Explore Britain

Topographical map of the UK

Physical Geography

The United Kingdom includes Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, and lies off the north-west coast of mainland Europe. The UK is 500km wide and nearly 1,000-km long. Its closest continental neighbours are France and Belgium.

It lies between latitudes 50° North and 60° North London, the capital, is close to the same line 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 islands that make up Japan, and about twice the size of Iceland and Cuba.

Picture: Land's End, Cornwell

Although it is as close to the North Pole as eastern Siberia, the United Kingdom has a milder climate. While the British climate is changeable, temperatures rarely fall below -10°C (14°F) or go above 32°C (90°F). Rainfall is fairly well distributed throughout the year. The wettest parts are the mountainous areas of the west and north. Britain is a densely populated and industrialised nation, but much of the country is under cultivation and about 15.6% of England is covered by National Parks and other countryside conservation areas. The comparable figure for Wales is 4%, Scotland 13% and Northern Ireland

 

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