Over the map of the UK

12. Over the map of the UK of GB and Northern Ireland
Geographical division of the British Isles
The British Isles lie off the north-west coast of continental Europe. They cover an area of 121 600 square miles and consist of two large islands – Great Britain (comprising England, Wales and Scotland) and Ireland (comprising the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland) and hundreds of smaller islands.
It is assumed that the British Isles were connected with the European Continent. Now the British Isles are surrounded by the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. In the south the Atlantic is connected with the North Sea by the English Channel. The Channel is very narrow. At the Straits of Dover it is 21 miles (33km) wide. The sea separating Ireland from Great Britain is called the Irish Sea.
Political division
The British Isles are divided into two independent states:
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
the area – 244 100 sq km
the population – 60 million
it consists of:
England – the capital is London which is at the same time the capital of the UK, the political centre of the British Commonwealth and one of the world´s banking and financial centres
Scotland – the capital is Edinburgh. The International Festival of Music and Drama is held there every summer
Wales – the capital Cardiff is situated in an industrial area on the southern coast
Northern Ireland – the capital is Belfast, a seaport of first rank; it has the largest shipyard in the UK
The Irish Republic
a self-governing country with Dublin as the capital
Relief of Great Britain
Great Britain can be roughly divided into two main regions: Lowland Britain and Highland Britain
Lowland Britain lies in the south-east of England
Highland Britain comprises the whole of Scotland, the Lake District, the central upland plain, almost the whole of Wales and the south-west of England. It can be divided into the following ranges of mountains:
The Scottish Highland – the highest mountains in the British Isles. They consist of two parts – the North-west Highlands and the Grampian Mountains. The highest peak of the British Isles Ben Nevis (1 343 m) is in the Grampians.
The Southern Uplands – low hills in the southern part of Scotland separated from the Scottish Highlands by the Midland Valley (the Central Lowlands)
The Cheviot Hills – part of the border between England and Scotland
The Pennines – also called the „Backbone of England“, the longest chain of mountains in England, situated in the central part of northern England.
The Cumbrian Mountains – known as the Lake District; their highest peak Scafell Pike (978 m) is the highest mountain of England.
The Cambrian Mountains – occupy nearly the whole of Wales; the highest mountain is Snowdon (1 085 m)
Rivers and lakes
Britain is well provided with rivers. Most of the longest rivers flow eastwards because the west of the country is mountainous. The rivers are largely navigable for small vessels and are linked by numerous canals.
The chief rivers in Scotland are the Clyde, the Tay, the Forth and the Tweed; in England the Tyne, the Thames, the Severn (the longest English river). The Shannon is the longest river in the British Isles (in the Irish Republic).
Lakes are to be found:
In the Lake District – a mountainous area of north-west England; the largest lakes are Lake Windermere and Lake Derwentwater (called „the Queen of the Lakes“ because of its beauty).
In the Scottish Highlands, where they are called „lochs“, the largest lakes in Scotland are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness (known for its Loch Ness Monster).
Climate
Britain has a mild climate. The characteristic features are mild winters, not very hot summers, no extremes of temperature and frequent rain all the year round.
LOND