Доклад по теме Тhe British Isles

Geography of the British Isles

The British Isles lie off the north west coast of continental Europe, roughly between latitudes 50' and 60^s North. They are made up of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales] and Ireland (Northern Treland and the independent Irish Republic) and some 5,500 smaller islands. The total area of the British Isles is 121,000 square miles. Their strategic position facing both the Old World and the New was a very important factor In the early development of Britain as the first capitalist state with an economv based on world trade

The total area of the UK is 244,100 square kilometres, which makes about 0,18 % of the globe's territory. As we see, on a global scale, Great Britain covers a small area - approximately that of Oregon, in the US, or the African nation of Guinea. The UK is twice smaller than France or Spain.

The total population of the UK is about 60 million. The capital of the UK is London. It is the largest city in Europe and one of the largest in the world. London with its suburbs has a population of over 8 million.

The British Isles is a system of over 5.000 islands lying to the west of the continent of Europe, the two largest being Great Britain and Ireland. The latter comprises Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and the Irish Republic, an independent state.

Off the southern coast of England is the Isle of Wight. Off the extreme south-west are the Isles of Scilly. Off North Wales if Anglesey. In the Irish Sea is the Isle of Man. Western Scotland is fringed by numerous islands known as the Hebrides. They are divided into Inner and Outer Hebrides. To the far north of Scotland are the groups of Orkneys and Shetlands. All the mentioned islands, except the Isle of Man, form administrative counties or parts of counties of England, Wales and Scotland respectively. But the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney and Sark, are not part of England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Surface Features

In geographical descriptions, Britain is usually divided into two major regions, Highland Britain and Lowland Britain. Highland; Britain includes most of Scotland, the Lake District, the Pennines (the central upland), the Peak District in North-Central England, almost the whole of Wales and the counties of Devon and Cornwall in the south-western part of England. Thus Highland Britain comprises all those mountain parts and uplands of Great Britain which lie above 1000 feet (305 m).

The Scottish Highlands lie west of a line from Aberdeen to the mouth of the Clyde. The mountains are separated into two parts by Glen More, which is a long crack in the earth's crust.

To the south of Glen More are the Grampian mountains with Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK (4706 ft, or 1343 m). There is another upland area in Scotland, the Southern Uplands] Between the Highlands and the Southern Uplands lie the Central; Lowlands.

The most important mountain range in England is the Pennine range nicknamed "the Backbone of England". It forms watershed separating the westward- and eastward- bound rivers of Northern England. The highest point here is Cross Fell (893 m). To the west, lie the Cumbrian mountains. The highest peak in Cumberland is Scafell Pike (3210 ft, or 978 m).

Mountain ranges in Wales are called the Cambrian mountains. The highest mountain is Snowdon (1085 m). The highest point in Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard (2789 ft, or 852 m).

The soil in many parts of Highland Britain is thin and poor. There are large stretches of moorland. Lowland comprises southern and eastern England. Lowland Britain is a rich plain with chalk and limestone hills. Lowland England is subdivided into the Midlands plains and scarplands of eastern England. The most fertile soil is found in the low-lying fenland of Lincolnshire. It can be cultivated thanks to the land drainage system.

Coasts.

The coastline of Great Britain is greatly indented, especially in the west and north-west where the moun­tains come close to the coast. The coasts of Scotland, as well as the coasts of the Hebrides, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands, are cut by numer­ous fiords. In the south and east the land gradually slopes down towards the sea, and the coasts are sandy and gentle, here and there interrupted by the ends of hill-ranges, which form low cliffs.

Relief.

The general slope of the land is from north-west to south-east.

The mountains cover the greater part of northern, western and middle Great Britain. They can be divid­ed into the following groups:

1) The Highlands of Scotland occupy most of the land to the north-west of a line drawn from Glasgow to Aberdeen. Two parts of the Highlands — the North-western Highlands and the Grampians — are separated by a narrow valley, through which runs the Caledonian Canal. At the south-western end of the Highlands rises Ben Nevis, 1343 m, the highest mountain of the British Isles.

2) The Central Plain of Scotland separates the Highlands from the Southern Uplands of Scotland. The Southern Uplands and the Pennines, which stretch in the north-south direction across the north­ern and middle parts of England, form a practically continuous group.

3) Nearly the whole of Wales is occupied by the Cumbrians. The highest peak of the Cumbrians is Snowdon, 1085 m. The south-eastern part of England is lowland, interrupted in places by low chalk ridges.

Vegetation (Flora)

With its mild climate and varied soils, Britain has a diverse pattern of natural vegetation; though in comparison with that of other countries, the flora of Britain is relatively poor. Woodland now covers less than 10 % of the country, and although the Forestry Commission has been active since its creation in 1919, nearly two-thirds of this woodland remains in private hands. The largest areas of woodland are now to be found in north-eastern Scotland, Kielder and other forests in Northumberland, Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, Gwynedd in NW Wales, and Breckland in Norfolk. Deciduous forest (dominated by oak) prevails but because of man's activity there is little natural unmodified forest left.

The most common trees are oak, beech, ash and elm in England, and in Scotland - oak, pine and birch. In the south, beech is often dominant. Some trees, like sycamore and horse chestnut, have been introduced by man.

In Scotland oak and pine grow chiefly along the fiord-like sea lochs of the mainland. In sheltered areas, there are birch woods interspersed with rowan and willow.

Many parts of the surface of Highland Britain have only thin poor soils. As a result, large stretches of moorland are found over the Highlands of Scotland, the Pennines, the Lake District, the mountains of Wales and in parts of NE and SW England. The moorlands and heathlands occupy about a fourth of the total area of the UK. Heaths and moors are covered with heather, bracken bilberry and moorgrasses.

In the mountainous regions of Great Britain the vegetation is represented by coniferous and mixed forests with the predominance of pine, oak and birch. Many parts of highland Britain have only thin, poor soils. As a result, there are large stretches of moorland in the Highlands of Scotland, the Pen-nines, the Lake District, the mountains of Wales and in some parts of north-east and south-west England. In most of these areas the farmers have cultivated only the valley lands and the plains where the soils are deeper and richer.

With its mild climate and varied soils, Britain has a rich natural vegetation. When the islands were first settled, oak forests probably covered the greater part of the lowland. In the course of the centuries, nearly all the forests have been cut down, and now woodlands occupy only about 7 per cent of the surface of the country. The greatest density of woodland occurs in the north and east of Scotland, in some parts of south-east England and on the Welsh border. The most common trees are oak, beech, ash and elm, and in Scotland also pine and birch.

Midland Britain appears to be well wooded be­cause of the numerous hedges¹ and isolated trees. Hedges are a typical feature of countryside land­scape in England. Farming land is divided into fields by hedges or stone walls. Most of countryside Eng­land is agricultural land, about a third of which is arable, and the rest is pasture and meadow.

Minerals

Great Britain has large reserves of all the more widely used minerals: coal, iron, oil, natural gas, salt. Next to them, minerals found in Britain are marble', granite, slate, lead, tin, copper, zinc, china clay, gypsum. Sand, gravel, limestone, and other crushed rocks are quarried for use in construction.

Coal was once the most vital fuel. Of late it has continued to decrease in importance. The peak year in coal production was 1913. a Current output has fallen by two-thirds; the industry remains under considerable pressure, many pits have become uneconomic to operate. Coal is mined in Yorkshire, NE England, S. Wales, Scottish Lowlands, Lancashire, W.Midiands. Kent. Three major coal-fields are Yorkshire (60% of coal output). Northumberland-Durham (13%, with Newcastle as its centre). S. Wales (8%). Of the exposed British coalfieds the S. Wales coal-field is second in extent to the major Yorkkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire fields of England. The coal is of high quality there. This high quality and easy transportation because of the proximity of the sea, made S. Wales one of the biggest coal mining centres in the world. Another important coal-mining area is North-Eastern part of England. The once-important extraction of iron ore has dwindled almost to nothing. Major iron deposits are found in central England (Northampton), S. Cumberland near Barrow-in-Furness and NE Ingland (Cleveland at Teesside).

Other metals of importance that are mined include tin, which supplies about half of the domestic demand, and zinc. Tin is mined in S. Wales and Cornwall. Many mines were closed because it was morc profitable to get Malayan tin from SE Asia. SW England is rich in kaolin, or china clay. China clay is the most important mineral resource of this region, ft is used in the production of porcelain. China clay is quarried in open'pits and the white spoil

heaps are one of the striking features of the landscape of the peninsula Quarrying is an important occupation in the NW of Wales.Tere are large quarries for granite and slate quarries. The slates are of high quality and are exported to all parts of the world. There is also granite quarrying at several points in Scottish Highiands. Granite polishing is a characteristic industry in Aberdeen.

Since many of its buildings are made of local granite, a silver-grey or pink stone, Aberdeen's nickname is Granite City. Some granite quarrying is found in the Central Lowlands (Greentown and the neighbourhood). A few decades ago Britain experienced an exciting adventure North Sea oil discoveries (1964) which have already changed the patterns of development on the east coast of Scotland. The disscoveries have reduced Britain's dependence on the Middle East . From the start of production in 1975, the quantities brought ashore have grown each year, making the UK virtually self-sufficient in oil and even an exporter. With an average output of 2.6 million barrels per day, the country is the world's sixth largest producer. Proven reserves are estimated at 770 million tons. At present, oil comes ashore by submarine pipelines (as well by tanker). There are 24 oilfelds and 6 gas-fields under exploitation. The most important oilfields are, e.g., Magnus, Forties, Ekofisk, Piper, Brent, Beryl. The most important gas-fields are West Sole, Viking, Hewett Indefatigable. Natural gas-fields are found beneath the North Sea of the coast of East Anglia and the east coast of Scotland, and the oilfields - off the east coast of Scotland and NE coast of England. The North Sea oil and gas now can also be considered as major mineral resource, having a fundamental effect on the economy of GB.

Wildlife

The fauna of the British Isles is in general similar to that north-western Europe, though there are fewer species. Some of larger mammals, including the wolf, the bear, the boar and tl reindeer, have become extinct but red deer survive in the Scottisi Highlands and in Exmoor Forest, and roe deer in the wooded are;: of Scotland and southern England.

The carnivores (badgers, otters, foxes, stoats and Weasels thrive in most rural areas. Otters are found along many rivers streams.

Some animals, e.g. fallow-deer, rabbit and rat wer introduced by man. Rabbits are widespread and their numbers ai increasing.

Foxes, badgers and otters are fairly common in Wales. Otter are fairly common in the largest rivers and badgers can be seen i

■«.- i_: • *- ilands. There are numerous foxes and occasional herds of wild

s and mountain ponies in Snowdonia, a national park in NW

, ii Iks. The remoter parts of Wales shelter some mammals and birds,

i tre either extinct or rare elsewhere in Britain. Thus the polecat

i fcirly common in central Wales.

For its size, Scotland has a fauna, whicn is rich and varied.

scj ic largest wild mammal is the Atlantic gray seal. The wild red deer

;xls plains in Scotland and in Exmoor but it is only in Scotland that it is

Wty wild. Foxes and badgers are common in Scotland, as well as

bin Sometimes one is lucky to spot the wild cat, the most savage

;he« British animals, which often likes to make its home in a hollow

Hit - •

! h; In many respects the British Isles are an ornithologist's

a ofl >e. The bird fauna is numerous. Some 200 species of birds are

cM : I in the UK, of which more than one-half are migratory. The

ommon game birds are the wild pigeon, pheasant, and grouse.

numerous are the sparrow, blackbird, chaffinch, and starling.

pere is one species peculiar to Britain - the red grouse.

na Gulls and other sea birds usually nest near the coast. The

■mber of ducks, geese and other water fowl has diminished owing

; o drainage of marshlands. As to sea birds, great flocks of them

th |unt the cliffs of the Channel Islands. Colonies of gannets,

•h rants, stormy petrels, herring gulls and some other sea birds

•is seen there. One of the largest gannet colonies in Europe is

-eaBbur.J in Pembrokeshire (SW Wales).

In terms oi' bird fauna, Scotland's chief glories are the e|^fcmerous sea birds. Scotland is also proud of its golden eagle which .in magnificent bird living in the hills.

Partridges, pheasants and other large and rare birds are re^fcotected by law.

ai Robin Redbreast is the national bird of the UK. The robin is a

friendly bird and he lives in woods and gardens. lie is

netimes called "the gardener's best friend", because he is usually

in the garden, when the gardener is working. Robins are brown anc have red breasts. This is why they are called Robin Red Breasts.

Robins make their nests in spring. Sometimes, they make their nests in an old hat or shoe or in the woods; sometimes the) make them in an old bucket or box in the garden

Amphibians are represented by three species of newt and five species of frogs and toads. Reptiles consist of three species of snake, of which only the adder is venomous, and three species of lizard, There are no snakes in Northern Ireland.

Sea and fresh water fish are numerous. River and lake fisli include salmon, trout, perch, roach, grayling, and pike. Many of the * British rivers, once renowned for their salmon, trout, roach, perch, t pike and grayling, have become polluted, which has led to the j decline in inland fisheries. Fresh water fishing is now largely for I recreation and sport.

Many Scottish and N. Irish rivers are run by salmon and sea trout. Many lochs hold char, and in many rivers there are pike. Bui i the muddy water fish common to English rivers are for the most pari | absent from Scotland. As to sea fish, the most important fish landed t are cod, haddock, mackerel whiting, and plaice, as well as shellfish 1 (lobsters, crabs, and oysters). I