Civilisation UK

Civilisation UK

24 janvier 2023

The United Kingdom Today

National Characteristics

pas d’article devant Great Britain

Grand Britain = England / Scotland / Wales

THE United Kingdom = Scotland / England / Wales / Northern Ireland

Territory

2 mains islands + smaller ones (ex : Orkney, Shetland & Hebrides Island off the coast of Scotland, Channel Islands, Isles of Wight of Man)

94,060 square miles = 243,610 km² = less than half the size of metropolitan France

Full name (1927) : The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irland.

it does not include the Republic of Ireland (Eire), the Channel Islands

Geography

plains, hill & low mountains

Ben Nevis : 4,409 ft / 1,344 m) le plus haut

indented coastline : no place is more than 78 miles (125km) from tidal water

Main rivers : The Thannes / The Severn / The Humber…

Terrain / Topography

England : rather flat except for the Cumbrian mountains and the Pennies

Wales : hilly and mountainous with the Snowdonia mountains group

Scotland : hilly and mountainous with Glens and Lochs

Northern Ireland : mostly low-lying plateau, Giant’s Causeway

Natural Resources

Coal was a source of power for them

declining industry

last deep coal mine closed in 2015

Petroleum

argument for Scottish independence

tin (silicium), iron (fer), salt, lead (plomb), silica (silice)

Agricultural land

riches soils in the South (East Anglia)

Margaret Thatcher was compared as a vampire,

Climate

mild climate (-5 to 25°C), extreme temperatures very rare

moderating influence of the sea

⅓ days of rain

sunniest & warmest area : South West

driest area : South Est / wettest area : Lake District & Scotland’s Western Highlands

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