Geography of the United Kingdom.docx
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Geography of the United Kingdom.docx
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GeographyoftheUnitedKingdom
GeographyoftheUnitedKingdom
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TheUnitedKingdomoccupiesasubstantialpartoftheBritishIsles.
TheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland,orUK,isasovereignstatelocatedoffthenorthwesterncoastofcontinentalEurope.ItcomprisestheislandofGreatBritain(England,ScotlandandWales)andthenortheasternone-sixthoftheislandofIreland(NorthernIreland),togetherwithmanysmallerislands.Themainlandareasliebetweenlatitudes49°Nand59°N(theShetlandIslandsreachtonearly61°N),andlongitudes8°Wto2°E.TheRoyalGreenwichObservatory,inSouthEastLondon,isthedefiningpointofthePrimeMeridian.
TheUKliesbetweentheNorthAtlanticandtheNorthSea,andcomeswithin35 km(22mi)ofthenorthwestcoastofFrance,fromwhichitisseparatedbytheEnglishChannel.NorthernIrelandsharesa360 kminternationallandboundarywiththeRepublicofIreland.TheChannelTunnelboredbeneaththeEnglishChannel,nowlinkstheUKwithFrance.
Contents
[hide]
∙1Area
∙2Physicalgeography
o2.1Geology
o2.2Mountainsandhills
o2.3Riversandlakes
o2.4Artificialwaterways
o2.5Coastline
▪2.5.1Inlets
▪2.5.2Headlands
▪2.5.3Coastalchange
o2.6Islands
o2.7Climate
∙3Humangeography
o3.1Demographics
o3.2Politicalgeography
▪3.2.1Nationalgovernment
▪3.2.2Localgovernment
o3.3Economicgeography
▪3.3.1Primaryindustry
▪3.3.2Manufacturing
▪3.3.3Financeandservices
▪3.3.4Regionaldisparity
∙4Naturalresources
∙5Environment
o5.1Currentissues
o5.2Internationalagreements
∙6Seealso
∙7References
∙8Externallinks
[edit]Area
ThetotalareaoftheUnitedKingdomisapproximately245,000 squarekilometres(94,600sq mi)comprisingoftheislandofGreatBritain,thenortheasternone-sixthoftheislandofIreland(NorthernIreland)andsmallerislands.EnglandisthelargestcountryoftheUnitedKingdom,at130,410 squarekilometres(50,350sq mi)accountingforjustoverhalfthetotalareaoftheUK.Scotlandat78,772 squarekilometres(30,410sq mi),[1]issecondlargest,accountingforaboutathirdoftheareaoftheUK.WalesandNorthernIrelandaremuchsmaller,covering20,758 squarekilometres(8,010sq mi)and14,160 squarekilometres(5,470sq mi)respectively.
TheareaofthecountriesoftheUnitedKingdomissetoutinthetablebelow.InformationabouttheareaofEngland,thelargestcountry,isalsobrokendownbyregion.
Rank
Name
Area
1
England
130,427 km²
-SouthWest[2]
-EastofEngland
-SouthEast[3]
-EastMidlands
-YorkshireandtheHumber
-NorthWest[4]
-WestMidlands[5]
-NorthEast[6]
-London[7]
23,837 km²
19,120 km²
19,096 km²
15,627 km²
15,420 km²
14,165 km²
12,998 km²
8,592 km²
1,572 km²
2
Scotland[8]
78,772 km²
3
Wales[9]
20,778 km²
4
NorthernIreland
13,843 km²
UnitedKingdom
243,820 km²
[edit]Physicalgeography
UK'stopography
ThephysicalgeographyoftheUKvariesgreatly.TheGeographyofEnglandconsistsoflowlandterrain,withmountainousterrainnorth-westoftheTees-ExelineincludingtheCumbrianMountainsoftheLakeDistrict,thePenninesandlimestonehillsofthePeakDistrict,ExmoorandDartmoor.TheGeographyofScotlandisdistinguishedbytheHighlandBoundaryFault –ageologicalrockfracture –whichtraversestheScottishmainlandfromHelensburghtoStonehaven.ThefaultlineseparatesthetwodistinctivelydifferentregionsoftheHighlandstothenorthandwestandthelowlandstothesouthandeast.TheGeographyofWalesismostlymountainous,thoughsouthWalesislessmountainousthannorthandmidWales.TheGeographyofIrelandincludestheMourneMountainsaswellasLoughNeagh,at388 squarekilometres(150sq mi),thelargestbodyofwaterintheUKandIreland.[10]
TheoverallgeomorphologyoftheUKwasshapedbythecombinedforcesoftectonicsandclimatechange,inparticularglaciation.
TheexactcentreoftheislandofGreatBritainisdisputed.DependinguponhowitiscalculateditcanbeeitherHaltwhistleinNorthumberland,orDunsopBridgeinLancashire.
[edit]Geology
Seealso:
GeologyofGreatBritain andGeologyofIreland
ThegeologyoftheUnitedKingdomisvariedanddiverse.ThisgivesuptothewidevarietyoflandscapesfoundacrosstheUK.Thisvariety,coupledwiththeearlyeffortsofUKbasedscientistsandgeologiststounderstandit,hasinfluencedthenamingofmanygeologicalconcepts,includingmanyofthegeologicalperiods(forexample,theOrdovicianperiodisnamedaftertheOrdovices,apeopleofearlyBritain;theDevonianperiodisnamedafterthecountyofDevoninsouth-westEngland).
TheoldestrocksintheUKaregneisseswhichdatefromatleast2,700 Ma("Ma"means"millionsofyearsago")intheArchaeanPeriod,whicharefoundinthefarnorthwestofScotlandandintheHebrides,withafewsmalloutcropselsewhere.SouthofthegneissesareacomplexmixtureofrocksformingtheNorthWestHighlandsandGrampianHighlandsinScotland.Theseareessentiallytheremainsoffoldedsedimentaryrock,depositedoverthegneiss,from1,000 Ma,withanotable7 kmthicklayerofTorridonSandstonebeingdepositedabout800 Ma,aswellasthedebrisdepositedbyanicesheet670 Ma.
TheremainsofancientvolcanicislandsunderliemuchofcentralEnglandwithsmalloutcropsvisibleinmanyplaces.Around600 Ma,theCadomianOrogeny(mountainbuildingperiod)causedtheEnglishandWelshlandscapetobetransformedintoamountainousregion,alongwithmuchofnorthwestEurope.
TheWelshSkiddawslatedepositsformedataround500 Ma,duringtheOrdovicianPeriod.Ataboutthistime,around425 Ma,northWales(andsouthMayoinIreland)experiencedvolcanicactivity.Theremainsofthesevolcanoesarestillvisible,forexampleRhobellFwar,datingfrom510 Ma.LargequantitiesofvolcaniclavaandashknownastheBorrowdaleVolcanicscoveredbothWalesandtheLakeDistrict,stillseenintheformofmountainssuchasHelvellynandScafellPike.
IntheSilurianPeriod,between425and400 Ma,theCaledonianfoldmountainsformed(theCaledonianOrogeny),coveringmuchofwhatisnowtheUKtoperhaps8,000 feet(2,438m)thick.VolcanicashesandlavasdepositedduringthisperiodarestillfoundintheMendipHillsandinPembrokeshire.
VolcanicdepositsformedBenNevisintheDevonianPeriod.Sealevelsvariedconsiderably,withthecoastlineadvancingandretreatingfromnorthtosouthacrossEngland,andwiththedepositionofnumeroussedimentaryrocklayers.TheOldRedSandstoneofDevongavetheperioditsname,thoughdepositsarefoundinmanyotherplaces.
DuringtheCarboniferousPeriod,around360 Ma,theUKwaslyingattheequator,coveredbythewarmshallowwatersoftheRheicOcean,duringwhichtimetheCarboniferouslimestonewasdeposited,stillfoundinareassuchastheMendipHillsandthePennines.Thecoalmeasureswereformedatthistime,inriverdeltas,swampsandrainforests.CoalcanbefoundinmanyareasoftheUK,asfarNorthasSutherlandandasfarsouthasKent,thoughithaslargelybeenminedintheMidlands,northernEnglandandWales.AlsoformedweretheMillstoneGrits.
DuringthePermianandTriassicPeriods,muchoftheUKwasbeneathshallowseas,leadingtothedepositionofsedimentaryrockssuchasshale,limestone,gravel,andmarl.Theseasfinallyrecededtoleaveaflatdesertwithsaltpans.
AtthebeginningoftheJurassicPeriod,theUKwasunder-wateragain,leadingtothedepositionofsedimentaryrockswhichnowunderliemuchofEnglandfromtheClevelandHillsofYorkshiretotheJurassicCoastinDorset,includingclays,sandstones,andtheooliticlimestoneoftheCotswoldHills.TheburialofalgaeandbacteriabelowthemudoftheseafloorduringthistimeresultedintheformationofNorthSeaoilandnaturalgas.
IntheCretaceousPeriod,muchoftheUKwasagainbelowtheseaandchalkandflintsweredepositedovermuchofGreatBritain.ThesearenownotablyexposedattheWhiteCliffsofDover,andformSalisburyPlain,theChilternHills,theSouthDownsandothersimilarfeatures.
ThelastvolcanicrocksintheUKwereformedintheearlyTertiaryPeriod,between63and52 Ma,withthemajoreruptionsthatformedtheAntrimPlateauandthebasalticcolumnsoftheGiant'sCauseway.FurthersedimentsweredepositedoversouthernEngland,includingtheLondonclay,whiletheEnglishChannelconsistedofmudflatsandriverdepositedsands.
Themajorchangesduringthelastfewmillionyears,duringtheQuaternaryPeriod,havebeenbroughtaboutbyseveralrecenticeages,leavingalegacyofU-shapedvalleysinhighlandareas,andfertile(ifoftenstoney)soilinsouthernU.K.
[edit]Mountainsandhills
At1,344 metres,BenNevisisthehighestpeakintheUK.
Mainarticle:
MountainsoftheUnitedKingdom
ThetentallestmountainsintheUKareallfoundinScotland.ThehighestpeaksineachpartoftheUKare:
∙Scotland:
BenNevis(AonachMòr,1,344 metres)
∙Wales:
Snowdon(Snowdonia,1,085 metres)
∙England:
ScafellPike(CumbrianMountains,977 metres)
∙NorthernIreland:
SlieveDonard(MourneMountains,852 metres)
TherangesofmountainsandhillsintheUKinclude:
∙Scotland:
Cairngorms,CheviotHills,ScottishHighlands,SouthernUplands,GrampianMountains
∙Wales:
BreconBeacons,CambrianMountains,Snowdonia,BlackMountains,PreseliHills
∙England:
Chilterns,Cotswolds,Dartmoor,LincolnshireWolds,Exmoor,LakeDistrict,MalvernHills,MendipHills,NorthDowns,PeakDistrict,Pennines,SalisburyPlain,SouthDowns,ShropshireHills,YorkshireWolds
∙Northe
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