Asian International University contents the Physical Face of Great Britain

Asian International University

CONTENTS

1. The Physical Face of Great Britain
1.1 Mountains
1.2 Rivers
1.3 Climate and Weather
1.4 Mineral Wealth
2. The Present Population of the United Kingdom
2.2 Households
2.3 Family and Marriage
2.4 Religion
2.5 Health and Welfare
2.6 Employment
2.7 Transport and Transportation
2.8 Education
3. English Customs and Traditions

The Physical Face of Great Britain

The British Isles are situated on the continental shelf off the north-west coast of Europe and comprise a group of over 5,000 islands.

Politically the British Isles are divided into two countries – the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or just the U. K., and the southern part of Ireland, or the Irish Republic, or Eire. The total area of the British Isles is 322,246 sq. km, whereas that of the U.K. is 244,100 sq. km, which is half the size of France. The warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift (Gulf Stream) move from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea across the Atlantic, and so reach the shores of Northwest Europe. That is why in winter the coasts are ice free and the warm air passes over the British Isles throughout the year.
From the European continent the British Isles are separated by the English Channel and the North Sea. For centuries the British felt safe and secure protected by the Channel, and no foreign army has ever invaded the country since the Norman conquest in the 11^th century.
The advantageous geographical position of Great Britain created favourable conditions for the development of shipping, trade and economy as a whole. The British Isles in general, but especially England as part of the U.K., form one of the most densely peopled areas in the world. With the present population of the U.K. of some 60 million, many problems emerge with land use, road construction and city sprawl. No wander British pay much attention to the preservation of the environment.
The British Isles, apart from the two largest islands of Great Britain and Ireland, include several other important islands and groups of islands. Off the north-western coast of Great Britain there is a group of islands known as the Hebrides,
which are divided into the Inner and Outer Hebrides. They are separated from each other by the sea of Hebrides and the Little Minch. The main occupation of the people there is farming and fishing.
Off the northern coast of Scotland separated from Great Britain by the Pentland Forth are the Orkney Islands which comprise about a hundred islands. Most of the 20,000 residents are engaged in dairy and poultry farming.
The Shetland Islands are situated about 100 km north of the Orkneys. The population is actively engaged in herring-fishing.
In the middle of the Irish Sea lies the Isle of Man. The largest settlement is the holiday resort of Douglas.
Another important island in the Irish Sea is Anglesey situated off the north coast of Wales. It is a place of a very famous village with the longest place name in Great Britain `Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch`ⁱ.
The Channel Islands lie to the south-west on the French side of the English Channel. In rural areas many of the people speak a French-Norman dialect, but the official languages are English and French. The farmers produce early fresh vegetables and new potatoes as well as flowers for urban residents. Moreover, the sheep are reputed for their high quality wool sent to the mainland.
Living on islands, and therefore near the sea, the British naturally grew into a nation of sailors. Their love of the sea led them to become navigators and discoverers of new lands in many parts of the globe.
The capital of the country, London, is an enormous city because of its sprawl, though in population terms (less than 7 million people), it is among the largest cities in the world. Its name is probably derived from the Celtic Llyn-dyn meaning `lake-fort`, and `dyn` meaning a `fortified place`.
In English it means `St Mary`s church by the pool of the white hazel trees, near the rapid whirlpool, by the red cave of the Church of St Tysilio` (the railway timetable simply shows it as `Llanfair PG`).
The White Tower, which is the central structure of the Tower of London, was erected to the order of William the Conqueror in 1078. The oldest part of London is the `City`. Centuries ago there was a high wall around the City of London which today is the financial and business heart of the capital. London is a city of all seasons with millions of tourists visiting this famous metropolis.
Britain today is among the world leaders in tourism with about 25 million people visiting the country annually.
MOUNTAINS. The most important range of mountains is the Pennine range, regarded which form a watershed separating the westward-flowing from the eastward-flowing rivers of northern England. Rainfall in the Pennines is abundant, and today the area is used for water storage: reservoirs in the uplands supply water to the industrial towns on each side of the Pennines.
Across the north end of the Pennines there are the grassy Cheviot Hills. In north-west England lie the Cumbrian mountains. The valleys, which separate the various mountains from each other, contain some beautiful lakes (Windermere, Grasmere, Ullswater and others).
This is the famous Lake District, the favourite place of holiday-makers and tourists. It is here that the great English poets Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey lived and wrote. The mountains covering practically all the territory of Wales are called the Cambrian mountains.
RIVERS. There is a fairly wide network of rivers in the British Isles. The mild maritime climate keeps them free of ice throughout the year. The largest river in Great Britain is the Severn (350 km) which follows a very puzzling course from central Wales and flows into the Bristol Channel. The Thames (332 km) and the Trent (274km) flow into the North Sea. Among other important rivers, which flow eastwards to the North Sea are the Ouse, Humber, Tees and Tyne in England, and the rivers Tweed, Forth, Dee and Spey in Scotland. These are the rivers flowing into the Irish Sea: the Mersey and Eden of England, and the Clyde on which Glasgow stands. The longest river in the British Isles is the river Shannon (384km) flowing from north to south in the Republic of Ireland.
The largest lake in Great Britain and the biggest inland loch in Scotland is Loch Lomond, covering a surface of 70 sq. km, but the largest fresh water lake of the whole British Isles is Lough Neagh (381 sq. km) in Northern Ireland.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER. Weather is not the same as climate. The weather of the British Isles is greatly variable. The geographical position of the British Isles is a basic factor in determining the main characteristics of the climate. Britain`s climate is dominated by the influence of the sea. It is much milder than that in any other country in the same latitudes. This is due partly to the presence of the North Atlantic Drift, or the Gulf Stream, and partly to the presence of the north-west Europe lies in a predominantly westerly wind-belt. This means that marine influences warm the land in winter and cool in summer.
The prevailing winds in the British Isles are westerlies. North and north-west winds often bring heavy falls OF SNOW TO NORTH Britain during late October and November, but they are usually short-lived. Relief is the most important factor controlling the distribution of temperatures and precipitation in Britain. The average annual rainfall in Britain is about 1,100 mm. Rainfall is fairly well distributed throughout the year, although March to June are the driest months and October to January are the wettest. July and August are the warmest months of the year, and January and February the coldest.
Although the English weather is most unreliable, the climate of the country – the average weather – is generally good. The winters are seldom very cold and the summers are seldom very hot.
MINERAL WEALTH. The rise of Britain as an industrial nation in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries was partly due to the presence of considerable mineral resources. Such resources as oil, gas, uranium ores have become essentially important in the modern world. Today the economy of the country continues to import rare metals such as manganese, chrome, nickel and others which are necessary for the industries which play a major role in the life of the country. Most coal comes today from Yorkshire and the Midlands. Oil fields are located off the eastern and northern coasts of Scotland and north-east England. Today Britain is completely self-sufficient in oil, and also to a great degree in gas. Great Britain has no large-scale resources of non-ferrous metals. Nearly all of them are imported. However, the country has a great variety of non-metallic minerals such as granites, clay, chalk, sand and gravel, different kinds of salt, kaolin and paper. Moreover, it is most positive that long-term considerations are not discarded concerning the usage of non-conventional sources of energy such as the power of the wind and the tides. Today Britain is no longer the leading industrial nation in the world. She is the fifth in terms of the size of the GDP (gross domestic product), and she is also the 5^th largest trading nation in the world.