2014/2015

UNIT 1: THE UNITED KINGDOM OF

GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN
IRELAND: GEOGRAPHY AND LAND
DIDÁCTICA DE LA CULTURA DE LA LENGUA EXTRANJERA (INGLÉS)

ANA MARÍA RAMOS GARCÍA

GRADO DE MAESTRO EN EDUCACIÓN PRIMARIA
Universidad de Granada
INDEX

The geography of britain

population

The weather

Land use

Symbols and emblems

Practice

Map — locate the following:

Britain, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland (Ulster), the Northern Isles
(Shetlands, Fair Isle, Orkney), Inner Hebrides, Outer Hebrides, Rockall (it does not appear in
the map but you must know where it is), Isle of Wight, the Solent, English Channel, Channel
Islands (Guernsey, Jersey), Isle of Man, Scilly Isles, Ben Nevis, the Grampians, the Penine
Range, the Severn and the Thames
 Unit 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Geography and Land
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García

The Geography of Britain

The British Isles is the geographical term for a group of about 5,000 islands off the
north‐west coast of mainland Europe (between latitudes 50ºN and 61ºN).

The Northern Isles are a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland. They
include: Shetland, Fair Isle and Orkney. They are usually separated for political
purposes, but they come under the same constituency in Westminster. The islands
have a Norse flavour, rather than Gaelic, and have historic links with the Faroes,
Iceland, Denmark and Norway.
Shetlands
Fair Isle

Orkney

Scotland

Orkney is an island group in northern Scotland. It comprises over 70 islands (only 20 are
1
inhabited). The largest island is Mainland. It is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a
constituency of the Scottish Parliament.

Shetland is another one of the 32 council areas of Scotland. It is located to the north‐
east of Orkney and mainland Scotland. It forms part of the division between the Atlantic
Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The largest island is known as Mainland
(third‐largest Scottish island).

The Hebrides are a widespread archipelago off the west coast of Scotland. In geological
terms, they are composed of the oldest rocks in the British Isles. They are divided into
two main groups:

Inner Hebrides and Outer Hebrides. Sometimes they are referred to as the Western Isles.

There are some other groups of Scottish islands: the island of the
Firth of Clyde, Islands of the Firth of Forth and the Northern Isles.

Rockall is a small uninhabited rocky islet in the North Atlantic.

The Isle of Wight is off the Southern English coast,

between the Solent and the English Channel. The
Solent is a stretch of sea separating the Isle of Wight
from mainland Britain.
 Unit 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Geography and Land
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García

The Channel Islands are a group of islands in the English Channel off the French coast of
Normandy, but dependent on the British Crown.

The Isles of Scilly or Scilly Isles form an archipelago off the south western coast of Great
Britain. They were before administered as part of Cornwall, but they have now their own
Council.

The Isle of Man, between Ireland and Britain, and the Channel Islands, off the north‐west
coast of France, though recognizing the Crown, have their own parliaments and are self‐
governing. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state and holds the title of Lord of Mann. The
island is not part of the United Kingdom but most of their affairs are responsibility of the
United Kingdom’s government. It is not a part of the European Union.

The largest island is Britain or Great Britain. Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland.

England Wales Scotland 2

The next largest island is Ireland (made up of Northern Ireland or Ulster and the Irish
Republic or Eire).

Britain and Northern Ireland, together with a number of small islands, form the United
Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland, known as the United Kingdom (or UK). When
speaking it is said Britain or Great Britain to refer to the United Kingdom.

The Isle of Man, between Ireland and Britain, and the Channel Islands, off the north‐west
coast of France, though recognizing the Crown, have their own parliaments and are self‐
governing.

Great Britain is under 1,000 km long and under 500 km across in its widest part. The most
mountainous region is Scotland. The highest peak in Britain is in Scotland, Ben Nevis (1,343 m).
There is a wide lowland area between the Grampians and the Southern Uplands, where most of
 Unit 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Geography and Land
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García
the large towns, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, and three‐quarters of the population are
located.

Wales is also mountainous and in England the Pennine Range (the ‘backbone’ of England)
extends 224 km. The rest of England tends to be rather undulating, and not even the large
agricultural plains of East Anglia are flat.

In Ireland all the highland areas are around the edge, but there are no peaks over 1,100 m.

Rivers in Great Britain are quite short. The longest ones are the Severn and the Thames, but
their navigability has made them important for transport.

Britain is unpredictable in climate and varied in scenery. There is a dramatic contrast between
highland and lowland Britain, which affects many aspects of people’s lives.

There is a geological distinction. The rocks in the North and West are older and harder than
those in the South and East.

Older rocks: moorland: Lake District, The Pennines and much of

Scotland and Wales. Soils are poor, thin, and stony. They are wetter
areas and harder to reach. Thinly populated (except where coal or iron
have been discovered). Most of the coalfields lie along the dividing line
between highland and lowland Britain.

The South and East are rarely flat but instead of high continuous 3
moorland there are bands of hills alternating with areas of lowland.
Soils are deeper and richer. The climate is drier and better suited to
farming. Easier communications therefore, more population.

Population

Britain is densely populated but there are large areas which contain less
than 100 people per square kilometre. (Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland).

Densities over 500 people per square kilometre are only found in the
industrial areas. (Midlands and South‐East England).

The Weather
Britain is as far north as Canada’s Hudson Bay or Siberia. For example, Edinburgh is 56 degrees
north of the equator, the same latitude as Moscow, yet its climate is much milder because of
the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water and air across the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico.
As a result, snow only falls occasionally and does not remain for long, except in Scottish
mountains. Average temperatures in England and Wales vary from 4ºC in January to 16ºC in July
and August. Average temperatures in Scotland and Wales are 1 or 2 degrees cooler.
 Unit 1: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Geography and Land
Didáctica de la Cultura de la Lengua Extranjera (Inglés)
Ana María Ramos García
The wind brings rain from the Atlantic to the hills of the west. This means that the western parts
of Britain are wetter than the east, which is fairly sheltered. London is drier than continental
cities such as Hamburg. Its weather may be unpredictable, but it is not particularly wet.

Land use
Over three quarters of Britain’s land is used for farming, but less than 2 per cent of the working
population work on farms. These farms produce nearly half of the food that Britain needs
(wheat, milk, eggs, sugar).

Symbols and emblems

It is traditional in Britain to wear your country’s
emblem on its saint’s day. The leek does not go in a
buttonhole, so the Welsh often wear a daffodil. The
Scots, Welsh and English do not really celebrate
their national saint’s days but St. Patrick ’s Day is
important for Irish people all over the world. In New
York, for example, Irish people always have a
parade on St. Patrick’s Day.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BROMHEAD, P. (1993). Life in Modern Britain. Harlow: Longman.
CROWTHER, J. (2003). Oxford guide to British and American culture for learners of English.
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
CUNLIFFE, Barry et al. (2004) (eds.). The Penguin Illustrated History of Britain and Ireland.
London: Penguin Books.
ESCOTT, J. (2001). England. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
FARREL, M. (1995). The world of English. Harlow: Longman.
GARWOOD, C. (1992). Aspects of Britain and the USA. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
HARRISON, B. (1984). Britain observed. Paris: Ed. Didier.
HARVEY, P. (1996). Britain explored. Harlow: Longman.
LAIRD, E. (1996). Welcome to Great Britain & the USA. Harlow: Longman.
MACDOWALL, D. (1996). Britain in close‐up. Harlow: Longman.
MUSMAN, R. (1987). Background to English‐speaking countries. London: MacMillan.
SHEERIN, S. (2002). Spotlight on Britain.Oxford: Oxford University Press.