home Roach Characteristics of the economic and geographical position of Great Britain according to the plan. Economic and geographical position of Great Britain - abstract

Characteristics of the economic and geographical position of Great Britain according to the plan. Economic and geographical position of Great Britain - abstract

To the features of the economic geographical location Great Britain includes the location of the state on the islands, as well as the presence of a land border with only one power - Ireland. In addition, the UK includes 4 large areas: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Physical and geographical position of Great Britain

Great Britain or the United Kingdom is an island nation located in the northwest of Europe. It occupies the island of Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland, as well as many more small islands and archipelagos belonging to the British Isles. In addition, the state owns several island archipelagos located in Oceania, the Indian and Atlantic oceans.

Rice. 1. Island of Great Britain.

In ancient times, the British Isles were part of the Eurasian continent, but the melting of glaciers and flooding of the land led to the formation North Sea and the English Channel, which separated Britain from Europe.

Great Britain is located in the Atlantic Ocean, which is represented by several small seas: the North, Irish, Celtic and Hebrides.

The area of the United Kingdom is 243.8 thousand square meters. km, of which internal waters occupy 3.23 thousand square meters. km. The length of the state from north to south is 966 km, and the distance in its widest part is about 480 km. most extreme point to the south is the Cornish peninsula, and to the north is the archipelago of Shetland.

The entire coast is indented by numerous deltas, bays, gulfs and peninsulas, as a result of which the maximum distance of any point of the country from the sea does not exceed 120 km.

UK borders

The United Kingdom has a land border with only one state - the Republic of Ireland, which occupies the southern part of the island of Ireland, while its northern part belongs to Great Britain.

All other borders of the country are maritime:

in the south, Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel;
in the southeast Island state separated from Belgium and Norway by the shallow North Sea.

The English Channel, often called the English Channel, plays an important role in communication between Great Britain and mainland European states. At the end of the 20th century, a tunnel for high-speed rail traffic was laid along its bottom. In addition, communication between countries is carried out by air and water.

Introduction page 2

Main part:

1. Geographic location page 2

2. State structure p. 3

3. Relief page 3

4. Minerals page 4

5. Climate page 5

6. Water resources page 5

7. Soils page 6

8. Agriculture page 7

9. Industry page 7

Conclusion page 9

List of sources and literature page 10

Geographic location

Introduction:

The topic "Economic - geographical location of Great Britain" is very extensive. It covers many aspects related to this country. Such as: economic, geographical location, the state of the sectors of the economy at this stage of the country's development. This essay is written using three sources, which accurately and fully describe the current situation in the UK. A clear description of the state of the economy, EGP, geographical location (relief, climate, etc.) is given. The abstract is written to show the current state of the country and draw a conclusion about its condition.

The abstract consists of introduction, main part and conclusion. The introduction briefly provides an analysis of sources and literature, and also formulates the purpose of writing an abstract. The main part is divided into three chapters. The first chapter provides some basic information; the second will deal with natural conditions; and the third chapter describes the state of the country's economy. In conclusion, a conclusion is given about the general state of Great Britain.

Main part :

Chapter 1

GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION

The country located in the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe is traditionally called Great Britain, and after the name of the historical part - England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country consists of 4 historical regions: England (occupies the central and eastern part of the island of Great Britain); Wales (in the west of the same island); Northern Ireland (the island of Ireland) and Scotland. The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and more than 5 thousand small islands. The southern tip of the island of Great Britain, the Lizard Peninsula, is located at 50 degrees north latitude, and the northernmost part of the archipelago, the Shetland Islands, is at 60 degrees north latitude. The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its greatest width is half that. The British archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden and Denmark, and by the narrow English Channel and Pas de Calais from France. The modern outlines of the coastline have developed relatively recently. The area of the United Kingdom is 244,100 sq. km.

GOVERNMENT

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. There is no constitution here, its legislation is based on centuries-old constitutional customs and precedents, that is, parliamentarians are watching how a similar case was once resolved. Formally, the country is ruled by a monarch (since 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II), but in fact the highest legislative body is the Parliament, which includes the Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is a national assembly, elected every five years. House of Lords - aristocrats, princes of the blood, hereditary peers ... The House of Lords has the right to delay a bill (not financial) for up to one year. Financial bills become laws when they pass the House of Commons and are signed by the Queen. Usually it does not interfere with the work of the House of Lords and does not interfere at all in state affairs.

Chapter 2

RELIEF

Natural features of Great Britain are in many respects similar to neighboring countries of Western Europe. This is not surprising, since the British Isles, located within the shelf, separated from the mainland only in recent geological time. Coastline The North Sea and the English Channel took shape close to modern, just a few thousand years ago.

The island position of Great Britain, the proximity of the warm North Atlantic current, the strong dissection of the coastline, nevertheless, left a certain imprint on the nature of this country. This is reflected in the predominance of moderate temperatures, increased moisture, an extraordinary abundance of surface water, the spread of broad-leaved forests and moorlands.

At the base of the mountains throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Lower Paleozoic folded structures rest, and in the south of Wales and in the south of Cornwall - Hercynian. These ancient mountain structures were subjected to intense erosion and destruction for a long time, which led to the leveling of their surface. In the Alpine era, uplifts contributed to the revival of the medium-altitude mountains of Great Britain, and due to the unevenness of these uplifts, the western parts of the mountains turned out to be much higher than the eastern ones.

Such orographic asymmetry, as a rule, is inherent in all mountain structures of Great Britain, and, accordingly, the main watershed is shifted towards the west coast. The western steep and precipitous shores differ sharply from the gentle low-lying shores that prevail in the east of the country.

Quaternary glaciation in general increased the smoothing of the mountains of Great Britain, and only in the most elevated areas an alpine-type relief was formed with sharp jagged ridges and peaks, glacial cirques and typical valleys. A significant role in the modeling of the relief was played by erosive processes, which are actively taking place at the present time. In many flat areas, erosion has strongly, and in some places completely erased glacier-accumulation landforms, formed in the era when the ice sheets descended from the mountains to the plains. It is known that, for example, during the maximum glaciation, ice approached the Thames valley, but the extreme south of England was never covered with ice.

The northern, most elevated part of Great Britain is occupied by the Scottish Highlands, rising steeply to the west. To the east, the highlands gradually decrease and are replaced by coastal lowlands. The deep and narrow rectilinear depression of the Glen More serves as the border of large parts of the North Scottish Highlands - the Northwest Highlands and the Gramnian Mountains with the majestic peak of Ben Nevis (1343) highest point the whole country.

The Grampian Mountains drop steeply to a vast depression occupied by the Mid-Scottish Lowlands, the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. As part of a thick layer of sedimentary rocks that fill the depression, productive horizons of Devonian coal are distinguished, which are very intensively developed here. The South Scottish Highlands are characterized by a highly dissected relief. Altitudes average about 600 m, and the highest point - Mount Merrick - reaches 842 m.

In the north of England, the Penin Mountains stretch in the meridional direction, rising an average of 700 m. In their northern part is the highest point of the Penin - Mount Cross Fell (893 m).

The Peniny Mountains are approached in the northwest by the massive Cumberland Mountains, composed mainly of Cambrian-Silurian shales and ancient igneous rocks. This domed uplift with the summit of Scofell (978 m) is heavily dissected by radial valleys that have formed at the site of faults. In the upper part of the mountains, glacial landforms and numerous lakes have been preserved, because of which this area received the name "Lake Circle".

The mountains of Wales, united under the name of the Cambrian, are most elevated in the north, where Mount Snowdon rises (1085 m).

MINERALS

In general, the flat regions of England have long been widely used for settlement and agricultural development. Somewhat later, mountainous regions began to be developed, where at first rich pasture lands, and later mineral resources, served as an important incentive for this. In the course of the complex geological history of the islands, a variety of minerals were formed in their bowels. Almost all known minerals are found there, except for diamonds.

In the north of England stretch the Pennines, composed of carboniferous sedimentary rocks. Karst is widespread in their northern part. At the foot of the Peniny Mountains, rich productive strata of coal lie shallow. On the basis of these deposits, large mining and industrial centers of the Lankshire, Yorkshire and other basins arose, the reserves of which amount to more than 4 billion tons.

For most of England, the alternation of flat plains with rolling cuesta ridges is typical. The cuestas are usually composed of limestone or writing chalk, and the plains are composed of looser rocks: sands, marls, clays. The accumulation of all these sedimentary rocks occurred in ancient sea basins. The gentle peaks of the cuestas are characterized by the development of karst, and on many plains a cover of glacial deposits (moraine) has been preserved. These deposits are particularly widespread in the Midland Plains. Deposits of coal and iron ore are associated here with small remnant hills. The largest iron ore deposit is in the East Midlands: 60% of all reserves are concentrated here.

Significant reserves of rock and potash salts found in Cheshire and Durham.

Lead-zinc and hematite ores were found in the Cambedlen massif, and lead-zinc and tin ores were found in Cornwall. Much hope is placed on the oil and gas of the North Sea, the total reserves of which amount to 2.6 billion tons and 1,400 billion cubic meters, respectively.

CLIMATE

The oceanic nature of the UK climate is reflected in the predominance of unstable weather with gusty winds and thick fogs throughout the year. Winters are very wet and unusually mild, with a sharp temperature anomaly (about 12-15 degrees) compared to the average latitude. The average temperature of the coldest month - January - does not fall below +3.5 degrees even in the extreme north-east of Great Britain, and in the south-west it reaches +5.5 degrees, and plants grow there all year round. Masses of warm sea air coming from the southwest increase winter temperatures, but at the same time bring overcast and rainy weather with strong winds and storms. With the invasion of cold air from the east and northeast, frosty weather sets in for a long time. snow in winter time falls throughout the country, but very unevenly. In the mountainous regions of Scotland, the snow cover lasts for at least 1-1.5 months. In the south of England, and especially in its southwest, snow falls very rarely and lasts no more than a week. Here the grass is green all year round. In the west of the UK, winters typically receive twice as much rain as summers. In the eastern regions, winters are colder and less humid.

Cold winds blow in spring northern winds, significantly delaying the growth of crops in the east of Scotland, and sometimes - dry eastern. This time of year is usually the least rainy. Spring in the British Isles is cooler and longer than at the same latitudes on the continent.

In the UK, as in other countries with a maritime climate, summers are relatively cool: average temperature the warmest month - July - is 1-2 degrees lower than at the same latitudes of the mainland. In the summer months, cyclonic activity decreases, and the distribution of average temperatures in July is more consistent with latitudinal zoning: +16 degrees in the southeast of the country, and +12 degrees in the extreme northwest. The maximum temperature in the south-east of England sometimes rises above +27 degrees, and sometimes up to +32 degrees. The maximum precipitation here occurs in the second half of summer.

In autumn, cyclonic activity intensifies, the weather becomes cloudy and rainy, sometimes with severe storms, especially in September and October. When warm air is carried to the chilled surface of the islands, there are often fogs on the coasts.

With warm and humid winds blowing from the Atlantic, there is an abundance of rain in the western regions of Great Britain. On average, 2000 mm of precipitation falls there annually, while in eastern England, located in the "rain shadow", it is only about 600 mm, and in some places even 500 mm. The mountains thus serve as a natural barrier to trap moist air on the western side. The abundance of precipitation adversely affects the growth of many crops, especially wheat and barley. In general, grains in the British Isles do well in drier years, but then the grasses often burn out.

WATER RESOURCES

The UK is rich in water resources. Almost throughout the country, except for some southeastern regions, the amount of precipitation exceeds evaporation, and therefore a dense network of full-flowing rivers is developed. The largest of them are the Severn, which has a length of 354 km, and the Thames (338 km), whose basins border on each other. The Thames is of the greatest importance for the UK economy. 1/5 of the total population of the country lives in its basin. Here is the capital conurbation - Greater London.

The rivers of the lowland part of the country, located east of the main watershed, are calm. In the mountainous regions of Scotland and Wales, the sources of the rivers are at significant heights, so the rivers flow quickly, they often overflow their banks, especially during the rainy season. The short but deep and fast rivers of northwestern Scotland and Wales are used to generate electricity. More than 60 hydroelectric power plants have been built here. The estuaries of the largest rivers in Great Britain - the Thames, the Severn, the Humber, the Mersey, the Clyde and the Forth - are wide, artificially deepened and straightened bays. They contain the largest seaports and industrial units. At high tide, salt water penetrates estuaries far upstream, so most people seaports It is supplied with drinking water from the upper reaches of rivers, underground reservoirs and mountain lakes.

The largest lakes in Great Britain are Loch Neagh (about 400 sq. km) in northern Ireland, as well as Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in Scotland. Numerous lakes of the Highlands of Scotland and the Lake Circle serve as a flow regulator and are used as local transport routes. There are no large lakes in the flat part of Great Britain, but there are many artificial reservoirs created on the site of former peat extraction, sand and gravel pits.

Underground reservoirs have long served as the main source of high quality water for the population of the lowlands of England. The largest underground pool, whose area reaches almost 30 thousand square meters. km, located under the Cretaceous limestones in the south-east of England. Currently, underground reservoirs provide 2/5 of all water consumed in England and Wales.

SOILS

The most fertile soils of Great Britain are located in its warm and relatively dry south-eastern part, where they were formed mainly on calcareous rocks. Relatively high summer temperatures here contribute to increased biological activity and accumulation of humus in the upper soil layer. Initially, this whole area was covered with broad-leaved forests, under which brown forest soils formed. Currently, the soils are heavily cultivated as a result of long-term use for crops of barley, wheat and sugar beets, as well as grasses. On swampy coastal lowlands - marshes - and in some other flat areas of England that have undergone reclamation, brown forest podzolized soils have been preserved under natural and perennial pastures. On the drained sea lowlands of Fenland, as well as in the valley of the Trent River, fairly fertile peaty alluvial soils are common. In these areas, more than in other regions of the country, wheat is sown, orchards and berries are planted, and intensive horticulture is practiced. Thin humus-calcareous and soddy-calcareous soils are developed on the uplands and kuest ridges. In the western and northwestern regions of Great Britain, acid brown podzolic soils predominate. These lands are used for grass-sowing and as natural pastures. Of the grain crops, mainly barley is grown here. In the highlands of Cornwall, the Pennines, the Lake Circle and Scotland, where the climate is humid and cool, soddy-podzolic soils are developed, which are easily subject to waterlogging, leading to the formation of peat bogs. Pastures with coarse herbage predominate there.

Chapter 3

AGRICULTURE

Agriculture in the UK employs only about 3% of the country's working population. Great Britain produces more than half of the agricultural products consumed by its population. The demand for barley, oats, potatoes, poultry, pork, eggs and fresh milk is fully met. However, many important UK products have to be imported from other countries. They import 4/5 of butter, 2/3 of sugar, half of wheat and bacon, 1/4 of the beef and veal consumed in the country.

The natural conditions of Great Britain are more favorable for the development of animal husbandry than for agriculture. Livestock and crop production account for 65% and 23% of the value of the country's agricultural output, respectively. Mostly livestock farms are located in the western, wetter part of the island of Great Britain. England is one of the world's largest suppliers of sheep's wool.

INDUSTRY

The UK industry provides 1/3 of the gross national product, it accounts for 1/3 of all employees. It uses mainly imported raw materials, and is increasingly oriented to the foreign market. On the one hand, the UK is characterized by the rapid growth of modern industries using progressive production technology and labor organization, the latest equipment and sophisticated management methods, on the other hand, the old traditional industries lag behind, the first group includes electronics, the latest general and precision engineering industries, most industries chemical industry, the second - coal mining, cotton and woolen industry, shipbuilding, ferrous metallurgy.

The main branch of the mining industry in Great Britain is coal mining. It has been going on for three centuries. Until 1910, British coal dominated the world market. However, since 1913, when a record amount of 287 million tons was mined, production has been steadily declining.

Coal mining has provided the British economy with fuel for centuries. Coal was also exported. Coal basins have become the core of the formation of most of the country's industrial regions. While the latest branches of industry developed on the basis of the latest achievements of science and technology, coal continued to produce millions of tons using the old methods. Oil became an increasingly serious competitor to coal. In addition, improved methods of using the coal itself. All this led to a decrease in its consumption. The use of natural gas, new methods of steel smelting and the electrification of transport have led to an even greater reduction in the consumption of this type of fuel.

However, coal still remains one of the leading fuels in the country. It provides 1/3 of the energy consumed in the UK, second only to oil, which provides almost half of it. The largest coal basin in the British Isles is Yorkshire, where in 1975 28 million tons were mined. coal. It is followed by Northumberland-Durham and Northwest.

UK coal consumption increased slightly in last years due to the rise in world oil prices.

The British oil refining industry is still dependent on imports of crude oil and petroleum products. Wells in the East Midlands produce less than 100 kt annually. Extraction of oil and gas from under the North Sea is a new, flourishing industry in the country. Crude oil is injected from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Libya, oil products - from Italy, the Netherlands and Venezuela.

The largest oil refineries are located at the deep sea ports at Southampton, in Cheshire, at the mouths of the Thames, Trent and Tees. Five factories in south Wales are connected to the port of Ang Bay by an oil pipeline. There is also a large factory in Scotland on the Gulf Coast. Firth of Forth. From the fields of the North Sea to oil refineries at the mouth of the river. The yew and in the Firth of Forth have oil pipelines.

Through a gas pipeline laid on the bottom of the North Sea, the gas reaches the east coast of the island of Great Britain in the area of Easington and Yorgshire. There are five main natural gas fields in the British zone, which provide 1 6 of the energy consumed in the country. Today almost all gas comes from natural sources.

Great Britain is the world's second largest supplier and exporter of kaolin (the white clay used to make porcelain); other types of clay for the ceramic industry are also mined here on a very large scale. There are prospects for the extraction of tungsten, copper and gold from newly explored deposits. It is even possible that in the future Britain will be able to completely stop importing tungsten.

Iron ore is mined in a relatively narrow belt that starts at Scunthorpe in Yorkshire in the north and runs through the East Midlands to Banbury in the south. The ore here is of low quality, siliceous and contains only 33% of the metal. The need for iron ore is covered by imports from Canada, Liberia and Mauritania.

The UK is fully self-sufficient in electricity. 86% of electricity is produced by thermal power plants, 12% by nuclear and 2% by hydroelectric power plants. The vast majority of thermal power plants run on coal, but in recent years some of them have switched to oil. The largest thermal power plants (with a capacity of more than 1 million kW) are located on the River Trent and near London.

Hydro stations are usually small, located mainly in the Scottish Highlands. And in 1970, in the UK, the construction of a single power transmission system (“Supergrid”) with high voltage was completed.

Most energy is consumed by one of the leading branches of British industry - ferrous metallurgy. The UK ranks eighth in the world in iron and steel smelting. Almost all of the country's steel is produced by the state-owned British Steel Corporation. Metallurgy of Great Britain developed in favorable conditions. The country is rich in coal. Iron ore was often found in the coal seams themselves or was mined nearby. The third component necessary for metallurgy - limestones are found almost everywhere in the British Isles. Coal basins, near which metallurgical centers developed, are located relatively close to each other and from the largest seaports of the country, which facilitates the delivery of missing raw materials from other regions of the country and from foreign countries and the export of finished products.

The UK steel industry is increasingly using scrap metal as a raw material, so modern steel plants are usually "tied" to the main industrial centers as sources of raw materials and markets for finished products.

British non-ferrous metallurgy is one of the largest in Europe. It works almost entirely on imported raw materials, so the smelting of non-ferrous metals gravitates towards port cities. Non-ferrous metal exports far exceeded iron and steel exports in terms of value. Great Britain is also one of the main suppliers of metals such as uranium, zirconium, beryllium, niobium, germanium, etc., which are used in the nuclear industry, aircraft construction and electronics. The main buyers of British non-ferrous metals are the USA and Germany.

The oldest traditional industry in Great Britain is the textile industry. Woolen fabrics are produced mainly in West Yorkshire, rayon production prevails in the Yorkshire city of Silesden, and cotton fabrics in Lancashire, in small textile towns north-east of Manchester. The production of woolen fabrics, products, yarn is the oldest in the British Isles. The woolen products of British textile workers are still highly valued in foreign markets today.

Conclusion:

Now Great Britain is a highly developed state, one of the leading world powers. In terms of industrial production, it ranks fifth in the world after the USA, Japan, Germany and France. But it hasn't been done yet. In Britain, mining is underway, the development of new methods for extracting the latter. Due to the fact that Britain is an island nation, it remains one of the largest maritime powers at the present time.

Thanks to its EGP, there are still development options in the UK. This country can only develop and improve its position in the world.

List of used sources and literature:

Soviet encyclopedic dictionary. –M.: Soviet Encyclopedia

1979.– p.204.

3. What is Who is. -M.: Pedagogy 1990. -p.208. *

* Source #2 and #3 was used mainly in the first chapter.

UK economics - geographical position australia Abstract >> Geography

Political and economic-geographical position. Australia is the only state in the world occupying ... - a federal state in the commonwealth headed by Great Britain. The head of state is the Queen of England, represented by...

The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is often called This is a rather complex and multifaceted category. It will be discussed in this article. What are the characteristics of the economic and geographical position of the leading states of Eurasia - Japan, Great Britain, France? And how profitable is it?

Position of the country in relation to neighboring countries

The countries of our planet differ significantly from each other. And not only in terms of size, population or cultural characteristics. There are other factors that largely determine the welfare of the state. So, some countries have extensive access to the ocean, while others are closed within the mainland. Some states are located at the crossroads of important transcontinental transport routes, which gives them huge benefits in the form of profit from the transit of goods by other subjects of the world economy. All these factors can be attributed to the concept considered in this article.

So, the position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is called the economic and geographical position of the state (abbreviated as EGP). However, this is a very narrow interpretation of the concept. EGP is a very complex and multifaceted geographical category. In a broad sense, EGP is the position of a country (as well as a city or region) relative to those geographical objects that can have an impact (positive or negative) on its economic development.

EGP can be central, peripheral, deep or marginal. It can be assessed at the global or regional level.

When characterizing the EGP of a particular state, many factors should be taken into account. It:

availability of access to the sea (World Ocean);
number of neighboring countries;
marketing opportunities for their products;
the presence of large fuel and raw material bases;
position regarding important transport routes, etc.

It is interesting that some countries successfully use the benefits of their geographical position. Other states have not yet learned this art. The Soviet geographer Nikolai Baransky was the first to seriously deal with the theoretical aspects of the EGP concept.

The position in relation to neighboring countries is often also referred to. However, in this case, we are talking exclusively about political factors, the nature of the relationship of a particular state with its neighbors, and the like.

Characteristics of the EGP of France

France is one of largest countries in Europe. It includes Corsica, as well as a number of small islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, France owns overseas departments and territories almost all over the world.

The position of France in relation to neighboring countries can be described as favorable. It borders on eight states. France maintains good neighborly and close relations with each of them.

The country is located in Western Europe and has access to mediterranean sea in the south and towards the Atlantic in the west and northwest. The coastline within the state is indented by numerous bays, convenient for the entry of large international ships.

Characteristics of the EGP of Japan

Japan is an archipelago country in East Asia, which consists of six thousand islands of various sizes. From the east, the territory of the state is washed Pacific Ocean, from the west - by the waters of the three seas that separate it from the "Great Land".

The position of Japan in relation to neighboring countries can generally be considered advantageous. Due to its location at the junction of the largest continent and the largest ocean on the planet, the country has received many opportunities for establishing international contacts and marketing its products.

Japan is frankly unlucky with natural resources and topography. About 80% of its territory is not suitable for the development of the economy and the construction of residential buildings (due to mountain landscapes). In addition, there are practically no minerals in the country.

UK GWP score

Great Britain in many ways resembles This country is also located on, however, not on the eastern, but on the western outskirts of Eurasia.

Great Britain is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and two seas - the North and the Irish. It is separated from the mainland by the 35-kilometer English Channel. It has a common land border with only one country - Ireland.

Due to its geographical position, England received the unspoken status of the "sea queen of Europe" several centuries ago. The relief and natural and climatic conditions also contribute to the development of the country's economy.

Conclusion

Under the term EGP understand the position of the country in relation to neighboring countries. It can be central, deep or marginal, profitable or unprofitable. In addition, not all states effectively use their geographical position.

The area is 244.8 thousand km2. Population - 60.4 million people

A constitutional monarchy is a unitary state with autonomous entities (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). Capital -. London

EGP

Great Britain is an island state in the northeastern part. Atlantic Ocean, from the mainland. Europe is separated by a strait. English Channel. Except the island. Great Britain, it includes the north-eastern part of the island. Ireland and a number of small islands. In the west, the state borders with. Ireland, which was a colony for more than 700 years. UK her. The nearest neighbors on the mainland -. France i. B elgium. UK is a member. EU,. NATO and other integration associations, which contributes to the development of pan-European cooperation.

Great Britain is a central state. The Commonwealth is a political and economic association of countries and territories that were previously part of. British. Empires (49 states and territories) in the composition. The Commonwealth includes 14 states, among them such highly developed ones as. Canada,. Australia,. New. Zealand*.

Location. Great Britain on the islands contributes to the development of maritime transport and access to international maritime trade routes. A tunnel laid at the narrowest point of the strait. English Channel, connects. Great Britain with the mainland. This greatly improves it. EGGP.

Population

In terms of population, the country ranks second among European countries after. Germany. For. Great Britain has long been characterized by low natural population growth, which today is more than 1 per 1,000 people per year. For several years, even a slight decrease in the population of the state was observed. Right now in. Britain's population is slowly growing due to the insignificant nature of one increase and the influx of foreigners. The low birth rate against the background of a significant average life expectancy (78 years) leads to the aging process of the nation.

The national composition of the population is motley. More than 80% are British, about 4% - Welsh (Welsh), 2% - Irish, about 5.2% - Scots and over 4% - immigrants from the states. Commonwealth and others. From the middle of the XX century about. 3000 people from Ukraine. Residents by religion. Great Britain belong to three denominations: the British and the Welsh are supporters of the Protestant Anglican Church; the Irish are Catholics; Scots are Protestants (Presbyterians).

Placed population. Great Britain on the territory unevenly. The average population density is about 240 people per 1 km2. The highest population density in England (350 people per 1 km2), the smallest in. Scotland India (more than 100 people per 1 km2). More than 90% of the population lives in cities. For. Great Britain is characterized by large agglomerations with a population of over 1 million people, in which one third of the urban population lives. Together with smaller agglomerations (about 30 in all) they form. English metropolis with population. 3 million people. Bridge-millionaire two -. London (7.6 million people) i. Birmingham. The countryside, in terms of the way I live, differs little from Miss Mist.

In the structure of employment of the population, about 80% are employed in the service sector, 19% - in industry and 1% - in agriculture. There is unemployment in the country, on average it reaches 5.5% annually.

Natural conditions and resources

. Island. Great Britain is rich in coal resources, whose reserves are currently very depleted. Largest coal basins -. Yorkshire, Newcastle (Northern England) and. Welsh. Oil and gas reserves are significant (the shelf of the North Sea). B. British sector. The North Sea contains significant deposits of oil and natural gas. Great Britain is the only European country of the "Big Seven" that fully meets its needs with its own oil and natural gas

The Nadra Islands contain small reserves of iron ore in the central coastal parts of the state, lead-zinc and tin ores on the peninsula. Cornwall (southwest. Great Britain). In the central parts. England has deposits of table and potash salts.

The state is relatively rich in water resources (the humid climate contributes to the full flow of the rivers). Only in the center. England is in short supply water resources. Insignificant water resources are concentrated in the rivers. S. Scotland and. Wales.

Forest reserves in the country are insignificant. Only 10% of its territory is covered with forests and only 15% of the timber demand is covered by its own resources.

The country is dominated by a flat terrain. Significant areas are occupied by old destroyed mountains (Cambrian, Peninsky), which do not have a significant impact on the nature of the development of the territory

The country's climate is temperate maritime with mild winters and cool summers. It contributes to the cultivation of all crops of the temperate zone. On the west coast The islands receive 2000 mm of precipitation, and on the eastern side - 600 mm of rainfall on the river.

The UK has limited farmland resources. The soils of the state are quite fertile (brown forest, podzolic), but require a significant amount of mineral and organic fertilizers.

In the north. Scotland hosts a large lake district, characterized by significant recreational resources

State structure

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Formally, the country is ruled by a monarch (since 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II), but in fact the highest legislative body is the Parliament, which includes the Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is a national assembly, elected every five years. House of Lords - aristocrats, princes of the blood, hereditary peers.

Position in relation to neighboring countries

The country is located in the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe, traditionally called (after largest island) Great Britain, and according to the name of the historical part - England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean from the north and from the west. Through the vastness of this ocean given country"adjacent" to Iceland in the north.

From the east, the shores of "foggy Albion" are washed by the waters of the North Sea. The neighboring countries on this side are Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The closest neighboring country is France. It borders the UK on the south side and is separated from the coast of the United Kingdom by the English Channel.

In the west, Great Britain is separated from the main part of Ireland by the Irish Sea and the Strait of St. George.