The geography of Great Britain

The United Kindom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated in the West of Europe. It consists of England, Scotland, Wales, Ulster (the north-east part of Ireland) and many small islands such as the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man and Shetlands, the Orkneys and the Hebrides in the North. It covers 2,448 thousand square kilometres and its current population is about 60 million. The capital of the UK is London. The south-west part of the country is rather low-lying while the rest is dominated by the old mountains such as the Pennines in England, the Cambrian Mountains in Wales and the Grampians and the Caledonian Mountains in Scotland.
The climate of Great Britain is modeate. Winters are mild, summers are cool and the weather is rainy and changeable dependent on the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.
The most important rivers are the Severn and the Thames. The British Isles are washed by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the Staits of Dover, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The main pots are London, Liverpool and Southampton.
The country is well developed and industrialized. The major interests are the mining industry, metallurgy, shipbuilding, car industry, textile industry and electrotechnics. Agriculture is less developed. It is based on cattle-breeding, sheep-farming, fisheries and the cultivation of barley, wheat and suga-beets.
England is the largest and most important region, possessing the cente of government and administration in London. Its south-east part (the so called Chalk Country), is called ?the meadow of England? because of beautiful gardens, flowers, ochards and fertile fields. The Midlands are moe industrialised. The so called Black Country within Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham and Nottingham abounds with coal, iron ore and granite.
England is rather flat but Scotland to the North is hillier. It is a land of mountains, wild moorlands, valleys, plains, lakes, ancient castles and numerous islands off the coast. The capital of Scotland is Edinbuh. It is the cultural centre of Scotland and the most heavily populated city in Scotland while Glasgow is its industial centre. The country is geographically divided into the Highlands in the North and the Lowlands in the South. Scotland is famous for its beautiful lakes.
Wales is the smallest country of the United Kindom. It is situated on the south-west coast of Great Britain. It has consideable variety. South Wales is an industrial area. It is rocky and full of mines. North Wales, on the other hand, is mountainous and picturesque. The capital of Wales is Cardiff, an important industial centre and port.