UK island. British Isles

Introduction

2. Climate. Inland waters. Soils

3. Natural areas. Animal and plant world.

4. Environmental problems and protected areas

Conclusion

List of sources used

Introduction

The object of study of the physical geography of continents and oceans is the natural territorial complexes of the Earth, planetary patterns and morphostructural features of their origin, development and change under the influence of human economic activity.

The formation of natural complexes takes place in a geographical shell (geosphere), which is a complexly built integral, continuously developing material system, consisting of four qualitatively different, interpenetrating and interacting spheres: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.

Central Europe includes a physical and geographical country - the British Isles. It is located on the territory of a young epipaleozoic platform, mainly in that part of it, the basement is represented by structures created as a result of the Hercynian folding. The exception is the northern regions of Great Britain and most of Ireland, belonging to the epipoleozoic platform with a basement formed mainly by the Caledonian folding.

The country has very clear boundaries in the south, west and north, where it is washed by the seas, as well as in the areas of contact of the epihercynian platform with the structures of the Alpine geosynclinal region.

1. Geographic location. Geological structure, relief, minerals

The British Isles are located off the northwestern coast of Europe, between 60 o 52 "and 49 o 10" north latitude and 1 o 46" east and 8 o 10" west longitude, and are separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea

The British Isles are the only major archipelago off the coast of Western Europe. It consists of two large islands - Great Britain and Ireland - and a large number of smaller ones - Man, Anglesey, White, Skye, Inner and Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland. The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. The total area of ​​the archipelago is about 325 thousand km 2, of which 230 thousand km 2 are on the island of Great Britain and 84 thousand km 2 on the island of Ireland (Figure 1).

The whole region is located at a small distance from the mainland, within the continental shelf, which is especially wide in the east, where the North Sea lies within it. The northern and western coasts are washed directly by the Atlantic Ocean, between Ireland and Great Britain is the Irish Sea.

Most of the British Isles belong to the structures on the Kaledinsky folded base. In the extreme northwest, in the Hebrides and in Northern Scotland, there are remains of fragmented Precambrian sites, while Hercynian folded structures are common south of the Bristol-London line. All the folded structures of the British Isles have undergone a strong vertical division, which was especially intense at the end of the Neogene and the beginning of the Anthropogen. These processes have created an extremely fragmented topography with alternating ancient folded basement protrusions and depressions filled with sedimentary deposits of various ages and origins (Figure 2).

In the Quaternary period, almost the entire region, with the exception of the southern part of the island of Great Britain, was covered with glaciation, which left powerful moraine accumulations and had a great influence on the formation of the relief. The last glaciation had a local mountain character with centers in Scotland, Ireland and Wales.

The depth of the coastal waters of the British Isles almost nowhere exceeds 200 m. The shallow area is limited, sharply expressed by a ledge from which the oceanic depths begin. On the surface of the bottom of the continental shoal, preserved hollows of river valleys and areas with dune relief were found, indicating relatively recent land subsidence under sea level in the British Isles. The final separation of the archipelago from the mainland and the formation of the modern outlines of its coasts occurred already in the postglacial period.

The island position and the pronounced influence of the Atlantic, the sharp dissection of the coasts, which further enhances this influence, the dissection of the relief and the widespread anthropogenic landscapes determine the main features of the nature of the British Isles. To this it should also be added that the islands, which have recently lost contact with the mainland, are very similar in many features of nature to its neighboring areas, but the insular position has left a certain imprint both on natural features and on the living conditions of the population.

The relief of the British Isles is dominated by leveled mountain ranges of small height and area, alternating with hilly basins and plateaus. The highest height is only slightly higher than 1,300 m. The coastline of the islands is very strongly dissected. This is due to tectonic faults and repeated uplifts and subsidences of land that occurred in the course of the geological development of the islands. Large bays protrude into the coast of Great Britain and Ireland where the surface is flat. On larger peninsulas, on the contrary, mountain ranges rise. In the structure of the coasts, in many places, a series of sea terraces are clearly expressed, the formation of which is the result of repeated changes in sea level.

The northwest coast of Great Britain and the west coast of Ireland are especially indented. In the first case, the fjord type is well expressed, in the second, the rias type. The east coast of Great Britain is less dissected, where it is dominated by a straight low-lying coast with several bays deeply protruding into the land.

The northwest coast of Great Britain and the west coast of Ireland are especially indented. In the first case, the fjord type is well expressed, in the second, the rias type. The east coast of Great Britain is less dissected, where it is dominated by a straight low-lying coast with several bays deeply protruding into the land.

In the north of Great Britain rises the North Scottish Highlands, stretching from northeast to southwest from one coast of the island to the other. The deep tectonic fissure of the Glen More highlands is divided into two parts: the Northern Highlands and the Grampian Mountains, in which the highest peak of the islands, the Ben Nevis massif (1,343 m), is located. The Caledonian Canal is laid along the Glen More depression, connecting the Mary Firth on the northeast coast of Scotland with the Firth of Lorne on the west coast. The extreme northern part of the highlands, as a result of recent faults and fragmentation, separated from the island of Great Britain, forming two groups of islands - the Inner and Outer Hebrides.

The North Scottish Highlands as a whole is a horst massif with a leveled surface and separately protruding peaks. In its relief, traces of the impact of Quaternary glaciation are visible: heaps of boulders, "ram's foreheads", numerous trough valleys. The northwest fjord coast of Scotland is rocky and is accompanied by a mass of islands. The activity of the surf in the rocky shores of the islands has developed a variety of bizarre forms. Particularly famous is the Fingal grotto on the small island of Staffa, formed in coastal basalt rocks. At high tide this grotto fills with water, and at low tide it can be entered without getting your feet wet.

A smoother relief has the South Scottish Upland 500-600 m high with a gently undulating surface, cut through by wide valleys. Its western part is higher and more dissected than the eastern part, it has tarns, accumulations of boulders and moraines. The northern margin of the upland, as well as the southern margin of the North Scottish Highlands, is formed by normal faults.

Between the Grampian Mountains and the South Uplands lies the Mid-Scots Plain in a broad ridge. Its surface is composed of red-colored sandstones, clays and limestones of the Devonian and Carboniferous, containing coal. These deposits are intruded by volcanic outcrops that form numerous dome-shaped uplands.

South of the South Scottish Highlands, in Northern England, there are uplands and rolling plains that border the coast. The middle part of Northern England is occupied by the Pennine Alps stretching in the meridional direction - an anticline uplift composed of Carboniferous rocks. The crest of the anticline is eroded, and cuesta ledges are developed in the slopes, gently descending to the east and west.

From the northwest, the ancient domed volcanic massif Cumberland adjoins the Pennines. During glaciation, a complex of mountain-glacial forms formed on the slopes of the massif. Its slopes are cut by large cirques, trough valleys diverge along the slopes in radial directions and form extensions occupied by lakes. Due to the many lakes, the Cumberland massif received the name of the Lake District.

From the south, the foot of the Pennines adjoins the rolling Midland Plain, composed of Triassic and Jura deposits. The hills are cut by numerous valleys and ravines, in the slopes of which strata of red-colored rocks are exposed. For the predominance of red tones in the landscape, Midland is called the Red Plain.

In the west, far into the sea, the Wales Peninsula juts out, almost entirely occupied by the Cambrian Mountains. The relief of the mountains is smoothed, the peaks are rounded, the slopes are gentle. Only the highest parts, like the Snowdon volcanic massif (1,085 m), have mountainous relief, formed under the influence of ancient glaciation. The peninsula is separated from the rest of Great Britain by the wide valley of the River Severn. In the extreme south of Wales, sections of Hercynian structures are traced, forming low uplifts in the Cardiff region.

The Bristol Bay Graben separates the Wales Peninsula from the Cornwall Peninsula, which forms the southwestern tip of Great Britain. This peninsula is occupied by peneplanated uplands protruding from younger sedimentary rocks. The highest height (500-600 m) on the Cornwall peninsula is reached by the crystalline massifs of Dartmoor Forest and Exmoor Forest. The recent subsidence of the land has caused the dissection of the coast and the formation of ingressive bays, as well as the separation of numerous rocky islands from the coast. The eastern part of the peninsula is occupied by the low plain Somersetshire, composed of Mesozoic rocks.

The southeastern part of Great Britain differs in geological structure and relief from all its other parts. Folded structures do not come to the surface anywhere, and sedimentary deposits of Mesozoic and Cenozoic age are widespread throughout the area. The main feature of the relief of this area is the distribution of cuestas, stretching from the southwest to the northeast and turning with a steep edge towards the ancient mountain uplifts of Wales. From the south, the foot of the Pennines adjoins the rolling Midland Plain, composed of red sandstones, as well as limestones and shales of the Triassic and Jura. Its high dissected edge - the Cotswold Hills - reaches a height of 300-350 m. From the south of this cuesta stretches a lowered strip filled with sandy-argillaceous deposits of the Jurassic and Cretaceous age. In the south, the depression gives way to the chalk cuest plateau Chiltern Hills, reaching 250 m in height. It slopes gently southward to an oblong depression of the Thames Basin, or London Basin, filled with thick Cenozoic marine deposits. To the south of the Thames basin, chalk rocks again come to the surface, forming two ridges - the North and South Downs, abruptly breaking off to the north, towards the London Basin, and to the south, towards the English Channel.

The entire interior of Ireland is occupied by the low-lying Central Irish Plain. Its surface is composed of Carboniferous limestones, which are covered in places by a thin layer of clay deposits. On the plain there are all forms of karst relief.

On all sides, the Central Irish Plain is surrounded by highly fragmented mountain ranges with a height of no more than 1,000 m. In the north is the Donegal Massif, off the northeast coast are the Antrim Mountains, composed of basalt lavas, under which rocks of various ages are hidden. The strongly dissected Connaught Mountains fill the northwestern ledge of the coast of Ireland, the Wicklow Mountains stretch along the coast in the southeast, and the highest part of Ireland, the Kerry Mountains with the peak of Carrantowhill (1,041 m), is located in the southwest.

In addition to tectonic and erosional dissection, the relief of the mountains of Ireland shows traces of ancient glaciation, which at low altitudes create a sharp, almost alpine relief. This is especially true in the Kerry Mountains, composed of thick layers of ancient red sandstone. Huge circuses occupied by lakes have been preserved on their slopes. The Kerry Mountains drop in ledges to a deeply dissected coastline.

In the course of the complex geological history of the islands, a variety of minerals were formed in their bowels. They are confined mainly to the outskirts of ancient mountain structures and to volcanic processes of various ages. Coal is the main wealth of the island of Great Britain. Particularly rich are the coal deposits in the Pennines, on the Mid-Scottish Lowlands, in the foothills of South Wales, whose industrial reserves amount to 4 billion tons.

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.

Iron ores of sedimentary origin occur along the outskirts of the Peniny Mountains. The iron content in the ore is no more than 28%.

In the granite intrusions of the Cornwall peninsula, deposits of copper and tin ores were concentrated, but at present they are already heavily depleted and have lost their significance.

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 are respectively 2.6 billion tons and 1,400 billion cubic meters. m.

Non-ferrous metal reserves associated with volcanism in the Neogene are found in the north of Ireland (Figure 2).

Ireland has large reserves of peat, distributed both on the plain and on the flat surfaces of mountain ranges.

Rodents are better represented, especially hares, rabbits, mice, and voles. Atlantic region. The region includes the territory of Hercynian Europe, lying to the west of the lower Rhine and the Rhine midlands (most of France and Belgium). Unlike the British Isles and the Central European region, most of the surface of this region (more than 2/3 of its area) is low and ...

Protecting the Celtic rite, he was forced to leave his residence and retire with the Irish monks to the island of Iona, and then to Ireland. Externally, the influence of the Celtic Church on the spread of Christianity in the British Isles ceased. But the holiness, simplicity and rigor of her missionaries were forever preserved in the people's memory. One of them is Cuthbert. His personality is unusual: on the one hand, ...

Vertically and horizontally, forming a repeating checkered pattern. Simply put, real tartan should be symmetrical about the diagonal. 2. KILT 2.1 Definition of Kilt A kilt is a piece of men's clothing, the traditional garment of the Highlanders of Scotland. A kilt is a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist and secured with buckles and straps; Traditionally, the kilt is worn with...

Under the terms of the peace, all opponents of the revolution (with their families - about 100 thousand people), nicknamed loyalists, were expelled from the States. About half of them - with the permission of London and on the advice of General Carlton - went to the British colonies. Including over 10 thousand people came to Quebec, over 20 thousand to Nova Scotia, almost 10 thousand to New Brunswick. These were mainly planters, merchants, ...

The British Isles are an archipelago in the northwestern part of the European continent, located between the Atlantic and the North Sea. In the British Isles there are territories subject to the English crown - Ireland, Great Britain. Where are they located?

Perhaps the most important island of the archipelago is Foggy Albion. Great Britain is known under this name all over the world. The annual flow of tourists visiting London is not inferior to the number of visitors to Rome and Barcelona. In the United Kingdom, travelers visit royal palaces, medieval castles, Gothic cathedrals, rich museums and modern buildings. City of what state?

What to see in the British Isles

In England, rightfully called the birthplace of the European monarchy, you can find many medieval sights. In addition, in this part of the world, traditions are stronger than anywhere else, so for tourists London and its environs will appear in their cultural grandeur.

We should not forget about industrial Manchester, maritime Brighton, the birthplace of Robin Hood Nottingham, the Beatles' Liverpool, sports and educational institutions: Cambridge and Oxford, as well as Stratford-upon-Avon, where the outstanding writer and poet Shakespeare worked.

The country of obstinate highlanders, the patrimony of the Celts - Scotland is a combination of majestic mountains, blue-dark lakes, ancient culture to the accompaniment of bagpipes, tartan plaid skirts, and strong whiskey. In these parts, we recommend visiting: the capital Edinburgh, the cities of Glasgow and Inverness (the famous mythical Loch Ness monster lives here), Shetland and Orkney Islands.

Wales is a land of serene landscapes and magnificent castles. Curiously, there are more castles per 1 km2 than anywhere else in Europe. Most of them are concentrated in rural areas. We advise you to start your tour of Wales with the incomparable Cardiff.

The island of Ireland is divided into two state entities - the independent state of Ireland itself and Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom. The pearl of the north is Londonderry. Belfast is not inferior to him, in which beer festivals are regularly held.

Map of the island of Great Britain.

The island of Great Britain (English version - Great Britain) is a large island in the archipelago of the British Isles, located off the northwestern coast of Europe in the Northeast Atlantic. The name of the island was found in ancient Roman sources of the 1st century BC, it extended to all the British Isles and meant "Land of the Britons", the tribes inhabiting the island at that time. Subsequently, part of the Britons moved to continental Europe on the Brittany Peninsula, which was originally called Little Britain, while the name Great Britain was attached to the island. The word "Great Britain" has become a Russian-language derivative of the old name.

The geographical coordinates of the island of Great Britain are taken from its approximate geographical center, given the decent size of the island: 54°04′00″ s. sh. 2°37′00″ W The northernmost point of the island is Dunnet Head with coordinates 58.666667°N. sh. 3.366667° W the westernmost - Cape Corrachadh Mòr (56.715611° N 6.227944° W), the southernmost - Cape Lizard (49.9591° N 5.2151° W), the most to the east, Cape Lowestoft Ness (52.481167° N 1.762833° E).

The area of ​​the island of Great Britain is almost 230 thousand square kilometers.

At the moment, Great Britain is the main island in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), which is sometimes reduced to the United Kingdom in the literature. Since ancient times, the island has been divided into three historical regions - England, Wales and Scotland.

Satellite image of the island of Great Britain.

Story.

The history of the island of Great Britain is rich and multifaceted, so let's dwell on the most important and defining moments.

The first mention of the island of Great Britain among the ancient Romans appears in the third century BC. Over the next three centuries, the Romans try to capture the island. These wars began under Julius Caesar and continued with varying success for about 200 years. The Celtic tribes inhabiting the island courageously resisted the invaders, never allowing them to completely capture the island.

Under the pressure of the barbarian tribes that invaded the island, the Normans and numerous uprisings of the Celts in 407, the Romans left Great Britain.

In the future, stable state formations in England and Scotland began to form on the territory of the island of Great Britain. The turning point in the history of the island was the conquest of England in 1066 by the Duke of Normandy William, which marked the beginning of the establishment of the Anglo-Norman monarchy.

Over the centuries, the confrontation between England and Scotland in the form of numerous wars eventually ended with their unification under the rule of the British crown, which made Great Britain the most powerful power of that period.

After the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604 and the defeat of the Invincible Armada, England finally becomes the leading power of that period.

By the end of the 19th century, the island of Great Britain became the center of the mighty British Empire, over which the sun never set.

During the First World War, Great Britain opposed the countries of the Triple Alliance on the side of the Entente coalition and made a decisive contribution to the overall victory in the war. Having a powerful fleet, the British managed to prevent the landing of enemy troops on the island of Great Britain.

Events unfolded similarly in World War II, when the landing of German troops on the island of Great Britain did not take place, contrary to forecasts and analyzes. On the contrary, along with the United States, Great Britain made a decisive contribution to the defeat of Germany and its allies.

In the post-war period, Great Britain, as a power, lost most of its colonies and possessions around the world, concentrating its efforts to develop the state on the islands of the metropolis, the main of which was and continues to be the island of Great Britain.

Currently, the island of Great Britain continues to be the main island of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The coast of the island of Great Britain near Yarmouth.

Origin and geography of the island.

By origin, the island of Great Britain, like other islands in the British, is a mainland. It was formed during the crushing of a massive pra-continent about 26-30 million years ago, as evidenced by the geological structure of the island. The descent of the last glacier finally shaped the modern appearance of the island, forming numerous fjords and bays, especially in the north.

The island of Great Britain has a rather complex geometric shape. In Soviet times, in the then press, he was compared to a crying lady in a hat. Great Britain is separated from Europe by the English Channel (English Channel) and the Pas de Calais (Strait of Dover). In the east, the island is washed by the waters of the North Sea, which separates it from the peninsulas of Scandinavia and Jutland. In the west, the Straits of St. George and the North, as well as the Irish Sea, separate Great Britain from the large island of Ireland. The Hebrides Sea, as well as the Little Minch and North Minch Straits, separate the island from the Hebrides in the northwest, and the Pentland Firth from the Orkney Islands in the north. The length of the island from north to south from Cape Dunnet Head to Cape Lizard is nearly 967 kilometers, with an average width of 470. The coastline of the island is strongly winding and forms several large bays along its length, as well as peninsulas that protrude far into the sea. Significant bays include Bristol Bay, Cardigan, Morecambe, Loos, Solway Firth, Firth of Lorne, Moray Firth, Firth of Forth, Humber, Wash and Thames Bay. Among the major peninsulas, Wales and Cornwall stand out. The relief of Great Britain is represented by both plains and not high ancient mountain systems. In the south, the relief is mostly flat. In Wales, the Cambrian Mountains stretch with an average altitude of 1000 meters, the highest point of which is Mount Snowden, up to 1085 meters above sea level. In the northern part of England are the Pennines, the highest point of which is Mount Cross Fell, 893 meters high. The Pennines in the west pass into the Cumberland Mountains (the highest point is Mount Pike, 978 meters high) and in the north into the South Scottish Plateau (the highest point is Mount Merrick, 843 meters high). In the very north of Great Britain, the Lowlands are followed by the Scottish Highlands (Scottish Mountains) with the highest points of the island, Ben Nevis (1344 meters high) and Ben Macdui (1309 meters high). A large number of large and small rivers flow on the territory of the island of Great Britain, the largest of which are the Thames, Nin, Swale, Clyde, Severn and others. The island's largest lakes are Loch Ness and Loch Lomond.

Southwestern part of the island of Great Britain, Cambrian mountains.

Climate.

The climate of the island of Great Britain is defined by experts as temperate maritime. The average temperature on the island is slightly higher than in other regions located at the same latitude, due to the significant influence of the warm Gulf Stream. The southern part of the island is somewhat drier and warmer than the northern part. Throughout the year, northwest winds prevail, which blow from the northern part of the Atlantic. Cloudy days on the island are not uncommon, in a year they are more than 50% of the total. The average annual amount of precipitation that falls on the island in the form of small but prolonged rains, snow and fogs ranges from 3000 millimeters in Scotland to 553 in the Cambridge area. The driest place on the island of Great Britain is Essex County, where on average up to 600 millimeters of precipitation falls per year, with 100 rainy days throughout the year.

Scottish Highlands (Scottish Highlands).

Population.

Currently, over 61 million people live on the island, making the UK the third most populated island in the world after Honshu. In ethno-racial terms, the population of the island is mostly represented by the British, Scots, Welsh and Irish. Recently, immigrants from former British colonies and emigrants from other countries began to arrive on the island, the total share of which has already exceeded 18% of the total number of islanders. The official and most common language on the island of Great Britain is English, but the Scots and Welsh often use their dialects of English in everyday conversation.

The largest settlement in Great Britain is the capital of the United Kingdom - the city of London, located in the southeast of the island, on the banks of the River Thames and inhabited by more than 9 million inhabitants. In addition to London, in terms of population and importance, it is worth noting such cities as Glasgow, Birmingham, Coventry, Sheffield, Hartford, Bradford, Leeds, Nottingham, Dudley, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Bristol, Sunderland, Yarmouth, Bolton, Blackburn and others .

Currently, being the main island in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Great Britain is divided into three historical regions, which, in turn, are subdivided: England - into 9 regions, 6 metropolitan counties, 28 non-metropolitan counties, 55 unitary units and Greater London , Wales - into 9 counties, 3 cities and 10 city-counties, Scotland - into 32 regions.

The currency in circulation on the island of Great Britain is the pound sterling (British pound) (GBP, code 826), formally consisting of 100 pence. It is worth noting that on the territory of the island, as well as on the territory of the entire United Kingdom, the currencies of dependent British territorial entities, such as the Gibraltar, Manx, Jersey, Guernsey, Falkland pounds, as well as the pound of St. Helena, have parallel circulation.

City of London and the River Thames.

Flora and fauna.

The flora and fauna of the island of Great Britain are quite rich and abound in a variety of species. At the moment, forests on the island occupy only 10% of the total area. They mainly grow in river valleys and in the lower reaches of mountains. In the southern belt of mountains, in England and Wales, oaks, elms, hornbeams, beeches and ash trees grow. In the north of the island, in Scotland, mixed oak-spruce-pine forests grow, and with an increase in altitude - pine and birch forests. Natural perennial meadows in England and Wales are dominated by wild pale yellow daffodils, lilies, purple orchids and primroses. Just above the mountainous border of forests in the mountains of Wales and England, grasses and forbs predominate in mountain meadows, as well as numerous heathers and junipers, which are mixed with crowberries and blueberries.

Most large mammals such as bears, wild boars, wolves and Irish red deer have long been extirpated in Britain due to uncontrolled hunting in past centuries. At the moment, only 56 species of mammals remain, 13 of which were introduced by humans. About 130 species of birds live permanently in Great Britain, a significant part of which are songbirds. Millions of birds migrate, depending on the season, along the coast of Great Britain from north to south and vice versa.

The coastal waters of the island of Great Britain are unusually rich in fish, and marine mammals such as whales and seals are also found here.

Lake Loch Ness.

Tourism.

A huge historical heritage, numerous architectural monuments of different time periods and cultures have always attracted tourists to the island of Great Britain.

According to statistics, most tourists and guests of the island come here to study at the oldest educational institutions in England, which are famous for their level of education all over the world. In addition to higher educational institutions, recently immigrants from the countries of the former Soviet Union began to pay attention to primary educational institutions and colleges.

Also recently gained popularity and the so-called school tourism. Many travel companies now offer their clients an excellent vacation in England, guaranteeing comfort and a lot of impressions for schoolchildren. According to statistics, this type of tourism to the UK ranks second in terms of the number of tourists visiting the island.

The third largest number of tourists arriving on the island is occupied by the so-called shop tours, that is, tourist trips to buy certain goods and receive certain types of services.

And only in fourth place was the category of tourists who visit the island of Great Britain in order to get acquainted with its historical heritage, culture, ancient monuments and other attractions. For this category of tourists, numerous museums, art galleries, and architectural monuments hospitably open their doors.

The famous Stonehenge in Wilshire.

The Isle of Wight is an island territory in the south of Great Britain, which is a ceremonial non-metropolitan county of England and is part of the South East England region. The island's capital and largest city is Newport.

The size of the Isle of Wight is small - 37 kilometers long and 21 kilometers wide. From the main British Isle to Wight and back can be reached by ferry and hovercraft. The island rose to prominence during the Victorian era when it became a resort of outstanding natural beauty, scenic landscapes and the world-famous Cowes Yacht Club with its annual regatta.

The island has attractions for almost every taste: Saxon churches, Norman castles and even old medieval estates in the style of the Victorian era. All this is adjacent to the amazing nature. There are mysterious caves, cozy well-groomed beaches, and proud rocks. The steam railway stands out separately, delighting tourists of all ages.

At different times, the island was chosen for their holidays by various celebrities.

Pitcairn Island

There is only one settlement on Pitcairn Island in the Pacific Ocean - the city of Adamstown. Only 47 people live in it. All the inhabitants of the island represent an isolated community, where everyone is related to each other. Almost everyone is engaged in the cultivation of corn and vegetables. All residents sacredly keep the traditions of the first settlers who sailed here in 1790.

In the distant past, the English ship Bounty sailed past the island. On board, there was a riot against the cruel William Bligh, who was eventually landed on the shore of a desert island with several assistants. Most of the current inhabitants of the island consider themselves their descendants. The local islanders represent a very good-natured community, speaking a mixture of English and local dialects.

This is one of the most isolated islands in the world. The nearest city is almost 3000 km. Young people go to New Zealand to get higher education and invariably come back. Life here is very measured and unhurried. Guests of the island are offered a beach holiday on the coast, walks through orange and banana groves, as well as an indescribable flavor of a secluded island life.

Saint Helena

Napoleon, being in exile on the island of St. Helena, wrote such gloomy lines: "On this accursed island, for most of the year you can not see either the sun or the moon, always rain or fog." The island has always belonged to the British Empire, but even the garrison was reluctantly stationed here. The island is far from the mainland: almost 3000 km to South America, more than 2000 km to Africa, and even to the nearest island it takes almost a day to sail. Only a lone mail ship goes to St. Helena.

The main attractions of the island are Longwood House, where Napoleon lived, and his empty grave, since the remains of the emperor were transported to Paris in 1840. In the Plantation House, the home of the local governor, you can meet the Seychellois tortoise Jonathan, who recently turned 180 years old. Nearby is the old post office, where you can buy the rarest rare stamps. And if you go a little further, you will come to Jacob's ladder, which consists of 699 steps carved right into the rock. From above you can admire the rocks, the endless ocean and breathe in a distant land. Otherwise, you can safely believe the words of Napoleon: "There is nothing here but time."

Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhor 54° N sh. 5°W d. HGIOL

The area of ​​the islands is 315.159 thousand km². They are separated from the mainland of Europe by the North Sea and the Pas de Calais and the English Channel.

The name "British Isles" is avoided in Ireland as it may be taken to imply that Ireland belongs to the state of Great Britain. In Ireland, the archipelago is commonly referred to as "Britain and Ireland", an expression used in other English-speaking countries as well; the term "Atlantic archipelago" is rare.

Geographical position

extreme points

• northern - Cape Herma Ness - 61° N sh. 1° W d. HGIOL
• eastern - Lowestoft - 52°30' N. sh. 1°30′ E d. HGIOL
• southern - Cape Lizard - 50° N sh. 5°W d. HGIOL
• western - Cape Sline Head - 53°30′ N. sh. 10°00′ W d. HGIOL

The length from north to south is 1000 km, and from west to east - 820 km.

Large landforms that make up the physical and geographical country: the North Scottish Highlands, the Pennines, the London Basin.

The coastline is strongly dissected - numerous bays protrude into the land, the largest of which are Bristol, Cardigan, Liverpool, Firth of Clyde, Moray Firth, Firth of Forth, as well as the estuaries of the Thames and Severn.

Physical and geographical characteristics

Rocks

The territory of the archipelago can be divided into the following areas, which differ in geological structure:

The central part of the island of Great Britain lies on a plate of ancient platforms. Mesozoic rocks are characteristic: clays, limestones, coal rocks. The southeastern part of the island is confined to the syneclise of the epihercynian platforms. Thick sedimentary deposits of Meso-Cenozoic and Cenozoic age, Jurassic deposits of limestone, chalk and sandstone are typical.

Widely distributed, as in mountainous Scandinavia, is the northeastern (Caledonian) direction of ridges, longitudinal river valleys, bays, lake basins, etc. The mountainous northwest and the flat southeast are clearly distinguished on the island of Great Britain. In the north-west of the island, low and medium-altitude mountains predominate, dissected by fault valleys into a number of uplands, dome-shaped and blocky massifs. As a rule, the western edges of the mountains of Great Britain are higher than the eastern ones.
Prolonged denudation has transformed both the Caledonian and Hercynian folded uplifts of the mountains of the northwest into a system of peneplanated massifs. Movements of the Alpine age recreated the ancient system of tectonic faults, broke up and raised these massifs to different heights.
In the development of the relief of the coastal strip of mountains, an important role was played by sea abrasion, which proceeded under conditions of uneven land elevation, due to which a series of terraces up to 40 m above the modern sea level, caves, grottoes (for example, Fingal's grotto in the basalts of the island of Staffa) was formed. The dominant type relief are highlands with remnant and blocky ridges of small relative height. The Scottish Highlands are distinguished by the highest height, which is divided by the longitudinal fault of the Central Scottish Lowland into the North Scottish Highlands with the Grampian Mountains (Ben Nevis 1346 m) and the lower and flattened South Scottish Highlands (up to 840 m high). Only a few of the North Scottish Highlands are inferior in height to the Cambrian Mountains on the Wales Peninsula (Snowdon 1085 m).
The southwest of Great Britain, Cornwall, is a hilly plain with a number of uplands confined to elevated crystalline areas of the Hercynian basement (Dartmoor Forest 621 m, Axlgir Forest). The south-east of Great Britain is occupied by hilly stepped plains, often united under the general name of the London Basin.

River erosion divided the plain into systems of cuesta ridges extended to the northeast and clayey lowlands between them. The Jurassic cuest hills of the Cotswolds (up to 326 m), the chalk ridges of the Chiltern Hills, Whitehorse Hills are well expressed. The cuest relief is also characteristic of the extreme south of Great Britain, the highlands of the northern and southern Downs. Ireland shares many geomorphological features with Great Britain. The middle part of the island is occupied by a low (about 100 m) Central Plain, composed of horizontally occurring Carboniferous limestones overlain by moraine clays. The plain is poorly drained, characterized by a high standing of groundwater, severe swampiness, which is associated not only with clay soils, but also with underlying thin fissured limestones that prevent the formation of surface runoff. The rest of Ireland is occupied by low and medium-altitude mountains, strongly dissected by erosion and ancient glaciers: Kerry (up to 1041 m high), Wicklow, Donegal, Morne. These mountains are most often a tectonic and orographic continuation of the mountains of Great Britain, from which Ireland separated already in the late glacial period. In the northeast of Ireland (as in the neighboring regions of Scotland), low basalt plateaus (Antrim, etc.) are developed with abrasion surfaces worked out in them.

Climate

The British Isles in the climate zoning system are located in the temperate zone, in the area of ​​maritime climate. Summers are cool, winters are warm with moderate rainfall and no persistent snow cover.

The amount of total solar radiation is 3200 MJ / (m² year). In January, the indicator is zero, due to snow cover and an increase in reflected radiation. In July - 500 MJ / (m² year). Compared to winter, there is an increase due to the longer duration of the sunny day. But a small figure due to high cloud cover.

The annual value of the radiation balance is 2500 MJ / (m² year). This is due to the high total solar radiation and high cloudiness, which reduces the effective radiation.

Moderate air mass in all seasons of the year takes part in climate formation. In winter, the northern part of the islands is under the influence of the Icelandic Low, and the southern part is under the influence of the North Atlantic High. Prevailing winds in the territory Western transfer of temperate latitudes with a southwestern direction. During the summer, the entire territory of the British Isles is in the area of ​​high pressure of the North Atlantic High. At this time, the Western transport of temperate latitudes also dominates the territory, but the wind speed decreases. The polar front with cyclones passes through Iceland, the British Isles and Scandinavia.

In the British Isles, there is a change in temperature with the seasons of the year. In summer the temperature is +16°C, in winter it is +8°C. In summer the temperature can rise up to +30°C.

The amount of annual precipitation in the territory is different. On the western coasts it is 1500 mm/year, and on the eastern coasts it is 700 mm/year. This distribution depends on natural factors - these are the Pennines and the Cambrian Mountains. Precipitation falls in all seasons with a uniform distribution over them. But in winter, an increase is possible due to the activation of cyclones.

Water

Loch Derg is a lake in the southwest of Ireland. The height at sea level is 33 m. The area is 118 km², the length is 40 km, the width is 4 km. The average depth is 7.6 m, the maximum is 36 m. The basin is of glacial origin, the eastern and northern coasts are low, but in the south and south-west the coasts are steep and rocky. The lake is fresh. It is located in the bed of the Shannon River, therefore it has an elongated shape and is wastewater.

The lakes of the British Isles play an important role in the transport issue. They also have hydroelectric power plants.

Soils

General factors of soil formation

The territory of a physical-geographical country is under the influence of the ocean. The climate is oceanic with mild, not cold winters (January temperatures from +0.3°C to +8°C), moderately warm summers (temperatures in July from +15°C to +23°C), rather high average annual temperatures (from +9°C to +15°C), a significant amount of precipitation (mainly from 600 to 1500 mm per year). Broad-leaved forests.

Lessivated soils

distributed in the center and north of Great Britain, on the western coast of the island of Ireland (in moraine relief). Absolute heights are predominantly 300-500 m. (They are shown as luvisols on the FAO/UNESCO soil map)

Soils are formed mainly on leveled surfaces under conditions of infiltration of atmospheric precipitation into the depth of the profile on loose rocks that do not contain carbonates.

Vegetation - oak, oak-beech forests, more or less lightened.

Elementary soil processes

The soil is characterized by processes leading to the release of iron oxide hydrates and claying, the intrasoil formation of secondary clay minerals of hydromicaceous-montmorillonite composition as a result of weak hydrolysis of primary minerals.

Lessivage (mechanical removal of colloids) in a slightly humus, biologically active, slightly medium acid medium. The removal of colloids of iron and clay minerals is pronounced.

Lessivated soils are considered as climax soils on sandy and acidic soil-forming rocks or as secondary as a result of the degradation of brown forest soils. This was facilitated by human activity (replacement of deciduous forests with coniferous ones) and leaching of absorbed cations from soils with age.

Brown forest typical soils

They are confined mainly to areas of distribution of carbonate moraines and loess-like loams.

soil profile

The soils are characterized by a poorly differentiated profile. The coarse humus horizon is absent. A layer of bedding of small thickness. The litter decomposes during the growing season as a result of significant microbiological activity. Horizon A1 (15-30 cm thick) is brownish-gray, with a strong finely cloddy (caprolite) structure, with numerous earthworm passages and a mass of roots; the addition is loose or slightly dense. Transitional A1B horizon (down to about 30-40 cm) with a larger cloddy or walnut-cloddy structure. The metamorphic horizon Bt is brown or bright brown, heavier in mechanical composition, dense, with a walnut structure, sometimes with a tendency to prismaticity, with root and earthworm tunnels; its thickness ranges from 30 to 130 cm.

Soils are highly biologically active. They have a great biological value in forestry and agriculture, as they are suitable for growing forest crops demanding soil quality, and in agriculture for growing a wide range of crops. When applying organic and mineral fertilizers, stable high yields are obtained.

There is no coarse-humus horizon due to the fairly rapid decomposition of the forest litter. Horizon A1 (usually less than 10 cm thick) is brownish-dark gray or grayish-brown, finely cloddy, indistinctly granular, with numerous small roots, with a clear border. The humus-eluvial (silt-free) horizon A1 is beige, light brown or yellowish-brown, lumpy, porous, sometimes with horizontal layering, compact, sandy or silty loamy, with a rare transition to the illuvial horizon B (colmatized). This horizon is strongly clayey, dense, dark brown, prismatic in the upper part and prismatic-platy in the lower part, with distinct illuviation tiles. Soil thickness is 150-200 cm or more. In the “pseudo-gleyed” lessivated soils, nodules and manganese-ferruginous films are noted in horizon B due to the poor water permeability of the accumulation horizon.