Навчальний посібник для студентів ос «Бакалавр» галузі знань 03 «Гуманітарні науки»

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Chapter 3 
Physical and human geography 
The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square 
kilometres (94,060 sq mi). The country occupies the major part of the British 
Isles archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the northeastern 
one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies 
between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the south-east coast 
coming within 22 miles (35 km) of the coast of northern France, from which 
it is separated by the English Channel. In 1993 10% of the UK was forested, 
46% used for pastures and 25% cultivated for agriculture. The Royal 
Greenwich Observatory in London is the defining point of the Prime 
Meridian.
The United Kingdom lies between latitudes 49° to 61° N, and 
longitudes 9° W to 2° E. Northern Ireland shares a 224-mile (360 km) land 
boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The coastline of Great Britain is 
11,073 miles (17,820 km) long. It is connected to continental Europe by 
theChannel Tunnel, which at 31 miles (50 km) (24 miles (38 km) underwater) 
is the longest underwater tunnel in the world.

England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK, covering 
130,395 square kilometres (50,350 sq mi). Most of the country consists of 
lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain north-west of the Tees-Exe line; 
including 
the Cumbrian 
Mountains of 
the 
Lake 
District, 
thePennines, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The main rivers and estuaries are 
the Thames, Severn and the Humber. England's highest mountain is Scafell 
Pike (978 metres (3,209 ft)) in the Lake District. Its principal rivers are the 
Severn, Thames, Humber, Tees, Tyne, Tweed, Avon, Exe and Mersey.
Scotland accounts for just under a third of the total area of the UK, 
covering 78,772 square kilometres (30,410 sq mi) and including nearly eight 
hundred islands, redominantly west and north of the mainland; notably 
the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. The topography of 
Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault—a geological rock 
fracture—which traverses Scotland from Arran in the west to Stonehaven in 
the east. The faultline separates two distinctively different regions; namely 
the Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east. 
The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's 
mountainous land, including Ben Nevis which at 1,343 metres (4,406 ft) is the 
highest point in the British Isles. Lowland areas—especially the narrow waist 
of land between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central 
Belt—are flatter and home to most of the population including Glasgow, 
Scotland's largest city, andEdinburgh, its capital and political centre, although 
upland and mountainous terrain lies within the Southern Uplands. 
Wales accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK, 
covering 20,779 square kilometres (8,020 sq mi). Wales is mostly 
mountainous, though South Wales is less mountainous than North and mid 
Wales. The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, 
consisting of the coastal cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, and the 
South Wales Valleys to their north. The highest mountains in Wales are in 

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Snowdonia and include Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa) which, at 1,085 metres 
(3,560 ft), is the highest peak in Wales. The 14, or possibly 15, Welsh 
mountains over 3,000 feet (910 metres) high are known collectively as the 
Welsh 3000s. Wales has over 2,704 kilometres (1,680 miles) of coastline. 
Several islands lie off the Welsh mainland, the largest of which is Anglesey 
(Ynys Môn) in the northwest. 
Northern Ireland, separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea and 
North Channel, has an area of 14,160 square kilometres (5,470 sq mi) and is 
mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh which, at 388 square kilometres (150 
sq mi), is the largest lake in the British Isles by area.[138] The highest peak in 
Northern Ireland is Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains at 852 metres 
(2,795 ft). 

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