British Isles PDF

THE BRITISH ISLES UK, Britain, or England? The British Isles are located off the north-west coast of the continent of Europe. The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from the rest of Europe. Great Britain, United Kingdom, England? Are they one face or different faces? The...

THE BRITISH ISLES UK, Britain, or England? The British Isles are located off the north-west coast of the continent of Europe. The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from the rest of Europe. Great Britain, United Kingdom, England? Are they one face or different faces? The formal name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK is not a single country but instead it is ‘a country of countries.’ It comprises four sovereign nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Great Britain contains three countries: England, Scotland and Wales. The Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, and the Channel Islands, in the English Channel, between Great Britain and France, are largely self-governing, and are known as Crown Dependencies; but they are not part of the UK. Great Britain is the largest island among the British Isles. There are other islands which are not part of Great Britain such as Isle of Wight, Isle of Anglesey, the Scottish Hebrides, the Shetland Islands, and the Orkney Islands. England: it is the most populous of the four nations. Its capital city is London. To the north is Scotland. And Wales is to the west. Scotland: Edinburgh, the country’s capital and second-largest city, is one of Europe’s largest financial centres. Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city. The second biggest island in the British Isles is Ireland. It contains two countries: Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. When people say they are Irish, they refer to the Republic of Ireland which is a separate country from the United Kingdom. Country Capital Nationality England London English Scotland Edinburgh Scottish Wales Cardiff Welsh Northern Ireland Belfast Northern Irish CLIMATE Britain’s climate is often thought of as cool, wet, cloudy, and windswept. This generalization, however, fails to take account of the many regional variations in weather that are found throughout the country. It is also a fact that, increasingly, for the UK at least, the worldwide phenomenon of climate change appears to be blurring the distinctions of the seasons, especially the autumn (fall), and winter–spring period. Given the considerable variations in Britain’s weather both regionally and historically, it is no surprise that there is a great deal of “weather talk” in the media, on TV, and among the population: it is a constant topic of conversation and a routine part of social interchange. England itself generally enjoys the best weather overall, especially the southwestern part of the country, which benefits from its position in the path of the Gulf Stream. The coldest parts of Britain are the highlands of Scotland. MAP OF THE BRITISH ISLES