Geography of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK, is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. With a total area of approximately 243,610 square kilometres (94,060 sq mi), the UK occupies the major part of the British Isles[1] archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and some smaller surrounding islands. The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49N and 59N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61N), and longitudes 8W to 2E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, in South East London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian. The UK lies between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 mi) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France. The physical geography of the UK varies greatly. The Geography of England consists of lowland terrain, with mountainous terrain north-west of the Tees-Exe line including the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor. The Geography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault a geological rock fracture which traverses the Scottish mainland from Helensburgh to Stonehaven. The faultline separates the two distinctively different regions of the Highlands to the north and west and the lowlands to the south and east. The Geography of Wales is mostly mountainous, though south Wales is less mountainous than north and mid Wales. The Geography of Ireland includes the Mourne Mountains as well as Lough Neagh, at 388 square kilometres (150 sq mi), the largest body of water in the UK and Ireland.[11]
Mountains and hills

The ten tallest mountains in the UK are all found in Scotland. The highest peaks in each part of the UK are:

Scotland: Ben Nevis (Aonach Mr, 1,344 metres) Wales: Snowdon (Snowdonia, 1,085 metres) England: Scafell Pike (Cumbrian Mountains, 977 metres) Northern Ireland: Slieve Donard (Mourne Mountains, 852 metres)

The ranges of mountains and hills in the UK include:

Scotland: Cairngorms, Cheviot Hills, Scottish Highlands, Southern Uplands, Grampian Mountains Wales: Brecon Beacons, Cambrian Mountains, Snowdonia, Black Mountains, Preseli Hills England: Chilterns, Cotswolds, Dartmoor, Lincolnshire Wolds, Exmoor, Lake District, Malvern Hills, Mendip Hills, North Downs, Peak District, Pennines, Salisbury Plain, South Downs, Shropshire Hills, Yorkshire Wolds Northern Ireland: Mourne Mountains, Antrim Plateau, Sperrin Mountains

The lowest point of the UK is in the Fens of East Anglia, in England, parts of which lie up to 4 metres below sea level.
Rivers and lakes

List of lakes in the United Kingdom; Rivers of the United Kingdom; Waterfalls of the United Kingdom.

The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (220 mi, 354 km) which flows through both Wales and England.

The longest rivers in the UK by country are:

England: River Thames (215 mi, 346 km) Scotland: River Tay (117 mi, 188 km) N. Ireland: River Bann (76 mi, 122 km) Wales: River Tywi (64 mi, 103 km)

The largest lakes in the UK by country are:

N. Ireland: Lough Neagh (147.39 sq mi, 381.74 km) Scotland: Loch Lomond (27.46 sq mi, 71.12 km) England: Windermere (5.69 sq mi, 14.74 km) Wales: Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) (1.87 sq mi, 4.84 km)

The deepest lake in the UK is Loch Morar with a maximum depth of 309 metres (Loch Ness is second at 228 metres deep). The deepest lake in England is Wastwater which descends to 79 metres (258 feet). The UK has a coastline which measures about 12,429 km. The heavy indentation of the coastline helps to ensure that no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters. Natural resources Historically, much of the United Kingdom was forested. Since prehistoric times, man has deforested much of the United Kingdom. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labour force. It contributes around 2% of GDP. Around two thirds of production is devoted to livestock, one third to arable crops. In 1993, it was estimated that land use was:

Arable land: 25 % Permanent crops: 0 % Permanent pastures: 46 % Forests and Woodland: 10 % Other: 19 % Irrigated: 1,080 km

The UK has a variety of natural resources including:

Geological: coal, petroleum, natural gas, limestone, chalk, gypsum, silica, rock salt, china clay, iron ore, tin, silver, gold, lead. Agricultural: arable land, wheat, barley, sheep

The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Due to the island location of the UK, the country has great potential for generating electricity from wave power and tidal power, although these have not yet been exploited on a commercial basis.