Geography of the UK

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The British Isles, which include Great Britain, Ireland and a lot
of smaller islands, are situated off the north western coast of
Europe and once formed part of that continent. They became
islands when they were separated from it.
Politically the British Isles are divided into two countries — the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the
Irish Republic or Eire.  These two main islands which are Great
Britain to the east and Ireland to the west. They are separated
by the Irish Sea. The UK is situated off the west coast of Europe
between the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest and the North
Sea on the east and is separated from the European continent
by the English Channel (or La Manche) and the Strait of Dover.
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is
the official name of the state which is sometimes referred to as
Great Britain or Britain (after its major isle), England (after its
major historic part) or the British Isles.
      The UK is one of the world's smaller countries (it is twice
smaller than France or Spain), with an area of some 244,100
square km. The population of the United Kingdom is nearly 59
million people.
Rivers
The two longest rivers in the UK are the River Severn in the south
west of England and the River Thames, which flows through the
capital. The River Thames is the deepest river in the UK.
Important ports in the UK grew up at the mouth of navigable rivers
including Liverpool (The River Mersey), Bristol (The River
Severn), Newcastle (The River Tyne) and Glasgow (The River Clyde).
Rivers are an important natural resource and provide a habitat for
many animals, birds and plants in the UK.
Rivers in Britain also provide an area for one of the UK's most
popular pastimes - fishing as well places to row, punt and kayak.
The River Cherwell in Oxford and the River Cam in Cambridge are
famous for their university students punting through the dreaming
spires.
 The Thames and the Severn
River Severn Fact File River Thames Fact File
Length: 346 km (215 miles)
Length: 354 km (220 miles)
Source: Thames Head, Gloucestershire (England)
Source: Plynlimon (Wales) Mouth: Thames Estuary (North Sea)
Mouth: Severn Estuary (Bristol Other Facts About The River Thames
Channel, England) 1. The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK.
2. It is the most well-known of Britain’s rivers because it flows through
Other Facts About The River Severn central London. It also flows through (or really close by) some other
1. At 354 km the River Severn is the important towns and cities in England, such as: Richmond, Kingston upon
longest river in the British Isles. Thames, Windsor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxford and Reading.
3. The Thames is tidal when it flows through London.
2. The Severn has the greatest water 4. More than 80 islands are contained in the River Thames. These include:
flow of any river in England or The River Severn the Isle of Sheppey, Canvey Island and Rose Isle.
Wales. 5. The Celts referred to the Thames as Tamesas (or Tamesis), which meant
3. Several large towns have ‘dark’.
developed from the original 6. About two thirds of London’s drinking water comes from the Thames.
settlements on the banks of the 7. John Burns (a Battersea MP) famously described the Thames as ‘liquid
Severn. These include: Newtown, history’. He meant that River Thames was responsible for supporting
settlements upon its banks throughout British history, from Neolithic times
Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Ironbridge,
to today. The Thames has witnessed the birth of London and many of the
Stourport, Worcester, Tewkesbury
key events in Britain’s history.
and Gloucester. 8. The Thames has been bridged more than 200 times and it has been
4. The River Severn is bridged in lots tunneled under more than 15 times. Many of today’s bridges have been
of places. Two of the bridges, built on the site of much earlier crossing points.
the Severn Bridge and the Second
Severn Crossing, link Wales and
England by road.
5. Before the 16th Century, the
Bristol Channel was known as The
Severn Sea.
The Thames
Lakes
England Lakes in England
There are about 387 lakes larger than 5
hectares in England. One hectare is
around 2.5 acres. The following is a list of area in square
The UK has many beautiful lakes in all four of its ranking lake
the 5 largest lakes in England, by surface miles
constituent countries: England, Wales, Scotland and area.
Northern Ireland. Many of the largest lakes in the UK are in
fact reservoirs. 4 out of 5 of the largest of 1 Windermere 5.69
Many of the UK's most picturesque lakes are in these lakes are in England. Lake Vrnwy,
Scotland in the Scottish Highlands, in being in Wales, is the exception.
Snowdon National Park in North Wales and the Lake England's most picturesque lakes 2 Rutland Water 4.19
District in northern England. The UK's largest lake is include Buttermere, Windermere and C
oniston Water all in the Lake District in
Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland. Cumbria. 3 Kielder Water 3.86
England's largest lake is Windermere and England's Fernilee Reservoir and Errwood
Reservoir are two picturesque reservoirs
deepest lake is Wastwater at a depth of 79 m (259 between Stockport and Buxton in the 4 Ullswater 3.44
feet), both lakes are in the Lake District National Park. Goyt Valley in the north west of England.
Bassenthwaite
5 Lake 2.06
Lakes in Scotland are called lochs, in Northern Ireland
it is pronounced the same way but spelled loughs, and
in Wales, a lake is called a Llyn.

Lakes in N. Ireland
Northern Ireland
There are three loughs in Northern Ireland including
area in square the largest lake in the UK, Lough Neagh, which
ranking lake
miles provides 40% of the water supply of Northern Ireland.
Lough Neagh is a popular spot for bird-watchers and
its waters provide a bounty of fresh water eels, much
1 Lough Neagh 147.87 in demand all over Europe.

Lower Lough
2 Erne 42.28

3 Upper Lough 13.30

Erne
Lakes Lakes in Scotland
There are an estimated 31,460
freshwater lochs in Scotland. They are most
numerous within the Scottish Highlands in
the north of Scotland.
The following table shows the 5 largest
lakes in Scotland, measured by surface area.
Loch Lomond is considered Scotland's most
beautiful lake, closely followed by Loch Lakes in Scotland
Ness, famous for its legendary monster area in square
"Nessie" and the ruins of Urquhart Castle, ranking lake miles
which sit on its banks
Loch Shiel, near Glenfinnan, stretches 28 1 Loch Lomond 27.45
kilometers and is the 4th longest loch in
Scotland. During the summer there are boat 2 Loch Ness 21.78
tours on the loch and the surrounding
Lakes in Wales mountains are great for hiking. St. Mary & 3 Loch Awe 14.85
St. Finnan Church is worth a visit.
area in 4 Loch Maree 11.03
ranking lake square
miles Wales 5 Loch Morar 10.30
The lakes of Wales occupy a surface area of only about 130
1 Lake Bala 1.87
square kilometres, less than 1% of the land area of Wales.
Llyn Most lakes in Wales start with the word "Llyn", which is
2 0.59 Welsh for "Lake". Lake Bala or Llyn Tegid, in Welsh, the
Syfaddon
largest lake in Wales in Snowdonia, North Wales, joins with
3 Llyn Cowlyd 0.42 the River Dee, which runs north west through to Chester in
England on the border between the two countries. Llyn
4 Llyn Padarn 0.38 Syfaddon or Llangorse Lake is the largest natural lake in
South Wales.
5 Tal-y-llyn 0.34
Lake The following chart shows the 5 largest lakes in Wales, by
surface area.
National parks
LAKE DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
It would be criminal not to include the Lake District in a list of the
best national parks in Britain. It is home to England’s highest
mountain, Scafell Pike at 978m (3,209ft), and the infamous Helvellyn
at 950m (3,117ft) with its hairaising Striding Edge ridge.
The Lake District is the most visited national park in Britain with
15.8 million annual visitors and more than 23 million annual day
visits. It is also the realm of the 214 Wainwright fells, the hills and
mountains described in Alfred Wainwright’s classic seven-
volume Pictorial Guide to the Lakeland Fells (1955-66).
Along with the mountains are of course the 16 main lakes from which
it takes its name, along with numerous smaller tarns making it ideal
for watersports including sailing, canoeing, fishing and swimming.
The Lake District National Park has some of the best cycling in the
country with a range of country lanes, permitted cycleways and
bridleways that suit all experience levels. Additionally, if you enjoy
mountain biking then the Whinlatter and Grizedale Forests are
crisscrossed with excellent off-road routes
National parks
Northumberland National Park
In a country not particularly known for big skies and wide open spaces, Northumberland
National Park is a dramatic exception. Stretching from Hadrian's Wal to the Cheviot Hills along
the traditional Scottish border, Northumberland National Park is one of England's emptiest
quarters. Only 2,200 people live within its 405 square miles, midway between Carlisle
and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The park, at the top of England, is virtually in the center of Britain.
Archaeological excavations show evidence of human occupation here for 10,000 years. And
the mysterious hillforts that top many hills in the northern part of the park were probably
built about 700 B.C.
Before the Norman Conquest, this area was the center of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of
Northumbria. It's scattering of historic villages, castles, burial cairns give an added dimension
to touring and outdoor activities in the park.
It's more recent history includes the designation of its Dark Sky Park, the largest area of
protected night sky in Europe.
Hiking, cycling, and riding are popular along quiet roads or off roads on moorland trails.
Fishing, golf, hill running and rock climbing are all popular activities. Birdwatchers take
advantage of Northumberland's vast open hills, grassy valleys and heather moorlands to spot
native peregrine falcons, dippers, common sandpipers and gray wagtails, ring ouzel, and
wheatears. There are skylarks, all sorts of warblers, kestrels, black grouse. And, around
Hadrian's Wall, look for whooper swans, goldeneye, greylag geese, white-fronted geese,
wigeon, teal, lapwings and tufted ducks.
Photo enthusiasts, as well as film fans should head for Sycamore Gap to meet the most
photographed tree in the UK. Designated as Tree of the Year by the Woodland Trust in 2016,
this solitary sycamore, in a gap of Hadrian's Wall, was a featured location in Robin Hood
Prince of Thieves and many other films.
Cairngorms National Park
Covering 1,748 square miles of central Scotland, the Cairngorms
National Park is the UK's largest. It is also the northernmost national
park in Great Britain. About 17,000 people live and work in the park,
an area characterized by high, arctic landscapes, wild and windswept
mountains and primeval forests.
The park has five of Scotland's six highest mountains and boasts the
cleanest rivers, lochs, and marshes in Scotland. Pine trees in
the Cairngorms original Caledonian forests include a rare variety found
only in Scotland and Norway.
Wildlife watchers head to the Cairngorms to see Golden Eagles,
Capercaillie, and the Scottish Crossbill, a bird only found in Britain. The
park is home to wildcats, water voles and otters.
Things to Do in the Cairngorms
Outdoor activities
Skiing and snow sports
Sailing, canoeing, and watersports
Fishing
Riding, cycling, mountain biking
Nature walks, hiking and climbing​
Mountains
Each part of Great Britain has its own mountain range. Though
there are many mountains in Great Britain, they are not very
high.
In Scotland the biggest mountain chain is the Grampians. Ben
Nevis is the highest peak of the Grampians at 1,344 metres
above sea level.
The Pennine Chain is usually called "a backbone of England".
The mountains that stretch across the territory of Wales and
are in the Lake District are called the Cumbrian Mountains. The Lake District, home of
England's highest mountain,
The highest peak of the Cumbrian Mountains, Scafell Pike, North West England
mount Snowdon, is also the highest peak of Great Britain.
The Cheviot Hills separate England from Scotland. This region
of Cheviot Hills is famous because of the fact that short-
wooled sheep breeding is developed here and also high
quality woolen stuff is produced in this district. This woolen
cloth is called "cheviot".
Landscape
The landscape of Britain varies from flat, almost featureless,
countryside through heath, moorland and rolling hills to
impressive mountains.  And, it varies over relatively short
distances.  I read a book by an American once (just the once),
who wrote something like, “You have to remember that the UK
is jolly small by our standards.  But there are significant
geographical variations over relatively short distances.  It is a
kind of microcosm.”  I like that.  All of Britain has been shaped,
or impacted upon, by wind, rain, ice, sea – and none of it has
been left untouched by man (apart from, possibly, the odd
rocky outcrop).  The closest Britain gets to wilderness is in the
Scottish Highlands – or possibly the Welsh mountains.  These
parts of Britain, together with the English Lake District, the The Pennies
Pennines and upland moors like Dartmoor, can still be
dangerous places – even to experienced, well-equipped,
people.  Whilst these areas can be harsh and spectacular,
others can be soft and almost ridiculously pretty.  A patchwork
of fields, divided by hedges or, in the north, dry stone walls.
 Pine forests and natural woodland.  The coastline also varies,
from mudflats through wide sandy beaches, shingle beaches
and cliffs to jagged fjord-like inlets.

Dartmoor
National Park
Questions for the audience
1. What does the term Great Britain entail?
2. What is the name and the length of the UK’s longest river?
3. What is the name of the UK’s biggest river?
4. What is the exact location of the River Severn?
5. What is the name of the highest peak in the UK?
6. What is your impression of the landscape in the UK?
7. How would you describe the national parks having been presented?