 m)

Longest river:

the Severn, 200 miles (322 km) long, which rises in central Wales and flows through

Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester in England to the Bristol Channel

Largest lake:

Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, 153 sq miles (396 sq km)

Deepest lake:

Loch Morar in the Highlands of Scotland, 1,017 ft (310 m) deep

Highest waterfall:

Eas a'Chual Aluinn, from Glas Bheinn, also in the Highlands of Scotland, with a drop of 660 ft

(200 m)

Deepest cave:

Ogof Ffynnon Ddu, Powys, Wales, 1,010 ft (308 m) deep

Most northerly point on the British mainland:

Dunnet Head, north-east Scotland

Most southerly point on the British mainland:

Lizard Point, Cornwall

Most easterly town in England:

Lowestoft, Suffolk

The Channel Tunnel, near Dover in Kent, links England and France. It is 30 miles (48 km) long,

of which nearly 23 miles (37 km) are actually under the English Channel.

Climate:

It is said that the British are always talking about the weather! The climate in the United

Kingdom is generally mild and temperate. There are few extremes of temperature, which rarely

rises above 32°C or falls below -10°C.

Rainfall is greatest in western and upland parts of the country, where the annual average exceeds

1,100 mm; the higher mountain areas receive more than 2,000 mm.

During May, June and July (the months of longest daylight) the amount of sunshine varies from

five hours in northern Scotland to eight hours in the Isle of Wight. During the months of shortest

daylight (November, December and January) sunshine is at a minimum, with an average of an

hour a day in northern Scotland and two hours a day on the south coast of England.

Great Britain’s tourism. England is a land of ancient cities, royal palaces, massive cathedrals,

and legendary sites. Mighty castles, stately homes, glorious gardens, and tiny picturesque

villages enhance the natural beauty of the countryside. Stonehenge is the most famous prehistoric
monument in Britain. It is a circle of stones. People began building Stonehenge about 5,000

years ago, dragging each stone into place. Stonehenge is situated on Salisbury Plain in the county

of Wiltshire.

Windsor Castle has been a royal residence for over 900 years and today is one of the homes of

Queen Elizabeth ll. The royal standard flies from the round tower of the Castle when the Queen

is in residence. Windsor Castle has dominated the river Thames for over 900 years. It was built

by the Normans from timber and later rebuilt in stone. Another touristic attraction is The Palace

of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of Commons) conduct

their sittings. The Palace lies on the north bank of the River Thames in the London borough of

the City of Westminster. As well as The Tower, or Bloody Tower as it is known, has been host to

many famous executions and imprisonments, including those of Anne Boleyn, Catherine

Howard, Lady Jane Grey and Sir Walter Raleigh. The first St Paul's Cathedral was built in 604

AD but burnt down in 675. The rebuilt cathedral was again burnt down in the Great Fire of

London in 1666.

On 2nd September, 1666, the Great Fire of London destroyed a large area of the city including

St. Paul's Cathedral. Sir Christopher Wren was given the task of designing and rebuilding St.

Paul's - a task that was to take him thirty-five years to complete. The most dramatic aspect of St.

Paul's was its great dome. It was the second largest dome ever built (the largest was St. Peter's

Basilica in Rome).

Roads and motorways are Britain's primary domestic transport routes. There are some 225,000

miles (362,000 km) of roads in BritainTravel by car, van or taxi is by far the most common

means of transport, accounting for 85 per cent of passenger mileage in Great Britain.
Average distances travelled per person in Britain per year in 1999/2001: walking 189 miles (244

miles in 1985/86), bicycle 39 (44), bus 342 (406), train 368 (292), car 5354 (3796).

Motorcycling is popular in Britain, both as a means of transport and as a pastime with over one

million motorcyclists.A moped with an engine capacity up to 50cc can be ridden at the age of 16

with a provisional licence. The maximum legal speed a moped can be ridden is 30 mph

(50kph).A full motorcycle licence can be obtained at the age of 17 after passing a test.

ENGLAND : There are 470 airports in England.

London has five airports : Heathrow, Gatwick, Stanstead, London City and Luton. The first three

have underground connections to the centre of London and are the main London airports.

Heathrow and Gatwick Airports are the two main centres for overseas flights. London

(Heathrow) Airport is one of the largest airports in the world and has two tube stations.

The number of passengers arriving and departing to or from London's airports equalled over 120

million in 2004. Heathrow handled 67m passengers, making the airport the busiest and best

connected in the world. Source; CAA, BAA.

Great Britain’s Economy. Their main industries today are banking and finance, steel, transport

equipment, oil and gas, and tourism.

Other industries

Machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment,

shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment,

metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing,

and other consumer goods.Farming (Agriculture) Products (0.5 % of GDP):

cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables, cattle, sheep, poultry, fish. Agriculture is intensive, highly
mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only

1.4 % of the labour force.It contributes around 0.5% of GDP. Around two thirds of production is

devoted to livestock, one third to arable crops.The lowlands support some farming such as

wheat, potatoes and vegetables.

Dairy and sheep farming are common in the hilly pastures.The UK has large coal, natural gas,

and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares

of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account

by far for the largest proportion of GDP.

Mirlinda Jakupi