BLOQUE 1: TEMA 2 GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES

Historically, Britain’s greographical features have influenced:

-human settlement
-population movements
-military conquest
-political union

Britain’s geographical position is marked by latitude 50º N in southern England and by

latitude 60º N across the Shetlands.
It thus lies within only 10º of latitude and has a small and compact size when compared
with some European countries.
Yet it also possesses a great diversity of physical features, which surprises those visitors
who expect a mainly urban and industrialized country. The many beauty sports and
recreation areas, such as the National Parks in England (for example, the Lake District),
Wales (for example, Snowdonia) and Scotland (for example, the Cairngorms), and other
areas of natural beauty may be easily reached without much expenditure of time or
effort.
The distance from the south coast of England to the most northerly tip of the Scottish
mainland is 600 miles (955 km), and the English east coast and the Welsh west coast are
300 miles (483 km) apart.
1 mile = 1.60934 kilometers (1.61 km)

Land’s End in Cornwall

John O’Groats in Caithness
Land’s End has a particular resonance because it is often used to suggest distance. Land’s
End to John O’Groats in Scotland is a distance of 838 miles (1349 km) by road and this
Land’s End to John O’Groat distance is often used to define charitable events such as
end-to-end walks and races in the UK.

Many beauty spots and recreation areas, such as National Parks in England, Scotland
and Wales and areas of natural beauty throughout the country.

Iconic Landscapes
Britain’s varied physical characteristics are a source of identification for many people,
such as the Giant’s Causeway and the Antrim coast of Northern Ireland, the White
Cliffs of Dover in Southern England, the Highlands of Scotland and the Welsh valleys
and mountains are a source of identification for many.

Geological and weathering changes shaped valleys and plains and dictated the sitting of
Britain’s major rivers, such as:
-the Clyde in Scotland:
-the Tyne
 -Trent
-Severn
-Thames
-in England and Wales:
-Bann and Lagan in Northern Ireland

The two longest rivers in the UK are the River Severn in the south west of England and
the River Thames, which flows through the capital.
The River Thames is the deepest river in the UK.
Important ports in the UK grew up at the mouth of navigable rivers including Liverpool
(The River Mersey), Bristol (The River Severn), Newcastle (The River Tyne) and Glasgow
(The River Clyde).

Britain was originally part of the European mainland. But the melting of the glaciers in
the las Ice Age caused the sea level to rise.
The country was separated from the continent by the North Sea at its widest, and by the
English Channel at its narrowest, points.

The shortest stretch of water between the two land masses is the Strait of Dover
between Dover in southern England and Calais in France (24 miles, 83 km).

Dover Castle
Known as the ‘key of England’. The great fortress of Dover Castle played a crucial role
in the defence of the realm for centuries.

The Romans built a lighthouse – one of the best-preserved in Europe – after they
invaded in AD 43, to guide ships into the harbour.
Probably there was a Saxon fortified settlement.
Immediately after his victory at Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror strengthened
the defences with and earthwork and timber-stockaded castle.
From then on Dover Castle was garrisoned uninterruptedly until 1958.
King Henry II began the building of the present castle in the 1180.
There are many bays, inlets, peninsulas and estuaries along the coasts and most places
in Britain are less than 75 miles (120 km) from some kind of tidal water. Tides on the
coasts and inland rivers (in addition to heavy rainfall) can cause flooding in many parts
of the country.

Thames barriers protects London against flooding

The barrier is a series of then separate movable gates positioned end-to-end across
the River Thames.

The Thames Barrier is a unique flood control structure on the River Thames in East
London.
It is 520 meters across and protects London against storm surges and rainfall swelling.
The barrier currently protects 125sq km (48sq miles) of London, including an estimated
1.25 million people, 200 billion pounds worth of property and infrastructure, a large
proportion of the London tube network and many historic buildings, power supplies,
hospitals, and schools.
Without the barrier the Houses of Parliament, the O2 Arena, Tower Bridge, and areas of
Southwark, Beckton, West Ham, Whitechapel would all be submerged in flood water.
It took eight years to build the structure, costing 535m pounds (1.6 billion pounds in
todays’ money) and became fully operational in 1982.

The coastal seas are not deep and are often less than 300 feet (90 metres) because they
lie on the Continental Shelf or raised sea-bed adjacent to the mainland.
The warm North Atlantic Current (Gulf Stream) heats the sea and air as it travels from
the Atlantic Ocean across the Shelf.
This gives the country a more temperate climate than would otherwise, given its
northerly position, although there are fears that a melting of the Artic ice packs may
upset this balance and result in much colder weather conditions. The Gulf Stream also
influences the coastal fish breeding grounds, on which the national fishing industry is
considerably dependent.

Britain’s physical relief can be divided into highland and lowland Britain. The highest
ground is mainly in the north and west.
Most of the lowland zones, except for the Scottish Lowlands and central areas of
Northern Ireland, are in the south and east of the country, where only a few points
reach 1000 feet (305 metres) above sea level.

The north and west consist of older, harder rocks created by ancient earth
movements, which are generally unsuitable for cultivation.
The south and east comprise younger, softer materials formed by weathering
processes, which have produced fertile soils and good agricultural conditions.

Much of the lowland area, except for urban and industrial regions, is cultivated and
farmed. It largely comprises fields, which are divided by fences or hedged. Animal
grazing land in upland zones is separated either by moorland or stone walls.
THE LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK

There are at least 16 lakes (most called ‘meres’ or ‘waters’) set amongst stunning
scenery.
England’s five highest peaks are in the area.

Grasmere
Grasmere is a village in the centre of the English Lake District.
It takes its name from the adjacent lake.
It has associations with the Lake Poets. William Wordsworth lived in Grasmere. He was
one of the most influential of England’s Romantic poets.
Wordsworth lived in Grasmere for 14 years. He described it as “the loveliest spot that
man hath ever found”.
Born in Cockermouth, just north of the National Park, he went to school in Hawkshead.
After attending Cambridge University and then living in Dorset, Wordsworth moved
back to the Lake District to Dove Cottage in Grasmere in 1799 and then Rydal Mount in
1813.
Dove Cottage was Wordsworth’s home from 1799 to 1808. Here he wrote much of his
poetry, and his sister Dorothy kept her famous journals.
In them, we can read about daily life in the Wordsworth household: who came to visit,
whose letters were received, who was ill, and which poems Wordsworth was working
on.
Visitors to the cottage included Walter Scott, Thomas de Quincey, Charles and Mary
Lamb, Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Wordsworth’s Guide through the District of the Lakes’ published in 1820 sparked off the
first beginnings of mass tourism to the area.
He went for a walk with his sister Dorothy while walking by Ullswater on a stormy day…
Wordsworth’s poetry is synonymous with the unique landscape of the English Lake
District. He celebrated our relationship with nature and the importance of taking time
to appreciate the wonder and beaty of the natural world.
THE GIANT’S CAUSEWAY,
Antrim, Northern Ireland.

The Giant Causeway was created 60 million years ago when a field of lava cooled and
formed hexagonal/pentagonal blocks of basalt. The same rock formation can be seen in
Fingal’s Cave (Scotland).

Science tells us that the Giant’s Causeway was formed by a volcanic eruption millions of
years ago.
Its basalt columns were perfectly formed as the lava dried, creating symmetrical
hexagonal pillars in the form of a staircase.

The Legend of Finn McCool and the Giants Causeway

For generations, the story of Finn McCool has been told in Ireland.
Legend says that rivals Finn McCool of Country Antrim in Ireland, and the Giant
Bennandoner of Scotland were constantly bickering from afar. (basicamente
chichánsode).
One day, Finn McCool decided to build a bridge to cross the sea and challenge
Bennandoner to a fight.
He ran across the causeway from Ireland to Scotland to sneak up on Bennadoner, but
when he got closer at the giant, he discovered that he was larger than he imagined.
McCool quickly turned around and ran back to Antrim.
Being a smart man, Finn ran to his wife for help.
He told her that he challenged Bennandoner to a fight, but the giant was much bigger
than he imagined. What could he do now?
She made a plan, quickly dressed him in a bonnet and shawl disguising him as a baby
and tossed him in a crib.
When Bennadoner came knocking on the door and saw the size of McCool’s baby laying
in the crip, he imagined how large his father must be.
He realized that this giant would be too big to fight, so he hightailed it back to Scotland
destroying the causeway on his way home.
The bridge across the sea was gone, but remnants still remain.

Isle of Staffa
The same rock formation (Giant Causeway) can be seen in Fingal’s Cave in Scotland.
Six miles west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland.

Fingal’s Cave
Fingal’s Cave is approximately 150 feet long, 46 feet wide and 72 feet high.
Its size and arched roof have been likened to a natural cathedral and the echoes of the
waves produce eerie and musical sounds apparently emanating from deep within.

Hebrides Overture Opus 26

Felix Mendelssohn
When classical composer Felix Mendelssohn visited the site in 1829, he was immediately
inspired by the melodic tones and set about writing Hebrides Overture Opus 26,
commonly known as Fingal’s Cave Overture in an attempt to replicate them.
Joseph Mallord William Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (23 April 1775 – 19 December 1851), known
contemporarily as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker, and
watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colourisations, imaginative landscapes,
and turbulent, often violent, marine paintings. He left behind more than 550 oil
paintings, 2000 watercolours, and 30000 works on paper. He was championed by the
leading English art critic John Ruskin from 1840 and is today regarded as having elevated
landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting.
John Constable
John Constable, (born June 11, 1776, East Bergholt, Suffolk, England – died March 31,
1837, London), major figure in English landscape painting in the early 10th century. He
is best known for his paintings of the English countryside, particularly those
representing his native valley of the River Stour, an area that came to be known as
“Constable country”.

Constable was, with Joseph Turner, the major English landscape painter of the 19 th
century. He is best known for his paintings of the English countryside.

John Constable was born on 11 June 1776 in East Bergholt in Suffolk, the son of a
prosperous miller. He was educated at Dedham Grammar School, then worked for his
father’s business. He persuaded his father to send him to study at the Royal Academy
Schools, which he entered in 1799.
Constable believed that his paintings should come as directly as possible from nature.
He made hundreds of outdoor oil sketches, capturing the changing skies and effects of
light. He was happiest painting locations he knew well, particularly in his native
Suffolk. He also frequently painted in Salisbury, Brighton, and Hampstead, making
numerous studies of the clouds over the Heath.
Maria’s death [his wife] in 1828 was devastating for Constable and left him responsible
for their seven children. The following year he was belatedly elected to full
membership of the Royal Academy.
Constable died in London on 31 March 1837.

The Hay Wain is a painting by John Constable, finished in 1821, which depicts a rural
scene on the River Stour between the English counties of Suffolk and Essex. It hangs in
the National Gallery in London and is regarded as “Constable’s most famous image” and
one of the greatest and most popular English paintings.
Burns
Robert Burn
Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796) was a Scottish poet.
He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide.
As well as making original compositions, Burns also collected folk songs from across
Scotland, often revising or adapting them.
To preserve traditional Scottish songs for the future.
In all, Burns had a hand in preserving many songs for posterity, the most famous being
“Auld Lang Syne”.

Auld Lang Syne (poem and song) is often sung at Hogmanay (the last day of the year).

Other poems and songs of Burns that remain well-known across the world today include:
• Address to a Haggis
• My Luve is like a Red Red Rose
• Tam O’ Shanter
• To a Mouse
• A Man’s a Man for A’ That
• Ae Fond Kiss
• My Heart’s in the Highlands
• To a Louse

Robert Burns was born on 25 January 1759 in the village of Alloway (Ayrshire).
His parents were tenant farmers, but they ensured their son received a relatively good
education and he began to read avidly.
“The works of Alexander Pope, Henry Mackenzie and Laurence Sterne fired Burns’s
poetic impulse and relationship with the opposite sex provided his inspiration.
‘Handsome Nell’, for Nellie Kilpatrick, was his first song”.

‘Handsome Nell’ – The first of many love songs

A gaudy dress and gentle air
May slightly touch the heart,
But it’s innocence and modesty
That polishes the dart.

‘Tis this in Nelly pleases me,

‘Tis this enchants my soul;
For absolutely in my breast
She reigns without control.

The song ‘Handsome Nell’, which Burns claimed to have written in 1774 at the age of
just fifteen years old, is commonly believed to be the poet’s earliest production.

It is thought that the song was inspired by a farm servant named Nellie Kilpatrick.
Here Burns emphasises that female grace, virtue, modesty, and innocence are more
desirable than beauty alone. (Pauline Mackay).

At just 27, Burns had already become famous across the country with poems such as ‘To
a Louse’, ‘To a Mouse’, and ‘The Cotter’s Saturday Night’.

The “Ploughman Poet” because his poems complemented the growing literary taste for
romanticism and pastoral pleasures.

A collaboration with James Johnson led to a long-term involvement in The Scots Musical
Museum, which included the likes of ‘Auld Land Syne’.

He died on 21 July 1796 aged just 37 and was buried with full civil and military honours.
A memorial edition of his poems was published to raise money for his wife and children.

‘My Heart’s In The Highlands’

Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands or ever I love.

1789
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.
Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the North,
The birth-place of Valour, the country of Worth;
Wherever I wander, wherever I rove,
The hills of the Highlands for ever I love.
Farewell to the mountains, high-cover’d with snow,
Farewell to the straths and green vallies below;
Farewell to the forests and wild-haging woods,
Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods.
My heart’s in the Highlands, my heart is not here,
My heart’s in the Highlands, a-chasing the deer;
Chasing the wild-deer, and following the roe,
My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.

Burns Night – January 25

Burns Night is celebrated in honor of the Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796). Many
Scots will celebrate the evening by eating haggis and reading the poet’s works.
The Burns Supper is an institution of Scottish life: a night to celebrate the life and works
of the national Bard. Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge,
formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance.
 GEOGRAPHY AND PI. ENGLAND AND WALES

ENGLAND
The national flower of England is the rose. The flower has been adopted as England’s
emblem since the time of the Wars of the Roses – civil wars (1455-1485) between the
royal house of Lancaster (whose emblem was a red rose) and the royal house of York
(whose emblem was a white rose).

The Wars of the Roses

In 1455, a civil war was begun to decide who should be king of England.
It was fought between the supporters of two families:
The House of Lancaster and the House of York.
This war was called the Wars of the Roses, because the symbol of Lancaster was a red
rose, and the symbol of York was a white rose.

The war ended with the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

King Richard III of the House of York was killed in the battle and Henry Tudor, the leader
of the House of Lancaster, became King Henry VII.
Henry then married King Richard’s niece, Elizabeth of York, and united the two families.
Henry was the first king of the House of Tudor.
The symbol of the House of Tudor was a red rose with a white rose inside it as a sign
that the Houses of York and Lancaster were now allies.
England covers two-thirds of the island of Great Britain.
Britain’s physical area covers some 93,025 square miles (242,842 square kilometres)

England has 50,052 square miles

Wales has 7,968
Scotland has 29,799
Northern Ireland has 5,206

England is significantly larger than the other countries and also has the biggest
population.
There factors partly explain the English dominance in British history and the mixed
(often hostile) attitudes of Scotland, Ireland and Wales towards their neighbour.

England has the biggest population (2019)

United Kingdom population mid-year estimate
66,796,800 (2019)
Release date : 24 June 2019

England population mid-year estimate

56,287,000
Release date:. 24 June 2020
Geography information:
“England covers two-thirds of the island of Great Britain. It consists mainly of undulating
or flat lowland countryside, with highland areas in the north and south-west. Eastern
England has the low-lying flat lands of the Norfolk Broads, the Cambridgeshire and
Lincolnshire Fens and the Suffolk Marshes. Low hill ranges stretch over much of the
country, such as the North Yorkshire Moors, the Cotswolds, the Kent and Sussex Downs
and the Chiltern Hills.
Highland zones are marked by the Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland; the
north-western mountain region of the Lake District and the Cumbrian Mountains; the
northern plateau belt of the Pennines forming a backbone across north-west England;
the Peak District of Derbyshire at the southern reaches of the Pennines; and the south-
western plateau of Devon and Cornwall.

England consists of undulating or flat lowland countryside, with highland areas in the
north and south-west.
Lowland countryside:
Eastern England has the lowlying flat lands:
of the Norfolk Broads,
the Cambirdgeshire and
Lincolnshire Fens
And the Suffolk Marshes.

THE FENS CLIP

“A picture of Britain” is a 2005 BBC television documentary series presented by David
Dimbleby, which describes the British landscape and the art which it has inspired.
Dimbleby explores different British region and discusses the ways that its landscape and
culture have influenced painters, poets and composers.

Low hill ranges stretch over much of the country,

such as the North Yorkshire
Moors,
The Cotswolds,
The Kent and Sussex Downs and the Chiltern Hills
Highland zones are marked by
The Cheviot Hills between England and Scotland; the north-western mountain region of
the Lake District and the Cumbrian Mountains; the northern plateau belt of the
Pennines forming a backbone across north-west England; the Peak District of
Derbyshire at the southern reaches of the Pennines; and the south-western plateau of
Devon and Cornwall.

The heaviest population concentrations centre on the largest towns and cities.
London and in south-east England generally;
The West Midlands regions around Birmingham;
The Yorkshire cities of Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield;
The north-western area around Liverpool and Manchester;
And the north-east region comprising Newcastle and Sunderland.
WALES

Wales is a Highland country, with moorland plateau, hills and mountains, which are
often broken by deep river valleys.
Wales – St. David and the Daffodil
The national flower of Wales is the daffodil, which is traditionally worn on St. David’s
Day (1 March). The vegetable called leek is also considered to be a traditional emblem
of Wales.
There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national
emblem of Wales. One is that St. David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the
Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from foe. As Shakespeare records
in Henry V, the Welsh archers wore leeks at the battle of Agincourt in 1415.

United Kingdom population mid-year estimate

66,796,800 (2019)
Release date: 24 June 2020

Wales population mid-year estimate

3,152,900

Wales is a highland country, with moorland plateau, hills and mountains.

This upland mass contains the Cambrian Mountains and descends eastwards into
England.
Brecon Beacons: are a mountain range in South Wales.
The highest mountains are in Snowdonia in the north-west, where the dominant peak
is that of Snowdon (3,560 feet – 1,085 metres).

The lowland zones are restricted to:

• The narrow coastal belts.
• To the lower parts of the river valleys in south Wales, where two-thirds of the
Welsh population live.
Scotland

Scotland may be divided into three main areas.

A) the North-West and Central Highlands (Grampians), together with a number of
islands off the west and north-east coasts
B) the Central Lowlands
C) Southern Uplands (land is high up, such as on a hill or mountain)
North-West and Central Highlands (Grampians) + islands off the west and north-east
coasts.
• Comprise half the country’s land mass.
• These areas are thinly populated.

The second area is the Central Lowlands, which contain one-fifth of the land area but
• Three-quarters of the Scottish population
• Most of the industrial and commercial centres
• Much of the cultivated land

The third is the Southern Uplands, which cover a number of hill ranges stretching
towards the border with England.

Population mid-year estimate 2019

United Kingdom: 66,796,800
Scotland: 5,463,300

BRAVEHARD
Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297.
In 1305, Wallace was captured in Robroyston, near Glasgow, and handed over to King
Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn and quartered for high treason and
crimes against English civilians.
The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a
tower standing in the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in
Scotland.

Scotland’s flower emblem

The national flower of Scotland is the thistle (symbol of defence)
The Scottish Bluebell is also seen as the flower of Scotland.

Mysterious origins
In truth, no one knows for certain how the purple-flowered thistle rose to such lofty
(high) significance. But one legenda has it:
A sleeping party of Scots warriors
Were saved from ambush by an invading Norse army
When one of the enemies trod on the spiky plant.

His anguished cry roused the slumbering warriors who duly vanquished (defeated) the
invader and adopted the thistle as their national symbol.

Legend has it that at some point during the invasion the Norsemen tried to surprise the
sleeping Scottish Clansmen. In order to move more stealthily (quiet and careful) under
the cover of darkness the Norsemen removed their footwear. But as they crept barefoot
they came across an area of ground covered in thistles and one of Haakon’s men
unfortunately stood on one and shrieked out in pain, thus alerting the Clansmen to the
advancing Norsemen.

The highest point in the Central Highlands is Ben Nevis (4,406 feet – 1,343 metres),
which is also the highest place in Britain
Scotland’s wild and craggy landscape inspired work by artists including Horatio
McCulloch, Rev John Thomson and Sir Edwin Landseer.

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, and one of the most popular paintings throughout the 19th
century.
The Monarch of the Glen is a painting of a red deer stag completed in 1851.
Landseer was a member of the Royal Academy, a favourite of Queen Victoria, and had
become famous for his paintings and drawings of animals.

“British pictures of the nineteenth century; for many people it encapsulates the
grandeur and majesty of Scotland’s highlands and wildlife. Here Landseer depicts a
monumental and precisely defined ‘royal’ or twelve points stag – a reference to the
number of points on its antlers. Many of his paintings show interactions between
humans and animals, but in this, his most well-known work, a single emblematic
creature is widely admired in nineteenth century, when it was reproduced in prints, and
achieved even greater renown in the twentieth century when it was employed as a
marketing image for various products, so endowing it with global recognition.

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer RA (1802 – 1873) was an English painter, well known for his
paintings of animals – particularly horses, dogs and stags.
Landseer was a brilliant animal painter whose work had added appeal in the Victorian
age because of his tendency to give his animal scenes a moral dimension. These pictures
were widely circulated in his time in the form of engravings, often made by his brother
Thomas. Edwin Landseer was the youngest son of an engraver. The three Landseer
brothers studied under Benjamin Robert Haydon, the historical painter, from 1815.
Haydon encouraged Landseer to study animal anatomy. In 1816, Landseer entered the
Royal Academy Schools, but he had already exhibited at the Royal Academy Sumer
Exhibition in the previous year. He was elected Associate of the Royal Academy in 1826
aged only twenty four, and full Academician in 1831 when not yet thirty.

In 1824, Landseer made the first of many visits to Scotland. He fell in love with the
Highlands, which inspired many of his later paintings such as ‘The Monarch of the Glen’
(Royal Academy 1851, John Dewar & Sons Limited). He also visited Sir Walter Scott, who
admired his paintings and chose him as one of the illustrators to the Waverley edition
of his novels. In the 1830s, his work gained wide popularity and was bought both by the
aristocracy and the newly important middle class. He himself moved freely in aristocratic
circles, and after 1836 he enjoyed royal patronage, especially in the 1840s when Victoria
and Albert also discovered Scotland. He paid his first visit to their home, Balmoral in
1850 to paint a large group portrait of the royal family. He was knighted that year even
though the painting was never finished.

After a breakdown in 1840, partly cause by the failure of the royal portrait, Landseer had
a permanent fight against depression and ill health, although he continued to paint
brilliantly almost until the end of his life. In the 1860s he modelled the lions at the base
of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square and these were unveiled in 1867. In 1866 he
declined the presidency of the Royal Academy, and after 1870 sank slowly into madness.
A major exhibition of his work was held at the Tate Gallery in 1981, organised by Richard
Ormond.

Horatio McCulloch ‘My Heart is in the Highlands’ (1860)

This picture was one of five painted for the Royal Association for the Promotion of the
Fine Arts in Scotland, and was engraved by William Forrest for inclusion in the book
Illustrated Songs of Robert Burns in 1861.

Horatio McCulloch (1805 [Glasgow] – 1876 [Edimburgh])

McCulloh’s landscape paintings celebrate the romantic scenery of the Scottish
Highlands, emphasising its dramatic grandeur. McCulloch, from Glasgow, was
influenced by John Knox’s luminous paintings, Sir Walter Scott’s vivid prose and the
expressive pictures by John Thomson of Duddingston, Edinburgh. McCulloch’s summer
sketching tours of the West Highlands inspired some of his most powerful paintings,
which were created back in the studio. His landscapes combine a magnificent sense of
scale with an emotionally charged atmosphere and contributed to the popular Victorian
image of Highlands. McCulloch also recorded the crumbling houses of Edinburgh’s Old
Town and was among the first artists to focus on the urban and industrial landscape of
Scotland.

Glen Coe (Gleann Comhann in Gaelic) is a glen in the Highlands of Scotland.

It is often considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland and
is a part of the designated National Scenic Area of Ben Nevis and Glen Coe.

Glen: a deep narrow valley, especially among mountains

“The main population concentrations are around:
• The administrative centre and capital of Edinburgh
• The commercial and formerly heavy industry are of Glasgow
• The regional centres of Aberdeen (an oil industry city) and Dundee”.

The climate, isolation and harsh physical conditions in much of Scotland have made
conquest, settlement and agriculture difficult.

Northern Ireland “has a north-eastern tip which is only 13 miles (21 km) from the
Scottish coast, a fact that has encouraged both Irish and Scottish migration.

POPULATION
Population mid-year estimate
2019
United Kingdom: 66,796,800
Northern Ireland: 1,893,700

Since 1921-1922, Northern Ireland has had a 303 miles (488 km) border in the south
and west with the Republic of Ireland.
It was a rocky northern coastline, a south-central fertile plain and mountainous areas
in the west, north-east and south-east:
• Sperrim Mountains
• Antrim Mountains
• Mourne Mountains

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The south-eastern Mourne Mountains include the highest peak, Slieve Donard, which
is 2,796 feet high (853 metres).

Lough Neagh (153 square miles, 396 square km) is Britain’s largest freshwater lake and
lies at the centre of the country.

Most of the large towns, like the capital Belfast, are situated in valleys which lead from
the lough. Belfast lies at the mouth of the river Lagan and has the biggest population
concentration. However, Northern Ireland generally has a sparse and scattered
population and is a largely rural country.
Titanic Belfast is a visitor attraction and a monument to Belfast’s maritime heritage on
the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city’s Titanic Quarter where the
RMS Titanic was built.