UNIT 5 - THE BRITISH ISLES – PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
THE BRITISH ISLES – LOCATION
The British Isles are a group of islands off the north-west coast of
CONTINENTAL EUROPE, consisting of Great Britain, Ireland and many
smaller islands (for example, the Isle of Wight or the Isle of Man).
It is important to remember that there are two completely different
STATES in these islands: 1.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland (a monarchy) and 2.The Republic of Ireland (Éire).
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THE BRITISH ISLES - PHYSICAL
THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM (England, Wales,
Scotland and Northern Ireland)
The south and east is LOW-LYING, with flat PLAINS and rolling HILLS.
There are MOUNTAINOUS areas in the north (the Pennines, the Scottish
Highlands) and in the west (the Cambrian Mountains).
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 (Nevis Range, 1,344 metres)

Wales: Snowdon (Cambrian Mountains, 1,085 metres)

England: Scafell Pike (Cumbrian Mountains, 977 metres)

Northern Ireland: Slieve Donard (Mourne Mountains, 852 metres)
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Human influence is very extensive. The FORESTS that covered the land
have disappeared. There is the biggest proportion of GRASSLAND than
in any part of Europe. One distinctive human influence (especially in
southern England) is the ENCLOSURE of FIELDS with HEDGEROWS, which
support a large variety of BIRDLIFE.
The longest river in the U.K. is the River Severn, which flows through
Wales and England. Other rivers include:

England: River Thames (215 miles, 346 km)

Scotland: River Tay (117 miles, 188 km)

N. Ireland: River Bann (76 miles, 122 km)

Wales: River Tywi (64 miles, 103 km)
The largest lakes in the U.K. 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: Lake Vyrnwy (3.18 sq mi, 8.24 km€)
The deepest lake in the U.K. is Loch Morar in Scotland (309 metres
deep). The famous Loch Ness, also in Scotland, is the second deepest.
NOW ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:
1. Which is the highest mountain in the U.K.?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Which is the longest river in the U.K.?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Which is the largest lake in the U.K.?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Which is the deepest lake in the U.K.?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
5. Which is longer: the River Thames or the River Tay?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
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6. Which is higher: Mount Snowdon or Ben Nevis?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
7. Which is larger: Lake Windermere or Loch Lomond?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Which is deeper: Loch Ness or Loch Morar?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
Climate of the United Kingdom:
The climate of the U.K. is very VARIABLE, but it is generally TEMPERATE.
In general the south is warmer and drier than the north.
The prevailing winds are from the south-west – from the Atlantic Ocean.
More than 50% of the days are OVERCAST.
The annual AVERAGE RAINFALL is also very variable – from about 3,000
mm. in the Highlands of Scotland, to about 550 mm. in Cambridge
(England).
How WET is Britain? Look at this CHART of the (approximate) annual
rainfall in some European cities:
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NOW ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RAINFALL CHART:
1. Which is the rainiest city?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Which is the driest city?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Which is rainier: Madrid or London?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Which is rainier: Berlin or Milan?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
5. Which is rainier: Athens or Manchester?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Which is drier: Moscow or Madrid?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
7. Which is drier: Budapest or Glasgow?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
8. Which is drier: Manchester or London?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
The temperature is usually very MILD. The south is warmer than the
north. The highest temperature recorded was 38.5ƒC in Kent (the south
of England) in the summer of 2003. The lowest temperature recorded
was -27.2ƒC in Braemar in the Grampian Mountains, Scotland in 1895.
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NOW ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TEMPERATURE CHART:
1. Which is the hottest city?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Which is the coldest city?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Which is warmer: Madrid or London?
…………………………………………………………
4. Which is warmer: Manchester or London?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
5. Which is colder: Cambridge or Moscow?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
6. Which is colder: London or Paris?
…………………………………………………………………………………….
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THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND.
Map of Ireland showing the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland („ire) is a separate state from the United
Kingdom. Its capital is Dublin, on the east coast.
A ring of mountains around the coasts surrounds a low central PLAIN
(look at the map below). The highest mountain (Carrauntuohill in County
Kerry) is only 1,041 m. high.
The island is BISECTED by the River Shannon (see map below) which, at
386 km., is Ireland’s longest river.
Ireland has a very MILD climate, with frequent, but soft rainfall. As a
result its landscape is very green and many people call it “The Emerald
Isle”.
The temperatures are also very mild and they vary from -4ƒC (min.) to
11ƒC (max.) in January and from 9 ƒ C to 23 ƒ C in July.
Ireland has fewer animal and plant
species than in Britain or mainland
Europe because it became an island
soon after the last Ice Age (8,000 years
ago):
A view of the countryside in Ireland
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IRELAND – PHYSICAL
Many different habitat types are found in Ireland, including farmland;
open woodland, temperate forests, conifer plantations, peat bogs, and
various coastal habitats.
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ACTIVITIES.
THE BRITISH ISLES
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THE BRITISH ISLES QUIZ
1. What's the capital of the Republic of Ireland?
Cardiff
Dublin
London
Belfast
2. Where in Britain can you find Loch Ness?
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
3. What is the capital of Scotland?
Glasgow
Aberdeen
Edinburgh
Inverness
4. What is the highest mountain in Britain?
Snowdon
Ben Nevis
Ben Macdhui
Scafell Pike
5. In which part of Britain can you find the Snowdonia National Park?
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
6. Which island lies between England and Ireland?
The Isle of Man
The Isle of Skye
Sheltand Islands
Jersey
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7. What is the longest river of the UK?
Severn
The Thames
Great Ouse
Trent
8. Which part of Britain is not in the flag of the UK?
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
9. What is the flag of the UK called?
Tricolore
Union Jack
Stars and Stripes
United Kingdom
10. In which part of the UK is Dartmoor?
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
11. Which of the following islands does not belong to the Hebrides?
Shetland Islands
The Isle of Skye
Anglesey
Orkney Islands
12. In which part of the UK is the Lake District?
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
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VOCABULARY: LANDSCAPE.
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GRAMMAR CONNECTIONS
The comparative and superlative of adjectives/adverbs
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Britain. The Country and Its People: An Introduction for Learners of
English; James O’Driscoll; Oxford University Press.
WEBSITES
Geography of the U.K.: Wikipedia.
Geography of Ireland: Wikipedia.
http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/freefun/geofacts/
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/glance/default.asp
KEY VOCABULARY - make your own vocabulary list.
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