Geography of the United Kingdom

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Coordinates:

540N 230W

United Kingdom

Satellite image of the United Kingdom

Location

Western/NorthernEurop
e

Coordinates

540N 230W

Area

- Total

243,610 km2
(94,060 sq mi)

- Water (%)

1.34

Area rank

80th

Highest

1,344 m (4,409 ft)

elevation

Highest point

Ben Nevis

Longest river

River Severn

Largest lake

Lough Neagh

Climate

Temperate

The United Kingdom is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast ofcontinental
Europe. With a total area of approximately 241,930 square kilometres (93,410 sq mi), the UK
occupies the major part of the British Isles archipelagoand includes the island of Great Britain,
the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland and many smaller surrounding islands.[1] 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 north-west coast of France, from which it is separated by theEnglish Channel. It shares a
499 km international land boundary with theRepublic of Ireland.[2][3] The Channel Tunnel bored
beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.
The British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies are covered in their own respective
articles, see below.
Contents
[hide]

1Area

2Physical geography
2.1Geology

2.1.1Precambrian

2.1.2Palaeozoic

2.1.3Mesozoic

2.1.4Cenozoic

2.2Mountains and hills

2.3Rivers and lakes

2.4Artificial waterways

2.5Coastline

2.5.1Inlets

2.5.2Headlands

2.6Islands

2.7Climate

3Human geography
o

3.1Demographics

3.2Political geography

3.2.1National government

3.2.2Local government
3.3Economic geography

3.3.1Primary industry

3.3.2Manufacturing

3.3.3Finance and services

3.3.4Regional disparity
4Natural resources

5Environment
o

5.1Current issues

5.2International agreements

6Geography of dependent territories

o

6.1Crown dependencies

6.2Overseas territories

7See also

8References

9External links

Area[edit]
The total area of the United Kingdom according to the World Bank is approximately 241,930
square kilometres (93,410 sq mi), comprising the island of Great Britain, the northeastern onesixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland) and many smaller islands. England is the
largest country of the United Kingdom, at 130,410 square kilometres (50,350 sq mi) accounting
for just over half the total area of the UK. Scotland at 78,772 square kilometres (30,410 sq mi),
[4]
is second largest, accounting for about a third of the area of the UK. Wales and Northern
Ireland are much smaller, covering 20,758 and 14,160 square kilometres (8,010 and
5,470 sq mi) respectively.
The area of the countries of the United Kingdom is set out in the table below. Information about
the area of England, the largest country, is also broken down by region.
Rank

Name

Area

England

130,427 km

South West [5]

East of England
South East [6]
East Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
North West [7]
West Midlands [8]
North East [9]
London [10]

23,837 km
19,120 km
19,096 km
15,627 km
15,420 km
14,165 km
12,998 km
8,592 km
1,572 km

Scotland [11]

78,772 km

Wales [12]

20,778 km

Northern Ireland

13,843 km
United Kingdom

241,930 km

Overseas territories

1,727,570 km

The British Antarctic Territory, which covers an area of 1,709,400 km2 is geographically the
largest of the British Overseas Territories followed by the Falkland Islands which covers an
area of 12,173 km2. The remaining twelve overseas territories cover an area 5,997 km2.
Other countries with very similar land areas to the United Kingdom include Guinea (slightly
larger), Uganda, Ghana andRomania (all slightly smaller). The UK is the world's 80th largest
country by land area and the 10th largest in Europe (if European Russia is included).

Physical geography[edit]

UK's topography

The physical geography of the UK varies greatly. England consists of mostly lowland terrain,
with upland or mountainous terrain only found north-west of the Tees-Exe line. The upland
areas include the Lake District, the Pennines, Exmoor andDartmoor. The lowland areas are
typically traversed by ranges of low hills, frequently composed of chalk. The physical
geography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault which traverses the
Scottish mainland fromHelensburgh 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. Wales is mostly mountainous, though south Wales is less mountainous
thannorth 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.[13]
The overall geomorphology of the UK was shaped by a combination of forces
including tectonics and climate change, in particular glaciation in northern and western areas.
The tallest mountain in the UK (and British Isles) is Ben Nevis, in the Grampian Mountains,
Scotland. The longest river is the River Severn which flows from Walesinto England. The

largest lake by surface area is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, though Scotland's Loch
Ness has the largest volume.

Geology[edit]
See also: Geology of Great Britain and Geology of Ireland
The geology of the UK is complex and diverse, a result of it being subject to a variety of plate
tectonic processes over a very extended period of time. Changing latitude and sea levels have
been important factors in the nature of sedimentary sequences, whilst successive continental
collisions have affected its geological structure with major faulting and folding being a legacy of
each orogeny (mountain-building period), often associated with volcanic activity and the
metamorphism of existing rock sequences. As a result of this eventful geological history, the
UK shows a rich variety of landscapes.[14]
Precambrian[edit]
The oldest rocks in the British Isles are the Lewisian gneisses, metamorphic rocks found in the
far north west of Scotland and in the Hebrides (with a few small outcrops elsewhere), which
date from at least 2,700 Ma (Ma = million years ago). South and east of the gneisses are a
complex mixture of rocks forming the North West Highlands and Grampian Highlands in
Scotland. These are essentially the remains of folded sedimentary rocks that were deposited
between 1,000 Ma and 670 Ma over the gneiss on what was then the floor of the Iapetus
Ocean.
Palaeozoic[edit]
At 520 Ma, what is now Great Britain was split between two continents; the north of Scotland
was located on the continent of Laurentia at about 20 south of the equator, while the rest of
the country was on the continent of Gondwana near theAntarctic Circle. In Gondwana, England
and Wales were largely submerged under a shallow sea studded with volcanicislands. The
remains of these islands underlie much of central England with small outcrops visible in many
places.
About 500 Ma southern Britain, the east coast of North America and southeast Newfoundland broke away from Gondwana to form the continent of Avalonia, which by
440 Ma had drifted to about 30 south. During this period north Wales was subject
to volcanic activity. The remains of these volcanoes are still visible, one example of which
is Rhobell Fawr dating from 510 Ma. Large quantities of volcanic lava and ash known as
the Borrowdale Volcanics covered the Lake District and this can still be seen in the form of
mountains such as Helvellyn and Scafell Pike.
Between 425 and 400 Ma Avalonia had joined with the continent of Baltica, and the combined
landmass collided withLaurentia at about 20 south, joining the southern and northern halves
of Great Britain together. The resulting Caledonian Orogeny produced an Alpine-style mountain
range in much of north and west Britain.
The collision between continents continued during the Devonian period, producing uplift and
subsequent erosion, resulting in the deposition of numerous sedimentary rock layers in
lowlands and seas. The Old Red Sandstone and the contemporary volcanics and marine
sediments found in Devon originated from these processes.
Around 360 Ma Great Britain was lying at the equator, covered by the warm shallow waters of
the Rheic Ocean, during which time the Carboniferous Limestone was deposited, as found in
the Mendip Hills and the Peak District of Derbyshire. Later, river deltas formed and the
sediments deposited were colonised by swamps and rain forest. It was in this environment that
the Coal Measures were formed, the source of the majority of Britain's extensive coal reserves.

Around 280 Ma the Variscan orogeny mountain-building period occurred, again due to collision
of continental plates, causing major deformation in south west England. The general region of
Variscan folding was south of an eastwest line roughly from south Pembrokeshire to Kent.
Towards the end of this period granite was formed beneath the overlying rocks
of Devon and Cornwall, now exposed at Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor.
By the end of the Carboniferous period the various continents of the Earth had fused to form
the super-continent ofPangaea. Britain was located in the interior of Pangea where it was
subject to a hot arid desert climate with frequent flash floods leaving deposits that formed beds
of red sedimentary rock.
Mesozoic[edit]
As Pangaea drifted during the Triassic, Great Britain moved away from the equator until it was
between 20 and 30 north. The remnants of the Variscan uplands in France to the south were
eroded down, resulting in layers of the New Red Sandstone being deposited across central
England.
Pangaea began to break up at the start of the Jurassic period. Sea levels rose and Britain
drifted on the Eurasian Plate to between 30 and 40 north. Much Britain was under water
again, and sedimentary rocks were deposited and can now be found underlying much of
England from the Cleveland Hills of Yorkshire to the Jurassic Coast in Dorset. These
includesandstones, greensands, oolitic limestone of the Cotswold Hills, corallian limestone of
the Vale of White Horse and the Isle of Portland. The burial of algae and bacteria below the
mud of the sea floor during this time resulted in the formation ofNorth Sea oil and natural gas

1815 Geological by William Smith.

The modern continents having formed, the Cretaceous saw the formation of theAtlantic Ocean,
gradually separating northern Scotland from North America. The land underwent a series of
uplifts to form a fertile plain. After 20 million years or so, the seas started to flood the land
again until much of Britain was again below the sea, though sea levels frequently
changed. Chalk and flints were deposited over much of Great Britain, now notably exposed at
the White Cliffs of Dover and theSeven Sisters, and also forming Salisbury Plain.
Cenozoic[edit]

Between 63 and 52 Ma, the last volcanic rocks in Great Britain were formed. The major
eruptions at this time produced the Antrim Plateau, the basaltic columns of the Giant's
Causeway and Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel.
The Alpine Orogeny that took place in Europe about 50 Ma, was responsible for the folding of
strata in southern England, producing the London Basin syncline, theWeald-Artois Anticline to
the south, the North Downs, South Downs and Chiltern Hills.
During the period the North Sea formed, Britain was uplifted. Some of this uplift was along old
lines of weakness left from the Caledonian and Variscan Orogenies long before. The uplifted
areas were then eroded, and further sediments, such as the London Clay, were deposited over
southern England.
The major changes during the last 2 million years were brought about by several recent ice
ages. The most severe was theAnglian Glaciation, with ice up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) thick that
reached as far south as London and Bristol. This took place between about 478,000 to 424,000
years ago, and was responsible for the diversion of the River Thames onto its present course.
During the most recent Devensian glaciation, which ended a mere 10,000 years ago, the
icesheet reached south toWolverhampton and Cardiff. Among the features left behind by the
ice are the fjords of the west coast of Scotland, the U-shaped valleys of the Lake
District and erratics (blocks of rock) that have been transported from the Oslo region
of Norwayand deposited on the coast of Yorkshire.
Amongst the most significant geological features created during the last twelve thousand years
are the peat deposits of Scotland, and of coastal and upland areas of England and Wales.
At the present time Scotland is continuing to rise as a result of the weight of Devensian ice
being lifted. Southern and eastern England is sinking, generally estimated at 1 mm (1/25 inch)
per year, with the London area sinking at double the speed partly due to the
continuing compaction of the recent clay deposits.

Mountains and hills[edit]

At 1,344 metres, Ben Nevis is the highest peak in the UK.

Main article: List of mountains and hills of the United Kingdom

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, 1,344 metres

Wales: Snowdon (Snowdonia), 1,085 metres

England: Scafell Pike (Cumbrian Mountains), 978 metres

Northern Ireland: Slieve Donard (Mourne Mountains), 852 metres

The ranges of mountains and hills in the UK include:

Scotland: Cairngorms, Scottish Highlands, Southern Uplands, Grampian

Mountains, Monadhliath Mountains, Ochil Hills, Campsie Fells, Cuillin

Wales: Brecon Beacons, Cambrian Mountains, Snowdonia, Black Mountains, Preseli

Hills

England: Cheviot Hills, Chilterns, Cotswolds, Dartmoor, Lincolnshire

Wolds, Exmoor, Lake District, Malvern Hills, Mendip Hills, North Downs, Peak
District, Pennines, 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[edit]

Main articles

List of lakes and lochs in the United Kingdom;

List of rivers of the United Kingdom;

List of waterfalls of the United Kingdom.

The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (220 mi; 350 km) which flows through both
Wales and England.
The longest rivers in the UK contained wholly within each of its constituent nations 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 (by surface area) in the UK by country are:

N. Ireland: Lough Neagh (147.39 sq mi; 381.7 km2)

Scotland: Loch Lomond (27.46 sq mi; 71.1 km2)

England: Windermere (5.69 sq mi; 14.7 km2)

Wales: Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake) (1.87 sq mi; 4.8 km2)

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 achieves a
depth of 79 metres (259 feet).
Loch Ness is the UK's largest lake in terms of volume.

Artificial waterways[edit]
Main articles: Waterways in the United Kingdom, Canals of Great Britain, Dams and reservoirs
in United Kingdom
As a result of its industrial history, the United Kingdom has an extensive system of canals,
mostly built in the early years of the Industrial Revolution, before the rise of competition from
the railways. The United Kingdom also has numerous damsand reservoirs to store water for
drinking and industry. The generation of hydroelectric power is rather limited, supplying less
than 2% of British electricity mainly from the Scottish Highlands.

Coastline[edit]
Main article: Coastline of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom maritime claims

The UK has a coastline which measures about 12,429 km.[15] The heavy indentation of the
coastline helps to ensure that no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters.
The UK claims jurisdiction over the continental shelf, as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries, an exclusive fishing zone of 200 nmi (370.4 km;
230.2 mi), and territorial sea of 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi).
Inlets[edit]

Cardigan Bay

Lyme Bay

Bristol Channel

Thames estuary

Morecambe Bay

Solway Firth

The Wash

Humber estuary

Firth of Forth

Firth of Tay

Moray Firth

Firth of Clyde

Firth of Lorn

Headlands[edit]
The geology of the United Kingdom is such that there are many headlands along its coast.
A list of headlands of the United Kingdom details many of them.

Islands[edit]
Main article: List of islands of the United Kingdom
In total, it is estimated that the UK is made up of over one thousand small islands, the majority
located off the north and west coasts of Scotland. About 130 of these are inhabited according
to the 2001 Census.
The largest islands by country are Lewis and Harris in Scotland (841 square mi),
Wales' Anglesey (276 square mi), the Isle of Wight in England (147.09 square mi), and Rathlin
Island in Northern Ireland (roughly 6 square mi);

Climate[edit]
Main article: Climate of the United Kingdom
The climate of the UK is generally temperate, although significant local variation occurs,
particularly as a result of altitude and distance from the coast. In general the south of the
country is warmer than the north, and the west wetter than the east. Due to the warming
influence of the Gulf Stream, the UK is significantly warmer than some other locations at
similar latitude, such as Newfoundland.
The prevailing winds are southwesterly, from the North Atlantic Current. More than 50% of the
days are overcast.[citation needed] There are few natural hazards, although there can be strong winds
and floods, especially in winter.
Average annual rainfall varies from over 3,000 mm (118.1 in) in the Scottish Highlands down to
553 mm (21.8 in) inCambridge. The county of Essex is one of the driest in the UK, with an
average annual rainfall of around 600 mm (23.6 in), although it typically rains on over 100 days
per year. In some years rainfall in Essex can be below 450 mm (17.7 in), less than the average
annual rainfall in Jerusalem and Beirut.

The highest temperature recorded in the UK was 38.5 C (101.3 F) at Brogdale,

near Faversham, in the county of Kent, on 10 August 2003. The lowest was 27.2 C
(17.0 F) recorded at Braemar in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland, on 11 February 1895
and 10 January 1982 and Altnaharra, also in Scotland, on 30 December 1995.

Human geography[edit]

The United Kingdom is composed of four parts: England,Northern Ireland, Scotland andWales.

The United Kingdom's cities, other large centres, and selected smaller places

Demographics[edit]
Main article: Demographics of the United Kingdom

Political geography[edit]
Main article: Politics of the United Kingdom
National government[edit]
The UK is governed as a whole by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Of the four countries
that make the UK, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved administrations and
parliaments/assembly:

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Assembly

Scotland Scottish Parliament

Wales National Assembly for Wales

England has no devolved system of government[clarification needed]that is, the Parliament of the United
Kingdom serves as (and historically was) the English Parliament. It is governed by UK
government ministers and legislated for by the UK parliament. Within England, London has a
devolved assembly but proposals for elected Regional Assemblies in England were rejected in
the first referendum covering North East England. See Government of England.
The UK (specifically, Northern Ireland) has an international land boundary with theRepublic of
Ireland of 499 km.[2][3] There is also a boundary between the jurisdiction of France and the UK
on the Channel Tunnel.
Local government[edit]
Main articles: Local government in England, Local government in Scotland, Local government
in Wales and Local government in Northern Ireland

Each part of the UK is subdivided in further local governmental regions:

England: Unitary Authorities, county councils, district councils, parish councils

Wales: Principal areas, communities

Scotland: Council areas, communities

Northern Ireland: Districts

Historically the UK was divided into counties or shires: administrative areas through which all
civil responsibilities of the government were passed. Each county or shire had a county
town as its administrative centre and was divided into individual parishes that were defined
along ecclesiastic boundaries.
Between 1889 (1890 in Scotland) and 1974, the political boundaries were based on the
traditional counties, but due to changes in population centres, the traditional counties became
impractical as local government areas in certain highly urbanised areas. TheLocal Government
Act 1972 created a new system of administrative counties, designed to take account of the
widely differing populations across different parts of the country.
In the 1990s further population growth led to more political changes on a local level.Unitary
authorities were formed across the entirety of Scotland and Wales, and in larger cities in
England. Many unpopular administrative counties were also abolished at this time, leading to a
mixture of two-tier and single-purpose authorities. Further reorganisations are planned if and
when regional assemblies in England are revisited in the future.

Economic geography[edit]
Main article: Economic geography of the United Kingdom
The economic geography of the UK reflects not only its current position in the global economy,
but its long history both as a trading nation and an imperial power.
The UK led the industrial revolution and its highly urban character is a legacy of this, with all its
major cities being current or former centres of various forms of manufacturing. However, this in
turn was built on its exploitation of natural resources, especially coal and iron ore.
Primary industry[edit]
The UK's primary industry was once dominated by the coal industry, heavily concentrated in
the north, the Midlands andsouth Wales. This is all but gone and the major primary industry
is North Sea oil. Its activity is concentrated on the UK Continental Shelf to the north-east
of Scotland.
Manufacturing[edit]
The UK's heavy manufacturing drove the industrial revolution. A map of the major UK cities
gives a good picture of where this activity occurred, in
particular Belfast, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffi
eld. Today there is no heavy manufacturing industry in which UK-based firms can be
considered world leaders. However, areas of the UK still have a notable manufacturing base,
including the Midlands which remains a strong manufacturing centre, and the North
West which accounts for 60% of the United Kingdom's manufacturing output. [16] More recently,
high technology firms have concentrated largely along the M4 motorway, partly because of
access to Heathrow Airport, but also because of agglomeration economies.
Finance and services[edit]

Once, every large city had a stock exchange. Now, the UK financial industry is concentrated
overwhelmingly in the City of London and Canary Wharf, with back office and administrative
operations often dispersed around the south of England. London is one of the world's great
financial centres and is usually referred to as a world city. There is also a significant legal
and ebusiness industry in Leeds.
Regional disparity[edit]
The effect of changing economic fortune has contributed to the creation of the so-called NorthSouth divide, in which decaying industrial and ex-industrial areas of Northern England,
Scotland and Wales contrast with the wealthy, finance and technology-led southern economy.
This has led successive governments to develop regional policy to try to rectify the imbalance.
However, this is not to say that the north-south divide is uniform; some of the worst pockets of
deprivation can be found in London, whilst parts of Cheshire and North Yorkshire are very
wealthy. Nor is the North-South divide limited to the economic sphere; cultural and political
divisions weigh heavily too.

Natural resources[edit]
Main article: Economy of the United Kingdom
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.

Environment[edit]
Current issues[edit]
England is one of the most densely populated countries/regions in the world, and the most
densely populated major nation in Europe.[17] The high population density (especially in the
southeast of England) coupled with a changing climate, is likely to put extreme pressure on the
United Kingdom's water resources in the future.[18]
The United Kingdom is reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It has met Kyoto Protocol target of
a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target of a 20% cut
in emissions by 2010. By 2015, to recycle or compost at least 33% of household waste.
Between 1998-99 and 19992000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3%
respectively.

International agreements[edit]
The United Kingdom is a party to many international agreements, including: Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic
Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlandsand Whaling.
The UK has signed, but not ratified, the international agreement on Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants.