THE UNITED KINGDOM

Geography
- is an insular state
- lies north-west of Europe, across
the English Channel

the shortest connection to Europe is by

ferryboat from Dover in southern England
to Calais in France – The Channel Tunnel

- the western coast of Britain is

washed by the Atlantic Ocean
and the Irish Sea
- on the eastern coast there is the
North Sea
- location – Western Europe
- borders:
o Ireland on the west
o France on the south
- in addition to the two main
islands GB includes thousands of
small islands:
o the Isle of Man
o Anglesey
o Wight
o The Channel Islands –
Jersey, Guernsey,
Alderney, Sark etc
- archipelagoes:
o The Hebrides
o The Orkney Islands
o The Shetland Islands

- total land area - 243,600 km2

- terrain - mostly rugged hills and low mountains
- the country can be divided into two regions – Highland and Lowland
o The Highland zone consists of the following groups of mountains:
▪ the Highlands of Scotland – the highest peak Ben Nevis (1,343m)
▪ the Cheviot Hills – form the border between England and Scotland
▪ the Pennines – occupy the central part of Northern England (the backbone of the country)
▪ the Cumbrian Mountains – also known as the Lake District, were celebrated in poetry by
William Wordsworth and the other Lake poets
▪ the Cambrain Mountains – are the most extensive in North Wales, they include Snowdonia,
which is named after Snowdon, the highest point in Wales with an elevation of 1,085 m
▪ Exmoor – in Cornwall known as the English Riviera
▪ Dartmoor – is a wild upland in Devon
o The lowland zone – is generally flat or rolling with limestone or chalk hills
- the lowest point - The Fens -4 m
- the largest rivers – the Thames, the Severn, the Trent
o London on the Thames
o Liverpool on the Mersey
o Glasgow on the Clyde
o Belfast on the Lagan
- lakes – the largest UK lake – Lough Neagh – in Northern Ireland
o in the Lake District
▪ the largest Windermere
o in the Highlands of Scotland (loch)
▪ Loch Lomond, Loch Ness

- The British Isles: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the

Republic of Ireland
o British Isles is the geographical name for all the islands in
the group
- THE UK – Great Britain and Northern Ireland
o England – London
o Scotland – Edinburgh
o Wales – Cardiff
o Northern Ireland - Belfast
- Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales
- the countries of the UK are divided into regions, counties and
districts

Geographically, there are several main regions in:

ENGLAND - there are several main regions in:

- The West Country – a predominantly rural area

- The Midlands – major engineering centre
- The North – running either side of the Pennine hills
- East Anglia – flat agricultural land
- The South – more prosperous

SCOTLAND – divides into the southern uplands

- The Central Belt – contains 80% of the population

- Highlands – sparsely populated
- Western Isles – remote beyond

WALES

- Mid-and south – over half the population live

- North – mountainous

NORTHERN IRELAND

- agricultural region
Climate
- is defined as a temperate oceanic climate
- is temperate and humid due to the warm Gulf Stream
- winters – mild, cool with temperatures close to freezing
- summers – not very hot
- rains a lot, often wet
- the average temperature ranges from 4°C in winter to 16°C in summer, extremes are rare
- March, April, May and June are considered to be the driest months of year

Weather
If you ever visit the UK, you need to know a few good weather phrases.

- It’s a bit nippy outside today, isn’t it? = it is a bit cold and chilly
- Oh, it’s drizzling. = a light rain
- It’s chucking it down. OR It’s raining cats and dogs. = rains a lot
- Phew, it’s a scorcher! = very hot

The weather might simply be the nation’s favourite topic of conversation – a few reasons why:

- the weather is a neutral, impersonal topic

- in the past, women and men weren’t allowed to talk about personal subjects – it was considered impolite to
ask someone about themselves or what they were feeling

Only interesting point – tongue twister

Whether the weather be fine,

Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold,
Or whether the weather is hot.
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather
Whether we like it or not.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151214-why-do-brits-talk-about-the-weather-so-much

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/video-uk/british-weather

England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

capital city London Edinburgh Cardiff Belfast
national flower rose thistle leek shamrock
daffodil
river The River The Firth of Forth The River Taff The River Lagan
Thames is near
patron St George St Andrew St David St Patrick
national animal lion unicorn red dragon none
English
language
English Scottish Welsh Irish