PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

Britain includes Great Britain (comprising England, Scotland and Wales) and
Northern Ireland, and lies off the northwest coast of mainland Europe. It is 500 Km
wide and nearly 1,000 km long. Its closest continental neighbors France and Belgium.
It lies between latitudes 50º North and 60º North. London, the capital is close to the
same of latitude as Berlin, Vancouver and Warsaw. Great Britain is the largest island
in Europe and the eight largest in the world. It is about the same size as Honshu the
biggest of the island that make up Japan, and about twice size of Iceland of Cuba.
Although it is as closer to the North Pole as eastern Siberia or Hudson Bay
Britain has a warmer climate. While the British climate is very changeable,
temperatures rarely fall below –10º or go above 32º. Rainfall is fairly well distributed
throughout the year. The wettest parts are the mountainous areas of the West Coast.
Britain is a densely populated and industrialized nation, but much of the country is
cultivated and around 10% of the land is covered by legally protected National Parks.

PEOPLE
English is the official language, but many people know more than one
language. Around 20% of the people Wales speak Welsh and children learn it in
schools. About 80,000 people in Scotland speak Gaelic. For centuries people from
overseas have settled in Britain to escape persecution or in search of a better standard
of living. They have brought with them their languages, cultures and religions. The
most widely spoken minority languages today are from the Asian sub-continent but
other languages include Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish and Chinese. Ethnic minority
communities make up about 5 % of the total population.
Population growth in Western Europe is generally low. There were 781,000
live births in Britain in 1992, or 13,5 live births per 1,000 population. The death rate
is slightly lower at 11 per 1,000. The population is therefore fairly stable. The
proportion of elderly people has been increasing as a result of better standards of
living and health care. The percentage of young people on the population has been
falling. At present only 20% of people in Britain are under the age of 16.
Although Britain is quite small in terms of land area, it has a large population
of nearly 58 million, which ranks 17th in the world. With an average of 239 people per
sq. km, Britain has the highest population density in Europe. Most people in Britain
live in towns or cities. England has 370 people per sq. km; Scotland has 66 Wales 139
and Northern Ireland 118. London is the 17 Th most heavily populated city in the
world, but still much smaller than Mexico City.

HISTORY AND POLITICS

Roman rule of England and Wales lasted from AD 43 to around AD 409. Over
the next 600 years there were invasions and settlements by peoples from northern
Europe. The last successful invasion was by the Normans in 1066. In 1172 the King
of England made himself Lord of Ireland. The uniting of England with Wales and
with Scotland led on to the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. In 1921 Ireland
was partitioned, Northern Ireland remains within Britain.
Britain is a parliamentary democracy. Herb Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who
succeeded to the throne in 1952, is Head of State, with a largely ceremonial role. The
House of Commons and House of
Lords, with the monarch, comprise. The Prime Minister heads the Government and
appoints ministers. The Commons has 651 elected Members, each representing a local
constituency or area Elections, in which citizens over 18 may vote by secret ballot, are
held at lest every five years.

INDUSTRY
In Britain oil is the main source of power and Britain is now the ninth largest
producer of crude oil in the world. Manufacturing industries once employed the
greatest number of people. There are still a number of large companies in the vehicle,
aerospace, chemical and electronics manufacturing industries. But the average
company is fairly small with 80% employing fewer than 2 people. Today it is the
service industries like baking, insurance, advertising, computer software, and tourism.

AGRICULTURE
From the air Britain still looks like an agricultural country. Towns and cities
cover only about 10% of the land; about 5% is forest and 10% is rough moorland.
Much of the rest of the land is cultivated. Britain has one of the most efficient
agricultural industries in Europe. On the eastern side of Britain farmers grow arable
crops such as wheat and cereals. In the wet grasslands of the west they keep cattle and
sheep.

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