Geographical position and climate of england. Characteristics of the economic and geographical position of Great Britain

Great Britain (full name - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is an island state in Western Europe (Fig. 1.1), the form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The capital is London.

Figure: 1.1

A state in Northwestern Europe, on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), washed by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas. The area is 241 thousand km 2.

In the north and west of Great Britain, mountainous relief prevails - the Scottish Highlands (up to 1344 m), the Pennines and Cambrian mountains; in the south and southeast there are hilly plains. The climate is moderately oceanic, humid. In January, the average air temperature is from 3 to 7 ° C, in July - about 11-17 ° C; precipitation up to 3000 mm per year in the west and 600-750 mm in the southeast. Major rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey, Clyde. Forests (mainly beech, oak, birch) occupy about 9% of the UK.

Great Britain consists of four administrative and political parts (historical provinces): England (it includes 39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London), Wales (it includes 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 city-counties), Scotland ( consists of 32 regions) and Northern Ireland (includes 26 districts). Economic and Social Geography of the Near Abroad Countries: Ed. M.P. Ratanova. - M: Bustard. 2004 .-- 576 p.

The population of Great Britain over the last century is represented by the following census results:

• - 1900 - 35 405 900 people.
• - 1949 - 50.3 million people
• - 1959 - 51.9 million people
• - 1976 - 55.9 million people.
• - 1998 - 59.1 million people
• - 2004 - 59,834,900 people Simagin Yu. A. Territorial organization of the population: a textbook. - M .: Dashkov and K. - 2005 .-- 236 p.

The population dynamics can be represented on the graph (Figure 1.2).

Figure: 1.2

The ethnic composition of the UK population is as follows:

• - The British - 81.5%.
• - Scots - 12.4%.
• - Irish - 2.4%.
• - Welsh (or Welsh) - 1.9%.
• - Ulsterians - 1.8%. A.A. Shepetilov Economy of the countries of Western Europe. - К .: Higher school. - 2003 .-- 262 p.

The rest of the ethnic groups make up a very low percentage in the UK. In addition, these ethnic groups are relatively constant and their share in the UK population is also always approximately the same. The rest of the ethnic groups are unstable and difficult to count.

For a more visual perception, we present on the diagram the data on the ethnic composition of the UK population (Fig. 1.3).

Political structure. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy led by a queen.

The legislature is a bicameral parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The government is headed by the prime minister.

Figure: 1.3

A distinctive feature of the British Constitution is the absence of any single document that could be called the country's fundamental law; moreover, there is not even an exact list of documents that would relate to the Constitution. Sinitsyn O.I. Modern economics. Public training course. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005 .-- 608s.

Economy. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, a major supplier of finished industrial products to the world market and a major exporter of capital (mainly to developed countries). GNP per capita is $ 16,070 per year. Extraction of oil and natural gas (mainly on the shelf of the North Sea), coal. The most developed are mechanical engineering (focused on the production of non-standard products, as well as various types and types of machines), including electrical and electronic, transport (including large aircraft, automobile and shipbuilding), machine-tool building, agricultural, industrial equipment production, lifting and transport engineering, etc., chemical and petrochemical (Great Britain occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of synthetic fibers and dyes, plastics, detergents, fertilizers, etc.), pharmaceutical, oil refining industry, black (high-quality steel) and non-ferrous ( tin, aluminum) metallurgy. The oldest branch of the British industry, the textile industry, has lost its former importance. Large-scale food flavoring (traditional production of whiskey, beer; processing of imported agricultural raw materials) industry; production of footwear, knitwear; famous English porcelain. Agriculture is dominated by dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and bacon pig breeding; meat and wool sheep breeding. Mainly they grow barley, wheat, sugar beets, oats, and potatoes. Vegetable growing and fruit growing (large greenhouse and greenhouse farm), floriculture (daffodils, tulips).

Monetary unit - pound sterling \u003d 100 pence. Runova T.G. Economic geography with the basics of regional studies: Textbook (3rd ed., Sr.). - M .: MGIU. - 2007 .-- 184 p.

British Armed Forces. British Armed Forces The Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The British Armed Forces are administered by the Defense Council of the Department of Defense. The main mission of the British Armed Forces is to protect the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, advance the security interests of the UK and support international peacekeeping efforts. Also, the British Armed Forces are active and permanent participants in NATO and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuskov A.S. Economic geography in questions and answers: Textbook. - M .: League. - 2004 .-- 224 p.

Great Britain, located on the northwestern coast of the continental, is traditionally called (by the name of the largest island) Great Britain, and by the name of its main part of England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It actually includes three historical and geographical regions: England, Wales and Scotland. The United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland, which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. This is the fourth
region of the country.

British islands is the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands - Great Britain and, separated by the Irish Sea, and another 5 thousand small ones, among which three groups of islands stand out in particular.
North: Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and the Isles of Maine, England, etc. Great Britain is an irregular archipelago with a very diverse landscape and nature. The latter is a consequence of the fact that the British Isles were once part of Europe, but were cut off from the mainland after the flooding of the lowlands, which are now the bottom and the strait. Northern Ireland, which politically complements the United Kingdom, sits on the second largest, Ireland, and is the western extension of the Scottish Mountains. These mountainous areas are separated by a narrow Northern Channel. The western shores of the island of Great Britain are rocky and steep, the eastern ones are more gentle.

The area of \u200b\u200bGreat Britain is about 240,842 km2. Most of it is land, and the rest is lakes. England is 129,634 km2, Wales 20,637 km2, Scotland 77,179 km2 and Northern Ireland 13,438 km2 Thus, England is much larger than other countries in the United Kingdom, and has the largest population. These factors explain the dominance of England in British history. The southern tip of the island of Great Britain, the Cornwall Peninsula, is located at 50 ° N, and the northernmost part of the Shetland Islands archipelago is at 60 ° N.

Historically, Britain's geographic features have influenced human settlement, military conquest, and political union. They also determined the location and operation of industry, transportation systems, fishing, energy and communications. They continue to shape British life today and are closely linked to public concerns about the environment and wildlife.

England (population - 48.2 million) consists mainly of hilly or flat lowland areas, diluted with several mountainous zones in the north and southeast. But low hills stretch across most of the country, interspersed with low-lying lands and. The population is concentrated mainly around large cities: London and generally in the south-east of England, western Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield, north-western industrial Liverpool and Manchester and northeastern Newcastle and Sunderland.

Wales (population - 2.9 million people) is a mountainous country with mountains stretching across the entire territory and
hills that often drop into deep valleys created by riverbeds. These mountains gradually decline and turn into high hills in the east of England. The tallest mountains in Wales are located in the northwest, where Mount Snowdon reaches
1085 m. In height.

Lowlands are bounded by narrow coastal belts and river valleys in southern Wales, where two-thirds of the Welsh population live. In the past, the highlands of Wales have made war, agriculture and human settlement difficult.

(population - 5.1 million people) can be divided into three main parts. The first part is the north-western and central mountains, together with a large number of islands on the western and northern coasts. These lands are sparsely populated, and account for half of the entire territory of Scotland. The second part is the central lowland lands, which make up one
a fifth of the entire Scottish territory and three quarters of the total population of Scotland, most of the industrial and commercial centers and arable land. The third part is the southern highlands, which includes a series of hills extending to the border with England.

The tallest mountain in Scotland is Ben Nevis (1342 m), which is also the tallest mountain in Great Britain.

Northern Ireland (population - 1.6 million people) is located only 21 km from the Scottish coast, which was the cause of the peoples in the distant past. Since the division of Ireland in 1921, it has bordered the Republic of Ireland in the south and west. In the north is a mountainous coast, in the center, closer to the south, a fertile valley, and mountains in the west,
northeast and southeast.

The islands where Great Britain is located are located to the northwest of the continental part of Europe. Today the country occupies one of the most important places in the structure of the world economy, and the locomotive of its economic development is the service sector and the financial sector.

Where is the UK located? Country geography

The state is located on the British Isles and several other smaller island groups, which include the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Anglesey, Arran and White.

The climate itself, and where the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located, has a significant impact on all aspects of human life. The islands are washed by the North, Celtic, Hebrides and Irish Seas, as well as by the Atlantic Ocean.

The islands, where Great Britain is located, are separated from the mainland of Europe by the English Channel, or as the British themselves call it, the English Channel. At its narrowest point, the strait is barely more than thirty-five kilometers wide, and along the bottom there is a Eurotunnel, which carries rail links between the United Kingdom and France.

Geography and administrative division

The region where the country of Great Britain is located was inhabited by people in the early Paleolithic. However, the written history of Britain begins in 43 AD, when the Romans conquered the islands. Of course, written sources indicated the existence of culture in the country even before the arrival of the Romans, but this information was extremely scarce and fragmentary.

The modern administrative division of the country is due to historical factors, which include the formation of the Norman kingdoms in the west of the country. Administratively, the kingdom is divided into England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

More than half of the country's territory is occupied by England, which is a predominantly flat territory, uplands in the territory are found only in the north, where the Pennines are located, and in the northwest, where the Cambridge mountains are located.

England is the historical nucleus for the formation of the kingdom and the region where the capital of Great Britain is located - London.

Geography of Scotland

Both historically and geographically, Scotland is a very special region of the country. It occupies a little less than a third of the territory of Great Britain and has a difficult history of joining the country.

In addition, more than eight hundred islands of various sizes are referred to the territory of Scotland, among which the Hebrides and Shetland archipelagos stand out.

Geologically, Scotland is divided into two large and very different regions, the boundary of which is the Highland Fault, which runs from the Isle of Arran in the west to Stonehaven in the east. To the northwest of the fault lies the Scottish Highlands, and to the southeast is the region known as Lowland.

The Scottish Highlands are characterized by a harsh climate and the presence of almost all the mountains found in the region. The highest point of the country is also located here - Mount Ben Nevis, 1343 meters above sea level.

In turn, Lowland is characterized by a more even landscape and a temperate climate, which led to a significantly higher population density in the region. On its territory are the most significant cities of Scotland, including its capital - Edinburgh.

Geography and history of Wales

Wales is one of the historic provinces of Great Britain, with its own history of relationship with the British Crown. Despite the fact that the region occupies less than ten percent of the kingdom's territory, it is of great importance for the state's economy. The main sector of the economy is grazing and the production of high quality wool and dairy products.

Unlike Scotland, Wales never enjoyed sovereignty within its current borders, and its final merger with England took place already in the 16th century. Despite significant industrial growth in the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century, the vast majority of the population of Wales lives in small towns.

An interesting fact is that until the middle of the twentieth century, the region did not have an official capital. Only in 1955 the Queen proclaimed Cardiff the capital of the region. In addition, Wales is a sparsely populated region with just over three million inhabitants.

The collapse of the colonial system

After World War II, significant changes took place in the world associated with the construction of a new world order, the division of the planet into two opposing economic camps and the decomposition of the colonial system of government.

By that time, Great Britain was the largest colonial empire in terms of territory with many overseas possessions. However, the serious social and economic upheaval caused by the war did not allow any longer to keep under control such vast territories as India. The colonial empire ceased to exist with the granting of sovereignty to the British possessions in Asia and Africa.

However, with some sovereign countries, the Commonwealth of Nations was formed, which included Canada, Australia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Namibia, Cameroon and New Zealand. From a formal point of view, the head of all these states is the British monarch.

UK economy

The region where the UK is located occupies key positions in the global financial system, but in terms of production potential, it is extremely important not only for Europe, but for the whole world.

For a long time, the UK was the main center of industrial and scientific innovation that followed the first industrial revolution, which began in this kingdom.

But even today, in terms of economic, industrial, technological and scientific development, the country is approximately on a par with the United States and Japan, and London's GDP is the largest in Europe compared to other cities.

A key place in the industrial sector of the country belongs to the automotive industry, which employs more than eight hundred thousand people and a total turnover of more than 52 billion pounds.

The current state of affairs in the country

Answering the question of where the UK is located and in which hemisphere, it is worth immediately answering that the country is completely located in the Western and Northern Hemispheres, and therefore belongs to a region in which the main wealth, industrial technologies and scientific knowledge are concentrated.

In 2016, a referendum was held in the country, according to the results of which the UK should leave the European Union, which will create completely new conditions in the European and global economy.

In addition, this event significantly influenced the general European policy, causing a wave of doubts and hesitation about the need to continue building a united Europe.

Geographical location of Great Britain

State in the northwest of Europe, in the British Isles. Occupies the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and part of the island of Ireland, as well as independent administrative units - the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west, the North Sea in the east and the Irish Sea in the west, in the south it is separated from the mainland by the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. In the west and north of the country, a mountainous, highly dissected relief prevails, in the south-east and in the center there are elevated plains and wastelands. The highest point is Ben Nevis in Scotland (1343 m.). The total area of \u200b\u200bthe country is 244.1 thousand square meters. km.

Capital

Geography of Great Britain. Map, geographic location, population, climate of Great Britain.
Industry and economy of Great Britain, resources, symbols and anthem of Great Britain.

GREAT BRITAIN (Great Britain), Britain, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a state in northwestern Europe, in the British Isles (the largest is Great Britain), in the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Channel Islands and other small islands. It is separated from the continent by the English Channel and the Pas-de-Calais. The area is 244.11 thousand km2. Population 60.1 million (2003). Capital London.

Major cities and metropolitan areas: Greater London, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Sheffield, Bradford, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol.

Government of Great Britain.
Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy (but formally there is no constitution, there are a number of basic legislative acts). The head of state is the queen. Legislative power is exercised by the Queen and a bicameral parliament (House of Lords and House of Commons). The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister, the leader of the party that won the majority of votes in the elections to the House of Commons and forms the government. Great Britain is led by the Commonwealth, which includes 53 countries.

Administrative and state structure of Great Britain.
Consists of 4 administrative and political parts (historical national regions): England (39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and a special administrative unit - Greater London), Wales (8 counties), Scotland (12 regions: 9 districts and 3 island territories) and Northern Ireland (26 counties). The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are separate administrative units. British possessions: in Europe - Gibraltar, in America - Anguilla, Bermuda, Virgin Islands (British), Cayman Islands, Montserrat, Turks and Caicos Islands, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), in Africa - Saint Helena Island, in Oceania - Pitcairn Island.

Population of Great Britain.
About 80% of the population is English, 15% is Scots, Welsh (Welsh), Cornish and Irish; OK. 5% of the population are immigrants from the Commonwealth countries. The British are descendants of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans; Scots, Irish, Welsh and Cornish are descendants of the Celts.

The official language is English. The English are adherents of the Anglican state church, the Scots are predominantly Presbyterians, the Irish are mostly Catholics. A small number of Catholics and adherents of the close to Catholicism of the High Church are also among the English. The most densely populated areas are Central and South-East England, the least densely populated areas of northern Scotland and Central Wales. High degree of urbanization; 89.4% of the population lives in cities. Almost half of the population lives in large cities (with a population of over 100 tons). 8 large urban conurbations with a population of over 1 million people have formed on the territory of the country, in which St. 1/3 of the country's population. The average population density is 245.5 people / km2.

Great Britain nature. UK climate.
It is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and its seas - the North and Irish, the English Channel, Pas-de-Calais, North and St. George. The coastline is heavily dissected by bays (fjords in the north and estuaries in the south), forming the significant peninsulas of Wales and Cornwall. There are also significant geographic differences between the four historical regions. Scotland and Northern England are mountainous and geographically represent High Britain - the Scottish Highlands (Ben Nevis, 1343 m, the highest point of Great Britain), the South Scottish Uplands, the Pennine and Cambrian mountains, the Lake District in the northwest of England ... Smooth plateau-like peaks, gentle soddy slopes are characteristic, glacial relief forms have been preserved in the north. Low Britain is separated from the High Britain by a conditional line that runs southwestward from Newcastle at the mouth of the river. Tyne to Exeter at the mouth of the river. Aix in the south of Devon. In the south and southeast of Low Britain - hilly plains (London Basin, etc.), framed by cuesta ridges, a typical landscape of "good old England". The climate is temperate oceanic, humid, with mild winters and cool summers (influenced by the Gulf Stream). Average temperatures in January are 3-7 ° С, in July 11-17 ° С. Precipitation on the plains is 600-750 mm, in the mountains 1000-3000 mm per year, drizzling rains and fogs are frequent. The western part of the country receives slightly more rainfall than the eastern one. A dense network of deep rivers (Thames, Severn, etc.), many of which are connected by channels, often outdated. There are many lakes in Scotland and Ireland (Loch Ness, Loch Lomond in Scotland, etc., Loch Ney in Northern Ireland). The mountains are dominated by peat bogs, moorlands used as pastures for sheep. Forests (oak, beech, birch) occupy 9% of the country's territory. The plains are occupied by arable land and meadows and are densely populated. There are numerous national nature reserves and parks for recreational use (Peak District, Snowdonia, etc.).

UK economy. Industry and economy of Great Britain.
Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country. Over the past 20 years, the following transformations have been carried out in the British economy: the public sector has been reduced; reduced tax rates for individuals and legal entities; deregulation of the economy was carried out (with a simultaneous reduction in government spending). In 1995, in terms of the total volume of industrial production, Great Britain occupied the 5th place in the world (after the USA, Japan, Germany, France). GNP per capita $ 24,500 (2000). In terms of energy reserves, it ranks 1st in Europe, being a major producer of oil and gas (production is carried out on the shelf of the North Sea using the most advanced methods on platforms; about 1/3 of the proven reserves in Europe are concentrated in the British sector) and coal. Oil production 124 million tons in 1996 (the main fields are Brent, Fortis), gas 89.9 billion m3 (17 fields are exploited, the largest are Lehman-Benk, Brent, Morcham). British Petroleum and the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch / Shell are among the leaders in their market segment. Historically very important coal mining has been steadily declining. In the manufacturing industry, priority is given to such industries as transport engineering (12.4% of total industrial production), including the automotive industry (national companies and branches of foreign companies Rover, Ford, Jaguar, Vauxhall, Pegeout-Talbot, Honda, Nissan, Toyota); shipbuilding; the aerospace industry is the third in the world after the USA and France, producing civil and military aircraft (British Aerospace, Harrier, Tornado, Eurofighter), Rolls-Royce aircraft engines, equipment for the European concern Airbus Industry; food industry (12.5% \u200b\u200bof total production); general mechanical engineering: production of agricultural machinery and machine tools, including the manufacture of textile machinery (Great Britain is the world's seventh largest manufacturer of machine tools in the world); electronics and electrical engineering; computers, processors, and supercomputers (including manufacturers such as IBM and Compaq); software; telecommunication facilities (fiber optics, radars, etc.); medical equipment; Appliances. The chemical industry provides 11% of the total production. These are: pharmaceuticals (Great Britain is the fourth largest drug manufacturer in the world); agrochemistry; perfumery; new materials and biotechnology. The development of modern industry in Great Britain is determined by the level of development of high technologies. Great Britain has the highest scientific and technological potential in Europe. Research expenditures amount to over 2% of GDP per year, including over 35% of all research projects funded by the state. Textile engineering was traditionally important (confined to the old textile regions - Lancashire, Yorkshire). The oldest branch of the British industry - textile - has now lost its former importance (the main areas of production of the cotton industry - Lancashire, wool - Yorkshire, knitwear - East Midlands, linen - Northern Ireland). Large food flavoring industry (production of food concentrates, confectionery and tobacco products, beverages (about 1/5 of world exports of alcoholic beverages, mainly Scotch whiskey and English gin).

Agricultural production is highly intensive, half of which meets the country's food needs. Agriculture uses (1994) 24.8% of the country's territory (including over 60% - under arable land, 35% - cultivated meadows), pastures occupy 45.9%, under forest 10.4%. The main branch of agriculture is animal husbandry. It suffered significant damage in the late 1990s. epidemics of cow rabies (spongiform encephalitis) and foot and mouth disease. OK. 1/3 of the arable land is occupied by grain, mainly. wheat and barley. The main agricultural areas are East and South-East England.
25% of the country's GDP is created by the financial services sector. It employs 12% of the country's labor reserves, and London is the world's financial center, the financial capital of the planet. Among financial services, it is worth highlighting banking (except for British banks, the 50 largest banks in the world are represented in London), insurance, the market for financial derivatives (futures, options, global depositary receipts), the bond market (Eurobonds), the foreign exchange market (operations with Euro currencies), financial leasing, trust operations with foreign shares, operations with precious metals. Besides London, major financial centers are Manchester, Cardiff, Liverpool, Edinburgh. Tourism employs 7% of the working-age population, and the annual income exceeds $ 8 billion. London is the largest tourist destination in the world. A significant part of the GDP comes from education in world famous schools and universities.
The monetary unit is the pound sterling.

History of Great Britain.
Traces of settlements of primitive people are found on the British Isles almost everywhere.
Of the pre-Celtic population, the most famous is the Pictish tribe who lived in Scotland. In the 1st millennium BC. e. the Celts came here. By the name of one of the tribes, the Britons, the country was named Britain. Julius Caesar was the first of the Romans to land here, but soon left the island. His successors founded Roman settlements here, but they could not conquer the entire territory and did not try to advance north. With the weakening of Rome, the Britons formed their own kingdoms. In the 5-6 centuries. during the Great Migration, England was conquered by the Anglo-Saxons, who formed several kingdoms here: Mercia, Wessex, Sussex, Kent, Northumbria. They were united by King Alfred the Great (late 9th century). He compiled the first set of general English laws. The Anglo-Saxons faced attacks from the Vikings and, starting from the 9th century, paid tribute to them - Danegeld. One of the Viking kings, Knud I the Mighty, incorporated England into his empire (2nd half of the 11th century), but after his death the Anglo-Saxons regained their independence. Their last king, Harold II, fell in battle with Duke William of Normandy in 1066. The Norman conquest united the country, and the formation of the English nation began. In 1212, a revolt of the barons, supported by all estates, forced King John Lackland to sign the Magna Carta. This marked the beginning of the development of the English monarchy as a class monarchy, that is, based on all classes of the country. From the end of the 13th century. Wales passed to the English crown. The Hundred Years War of 1337-1453 with France led to the loss of the possessions of the English kings on the continent. In Scotland, an independent kingdom arose approx. 9 c. and often came into confrontation with England. The conquest of Ireland by the British began in the 12th century.

During the War of the Scarlet and White Rose (1455-1485) in England, the old nobility was largely destroyed. The new nobility (gentry) increased their holdings by fencing (driving the peasants from the land), willingly participated in all sorts of trade and industrial enterprises. During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558-1603) England, defeating the Spanish fleet, achieved dominance at sea. Elizabeth was replaced by kings from the Scottish dynasty of the Stuarts, Scotland united with England in a personal union (and from 1707 it was officially united and deprived of independence). English Revolution of the 17th century ended with the establishment of a parliamentary monarchy. The long struggle with France for trade and colonial hegemony ended in the 18th century. victory for Great Britain; huge possessions in India and North America were seized, the colonization of Australia and New Zealand began. In the 1760s. an industrial revolution began in England. By the middle of the 19th century. it accounted for 1/2 of world production. Scotland and Ireland (the 1801 union eliminated the remnants of autonomy) developed much more slowly. Throughout the 19th century. Britain expanded its empire, although it lost the United States of America. Vast territories were captured in Burma and South Africa, the seizure of India, Cyprus, Egypt was completed, wars were fought against China. In 1867 the colonies in Canada were transformed into the 1st dominion, then Australia and some other colonies became dominion. Throughout the 19th century. the system “the king reigns, but does not rule” finally took shape. The struggle for power from the 17th century. led by two parties - Tories and Whigs. From the middle of the 19th century. the Tories became the Conservative Party, and the Whigs the Liberals.

After World War I, Great Britain gained a significant portion of the former Germanic possession in Africa and b. including territories taken from Turkey. The Labor Party (workers') party gained great influence in domestic politics. After World War II, bombed-out Britain on the international stage receded into the background compared to the United States. In the 1940-1970s. almost all British colonies gained independence. The Labor Party pushed aside the Liberal Party, and after World War II, the government was alternately formed by Labor and Conservatives. Under the conservative government of M. Thatcher, most public sector enterprises were privatized, and a course was taken to reorient the traditional coal-mining regions. As one of the leading members of the EU since its inception, Great Britain has been pursuing an independent policy in relation to other European countries, more focused on the United States. Traditional British conservatism does not yet allow T. Blair's government to switch to a common European currency, although the country's business circles are striving for this.

The national holiday is the Queen's Birthday (celebrated not on the true birthday of Her Majesty, but by government decision, usually on one Saturday in the first half of June).

The country located on the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe is traditionally called Great Britain, and by the name of its main part, England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK proper includes three historical and geographical areas: England, Wales and Scotland. The United Kingdom also includes Northern Ireland, which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. The Irish Republic was proclaimed in 1949.

The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands - Great Britain and Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, and another 5 thousand small ones, among which three groups of islands in the North stand out: the Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland and the Isles of Man, Anglesey and others.

The southern tip of the island of Great Britain is the Cornwall Peninsula, and the northernmost part of the archipelago is the Shetland Islands. The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its largest width is half that. Located on the continental shelf, the British Archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany and by the narrow English Channel (the British call it the English Channel) and the Pas-de-Calais from France.

Since 1993, a tunnel under the English Channel has been operating. The construction of this tunnel can be considered ambitious for the development of international relations. Suffice it to say that the total length of the tunnel is 49 kilometers, and the length of the galleries laid under the bottom of the strait is 38 kilometers. It takes only three hours to get from London to Paris by train. “Finally, Europe has joined England,” the British say about the Eurotunnel.

All state borders of the United Kingdom are maritime, with the exception of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The coastline with a total length of more than 10 thousand km is heavily indented. Due to the numerous bays and fiords on the island, there is no place that would be more than 120 km from the coast.

By area (244 thousand sq. Km) Great Britain is 2 times smaller than the largest states in Europe Abroad - France and Spain.

The climate of the British Isles is influenced by the proximity of the ocean and especially the Gulf Stream. Traditional English weather is rain and damp: the temperature in winter very rarely drops below zero (on average 3-5C). The most severe weather conditions are in the Highlands of Scotland, Wales and the North of Scotland; the western part of Great Britain has a wetter climate than the eastern part due to the prevailing westerly winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The oceanic nature of the UK climate is reflected in the prevalence of unstable weather with gusty winds and thick fogs throughout the year. Winters are very humid and unusually mild, with a sharp temperature anomaly (about 12-15 degrees) compared to mid-latitude indicators. The average temperature of the coldest month - January - does not drop below +3.5 degrees even in the extreme northeast of Great Britain, but in the southwest it reaches + 5.5 degrees, and plants grow there all year round. The masses of warm sea air coming from the southwest increase winter temperatures, but at the same time bring cloudy 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 falls throughout the country in winter, but very unevenly. In the mountainous regions of Scotland, the snow cover lasts at least 1-1.5 months, while in the south of England and especially in the southwest, snow falls very rarely and lasts no more than a week. Here the grass turns green all year round. Western Britain typically receives twice as much rainfall during the winter as in the summer. In the eastern regions, winters are colder and less humid.

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

In Great Britain, as in other countries with a maritime climate, summers are relatively cool: the average temperature of 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 July temperatures corresponds to latitudinal zoning: +16 degrees in the southeast of the country, and +12 degrees in the extreme northwest.

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, fogs often occur on the coasts.

Warm and humid winds blowing from the Atlantic are associated with heavy rainfall in the western UK. On average, 2000 mm of precipitation falls there per year, while in eastern England, located in the "rainy shade" - only about 600 mm, and in summer 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 rainfall has a beneficial effect on the growth of many crops, especially wheat and barley. In general, grains in the British Isles do well in drier years, but grasses often burn out.

Based on this characteristic, Great Britain occupies a rather favorable economic and geographical position. It is located at the intersection of sea routes and occupies a nodal position on the most important shipping and world trade lines passing through the English Channel and Pas-de-Calais. This provides England with connections with the whole world and gives great prospects for the development and expansion of markets for its products.