Great Britain Facts

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Geography of the UKThe official title of the UK is

theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain

and Northern Ireland.

The UK is made up of:

Great Britain(the formerly

separate realms

ofEnglandandScotland,and

the principality ofWales. )

Northern Ireland(also knownas Ulster)

Numerous smaller

islandsincluding the Isle of

Wight, Anglesey, and the

Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and

Hebridean archipelagos.

Where is the UK?

The UK is an island nation in

Western Europe just off the coast of France. The mainland areas

lie between latitudes 49N and 59N and longitudes 8W to 2E.

The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea,

and comes within 35 km (22 miles) of the northwest coast of

France, from which it is separated by the English Channel.

Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary

with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel bored beneaththe English Channel, now links the UK with France.

How big an area does the UK cover?

The UK has a total area of approximately 245,000 km, almost a

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quarter-of-a-million square kilometres.

Interesting Fact

No one in the UK lives more than 120 km (75 miles)

from the sea.

Seas surrounding the UK

The UK is made up of several islands. The only land

borderconnecting the UK to another country is between

Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The UK is bordered by four seas:

to the south by the English Channel, which separates it

from continental Europe

to the east by

the North Sea

to the west by

the Irish Seaand

the Atlantic Ocean

The Land

The UK Landscape is very

varied, ranging from

the Grampian

Mountainsof Scotland to

thelowland fensof England

which are at or below sea

level in places.

ScotlandandWalesare the

mostmountainousparts of

the UK. A ridge of hills,

the Pennine, runs down the

centre of northern England.

Many coastal areas are low-

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lying, especially in the east and south of England. These include

the wetlands of the Somerset levels, that regularly flood during

heavy rain.

Most of the UK is made up of gently rolling hillswith isolatedareas of high ground such as Dartmoor in the south-west of

England or the Mourne Mountains inNorthern Ireland.

Lakes

Northern Irelandis also home to the UK's largest lake, Lough

Neagh, which covers an area of 396sq.km (153 sq miles). Other

major lakes include Windermere in the English Lake District and

Loch Lomond in Scotland. Another of Scotland's lakes, Loch Ness

is famous for sightings of 'Nessie', a mythical monster!

Find out more about the landscape of England

UK Rivers

Being a relatively small Island, the UK's rivers are not very long.

The Severn, its longest river, is just 338 km in length, beginning

in Wales and entering the Atlantic Ocean near Bristol in England.

Other major rivers include theThames,which flows throughOxford and London, and the Trent and Mersey rivers, which drain

rainfall from large areas of central England.

Find out more about UK Rivers

Climate

The Uk's climate varies greatly according to season and location,

but on the whole can be described as mild with few extremes.

Find out more about the climate

Facts

The capital of England isLondon.Sometimes referred to the

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capital of Britain. London is built along theRiver Thames

Three quarters of the land in Britain is used forfarming.

Nine out of ten peoplelive in towns and cities.

The highest mountains are in Scotland and Wales.

More than two-thirds of peopleown their own homes.

Fascinating facts about London

London is made up of two ancient cities which are now joined

together.

They are:

the City of London, know simply as 'the City' which is thebusiness and financial heart of the United Kingdom. It is alsoknown as the Square Mile(2.59 sq km/1 sq mi). It was theoriginal Roman settlement (ancient Londinium), making itthe oldest part of London and already 1,000 years old whenthe Tower of London was built.

the City of Westminster, where Parliament and most of thegovernment offices are located. Also Buckingham Palace, theofficial London residence of the Queen and the Royal familyare located there too.

Together they all make up a region known

as Greater London.

Interesting facts about london

London is thebiggest cityin Britain and inEurope.

London occupies over 620 square miles London has apopulationof 7,172,036 (2001) About 12 per cent of Britains overall

population live in London London has thehighest population densityin

Britain, with 4,699 people per square kilometre, London is in the southeast of England. London is the seat of centralgovernmentin Britain.

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Thetallest buildingin London is the Canary Wharf Tower. London was the first city in the world to have an

underground railway, known as the 'Tube'. Some of the most important people from countries all over

the world visitthe QueenatBuckingham Palace. There are over 100 theatres in London, including 50 in the

West End. London theatre accounts for 45% of all UKtheatre admissions and over 70% of box-office revenues.Source: GLA Economics

Facts about Scotland

Scotland

National Symbol and flag

Scotland is about the size of SouthCarolina.To find out more Click here

Scotland is about twice as large asHolland

Where is Scotland?

Scotland is in north-west Europe and is part ofGreat Britain, an

island country (See map ) and theUnited Kingdom(UK) .

Scotland is a mountainous country in the north of

the island ofGreat Britainand shares a land border

to the south withEnglandand is bounded by the

North Sea on the east and the Atlantic Ocean on thewest. Its capital city is Edinburgh.

Scotland has some 790 islands - 130 inhabited.

Scotland is Famous for....

Its fresh water lochs (lakes) there are over 600 square miles of

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them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious

monster is said to lurk in the depths of the water.

It is also famous for its clans, kilts, medieval castles, as well as

poetry and songs of Robert Burns.

Theatre lovers from around the world come to Edinburgh for its

famous theatres festival.

Famous People of Scotland

Famous Scots include: Walter Scott, Robert Louis Stevenson,

Arthur Conan Doyle, David Hume and the actor Sean Connery.

Famous musicians of Scotland include Annie Lennox, Wet WetWet, Travis and Simple Minds.

Government

On 1 July 1999, the Scottish Parliament was opened byHM the

Queen, the first Scottish Parliament for 300 years. Scottish

parliament responsibilities include social work services, health,

local government and education.

Interesting Facts

Edinburgh was the first city in the world which had its own fire-

brigade.

Edinburghthe capital of Scotland, like Rome, was built on sevenhills.

Until 1603, Scotland (like England) had its own Monarch. In 1603,

the King of Scotland became also the King of England ruling bothcountries.

The National Flag of Scotland

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Country Facts

Motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (No oneprovokes me with impunity)

Flag: Cross of St Andrew

National Day: 30 November

Area: 78,789 sq km

Population: 5,054,800 (2002)

Capital City: Edinburgh

Major Cities: Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow

OfficialLanguage:

English(Scottish Gaelic is spoken by 1.4percent of the population)

Nationality : Scottish and BritishFind out more

Anthem

(song) :

Flower of Scotland

Mainreligions:

Church of Scotland (Presbyterian)Scottish Episcopal Church, RomanCatholicism

Currency: Pound Sterling()

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Highestpoint:

Ben Nevis(1,343 m)

Lowest point: Bed of Loch Morar, Scotland 987 ft

(300 m) below sea levelLongest river: Tay 193 kilometres (120 miles ) long

Largest Lake: Loch Lomond (60 sq km)40 km (24 miles) long

OfficialAnimal

Unicorn

Facts about Wales

Wales is about the size ofMassachusettsTo find out more click here

Where is Wales?

Wales is in north-west Europe and is partofGreat Britain,an island country(See map ) and

theUnited Kingdom(UK) .

The name Wales comes from the Cymraeg word Gwalia, meaningin English "Homeland". It later became Latinized as Walia, thenby the Normans to something like Wal~es....then Wales.

Wales (Cymruin Welsh) is a mountainous country on thewestern side ofGreat Britain.

Wales is bordered by England to the east, the BristolChannel to the south, St George's Channel in the west, andthe Irish Sea to the north.

Technically, Wales is a principality. This means thatit is ruled by a prince. Traditionally the Prince of

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Wales is the eldest son of the English monarch.

Wales is one of the four parts of theUnited Kingdom(alongwithEngland,Scotland, and Northern Ireland).

Great Britain

Wales has not been politically independent since 1282, whenit was conquered byKing Edward Iof England.

Until 1999, Wales was ruled directly fromLondon; that yearsaw the first elections to the National Assembly of Wales,which has limited domestic powers and cannot make law.

Wales does not issue its own currency and is not in controlof any armed forces. These are the powers of the nationalgovernment of the UK.

The national game of Wales isRugby

The National Flag of Wales

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Why doesn't the Welsh dragon appear on the Union Flag?What would it look like if it did?Click here to find out

Famous Welsh people

Wales is known for its great actors - Richard Burton, and todaySir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta Jones. It is also knownfor its Celtic traditions and the Red Dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) on itsflag.

Laura Ashley - famous fashion creator. David Lloyd George - past British Prime Minister, Sir George Everest - famous traveler and explorer, The

highest peak in the world is named after him.

Writers and poets

Roald Dahl (19161990), author Dick Francis (born 1920), jockey and author

Dylan Thomas (19141953), poet Ronald Stuart Thomas (19132000), poet David Jones (18951974), artist and poet

Musicians

Tom Jones

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Largest Lake: Bala (4.4 sq km)

Official Animal Dragon

Economy Coal, copper, iron, lead, and gold have been mined in Wales,

and slate has been quarried. Much of Wales, due to poor soil, is unsuitable for crop-

growing, and so livestock farming has traditionally been thefocus of agriculture.

The Welsh landscape, protected by three National Parks, andthe unique Welsh culture bring in tourism, which is

especially vital for rural areas.

Traditional Welsh Food

Welsh food is usually made from local ingredients. Some traditional dishes include laverbread (made from

seaweed), bara brith (fruit cake), cawl cennin (leek stew),Welsh cakes, Welsh Rarebit, and Welsh lamb.

A type of shellfish, cockles, is often served with breakfast.

Facts about Northern Ireland

Where is Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland lies in the northeast of the island

of Ireland, covering 5,459 square miles (14,139

km), about a sixth of the island's total area.

Northern Ireland is the second most sparsely

populated part of the UK after Scotland, with 317 people per

square mile (122 per square kilometre).

History Northern Ireland

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In 1801 the whole of Ireland became part of the United Kingdom,

with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great

Britain and Ireland.

After years of civil war, Ireland became a republic in 1921. At thistime, Britain negotiated with Ireland to keep the six counties in

the north-east of Ireland. These six counties now make up what is

known as Northern Ireland. The southern part of the island is the

Republic of Ireland, or Eire.

1927 - The current name of the UK, the United Kingdom of

Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted

Famous People of Northern IrelandC S Lewis 1898-1963 Writer

Kenneth Branagh 1960- Actor and film director

James Nesbitt 1965- Actor

William Burke 1792-1829 Grave robber and murderer

George Best 1946-2005 Footballer

James Galway 1939- Musician

Northern Ireland is famous for ...

The Giant's Causeway

The Giant's Causeway, situated on the

North East coast of Northern Ireland,is an area of about 40,000 interlockingbasalt columns, the result of anancient volcanic eruption.

Most of the basalt columns are

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hexagonal in shape.

Famous Irish breweries include Guinness, Smithwicks (Kilkenny),

and Harp Lager.

Government

The Northern Ireland Assembly was established as part of the

Belfast Agreement (also known as the Good Friday Agreement).

The Assembly debates and makes laws, and scrutinises and

makes decisions on the work of the Northern Ireland government

departments.

Devolution to the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive wassuspended in October 2002 and restored on 8 May 2007

Interesting Facts

HMS Titanic ship was built in Belfast, the capital of Northern

Ireland.

Country Facts

National Day: 17 MarchSt Patrick's Day

Area: 5,459 square miles (14,139 km)

Population: 1,685,000 (Census 2001)

Capital City: Belfast

Major Cities: Belfast, Londonderry, Lisburn,

Newtonabbey, Bangor, Craigavon

Official

Language:

English, Irish and Ulster Scots

Nationality : British and Irish

Anthem God Save the Queen

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(song) :

Main

religions:

Protestant and Catholic

Currency: Pound Sterling()

Highest

point:

Slieve Donard mountain 848 m (2782 ft),

Longest

river:

River Bann 129 kilometres (80 miles)

Largest Lake: Lough Neagh - 151 square miles (392

km) Also the largest freshwater lake in

the British Isles