Ministry of General and Vocational Education

Sverdlovsk region

State educational institution

initial vocational education

Vocational school for the training of trade workers

Economic-geographical

country profile

Great Britain

Essay

Executor:

Telitsyna M.M.

student of group No. 21

Supervisor:

geography teacher

Khorzova T.V.

Ekaterinburg

Introduction……………………………………………………………….…3

1. Territory, borders, position of the country…………………………....4

2.natural conditions and resources……………………………………......5

3.Population………………………………………………………………….7

4.Economy and industry………………………………………...8

5.Agriculture…………………………………………………….11

6.Transport………………………………………………………………….12

7. Science and finance………………………………………………………….13

8. Recreation and tourism …………………………………………………….......15

9. Environmental protection and environmental problems…………....18

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………….19

Annex 1…………………………………………………………….20

Annex 2…………………………………………………………….21

Annex 3…………………………………………………………….22

Annex 4…………………………………………………………….23

Appendix 5…………………………………………………………….24

References…………………………………………………………25

Introduction

I chose the topic "Economic and geographical position of the UK" because it is the UK that is closer to me than all other countries, of course, not counting Russia. I would like to visit this country, its cultural places and learn more about it than my superficial knowledge.

To write an essay on this topic, you need to study four sources that accurately describe the position of Great Britain. And based on these sources, it is necessary, on the basis of the questions raised, to show the current state of the country and draw a conclusion about its state.

1. Territory, borders, position of the country

Great Britain (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is an irregularly shaped archipelago with a very diverse landscape and nature. The area of ​​the UK is about 240,842 sq. km. Most of it is land, and the rest is rivers and lakes. The area of ​​England is 129,634 sq. km., Wales - 20,637 sq. km., Scotland - 77,179 sq. km. and Northern Ireland - 13,438 sq. km. The southern tip of the island of Great Britain, the Cornwall peninsula, is located at 50 ° N, and the most Northern part the Shetland Islands archipelago - at 60 ° N The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its greatest width is half that. Great Britain has a complex administrative-territorial division. It consists of 4 historical and geographical regions: England (45 counties and a special administrative unit - Greater London). Wales (8 counties); Northern Ireland (26 districts); Scotland (12 regions); independent administrative units are the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. From the west, Great Britain is washed by waters Atlantic Ocean, and from the east - the waters of the North Sea. From the south, Great Britain borders on France - the closest and most developed neighbor, which has common water borders. The shortest distance to north coast France - the Strait of Dover, but the main communication between the states is carried out through the English Channel, called the English Channel by the British, along the bottom of which a tunnel for high-speed rail traffic was laid at the end of the twentieth century. Prior to this, communication between the two countries was carried out by water or by air. Also, the closest neighbors of Great Britain are Belgium and the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway are located much further. Thus, the UK EGP is both neighboring and seaside, which is extremely beneficial for economic development country, although it has some disadvantages in strategic and military terms.

2. Natural conditions and resources The climate of Great Britain is temperate, oceanic, very humid with mild winters and cool summers. The British Isles are characterized by frequent fogs and strong winds. The temperate oceanic climate and the influence of the warm North Atlantic current create favorable conditions for the development of agriculture. average temperature the coldest month - January - does not fall below +3.5 degrees even in the extreme north-east of Great Britain, and in the south-west it reaches +5.5 degrees. snow in winter time falls throughout the country, but very unevenly. IN mountainous areas Scotland snow cover lasts at least 1-1.5 months. In the south of England, and especially in its southwest, snow falls very rarely and lasts no more than a week. Here the grass is green all year round . High soil cultivation is an important factor in increasing crop yields. Rivers in the conditions of the British climate are full of water. The largest are the Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey. Rivers as a source of energy are used only in the highlands of Scotland. The UK does not have a wide variety of minerals. The importance of hard coal is especially great, the total reserves of which amount to 190 billion tons. Three basins stand out as the largest reserves and production: Yorkshire and South Wales. In addition to these three largest coal basins, an important role is played by the basins of Scotland, stretching in a chain from the western to the eastern edge of the Mid-Scottish Lowlands, as well as the Lancashire and West Midlands, consisting of a number of small deposits. There are small outcrops of coal seams on the coast of the Kimberland Peninsula and in the extreme southeast of England - the Kent Basin. In the 1960s, oil and gas fields were discovered in the North Sea shelf. Large deposits are located off the coast of southeast England and northeast Scotland. The UK is the sixth largest oil producer in the world. Oil reserves in the UK reach 770 million tons. In addition to large energy resources, Great Britain has significant reserves of iron ore. But their deposits are distinguished by a low content of metal in the ore (22-33%). The largest field is East Midland. Until recently, Great Britain provided half of its needs in this type of raw material with its own iron ore, the rest was bought through imports. Currently, the extraction of low-quality ore turned out to be unprofitable, so mining was curtailed and switched to importing high-quality ores from Sweden, Canada, Brazil and a number of African countries. In the past, small deposits of copper and lead-zinc ores, as well as tin, were mined in the UK. Their deposits are severely depleted and now production is very small. Mining some tungsten. Uranium ore found in Scotland. Of the non-metallic industrial raw materials, the extraction of kaolin or white clay is of significant importance, as well as rock salt in Cheshire and Durham, and potash salt in Yorkshire. The soil cover of the country is dominated by a variety of podzolic soils and brown soils. The most fertile meadow soils are near the Wash Bay. In general, the soils in the UK are highly cultivated and produce high yields. The UK has a cultural landscape. Only in the mountainous regions of the country, natural vegetation has been preserved. The forests are dominated by broad-leaved species (oak, hornbeam, elm, beech) and only in Scotland - pine. Now only 9% of the territory of Great Britain is occupied by forests. However, the country appears to be very wooded, thanks to the hedgerows that surround the fields and meadows, as well as small areas of forest and numerous parks. Only West Coast, exposed to westerly winds carrying salty sea spray, is almost devoid of vegetation. Thus, due to the temperate oceanic climate in the UK, the grass is green all year round, i.e. soil productivity is high. The UK does not have a wide variety of minerals, however, some have played a huge role in shaping its industrial areas and the UK is now more of an importer than an exporter. 3. Population

The total population (according to 2008) is 61,113,205 people. Age structure: up to 14 years - 16.7%, 15-64 - 67.1%, from 65 and older - 16.2%. The average age of men is 39 years, women - 41 years. The average composition of a family is 2 children and parents. population rural population- 11%, rural population density - 242 people. per 1 km sq. The total number of economically active population is 29 million people. In cities with a population of St. 100 thousand people almost half of the country's population lives. The largest cities in terms of the number of inhabitants: London (6,803,000 people), Birmingham (935,000 people), Glasgow (654,000 people), Sheffield (500,000 people), Liverpool (450,000 people), Edinburgh (421 000 people), Manchester (398,000 people), Belfast (280,000 people). In the UK, the birth rate exceeds the death rate, the rapid birth rate can be seen in the table (Appendix 1) from 1976 to 2009. Indigenous people make up 92% of the population (2001, census), of which:

British - 83.6%,

Scots (mainly in Scotland) - 8.5%,

Welsh (mainly in Wales) - 4.9%,

Irish (mainly in Northern Ireland, Ulsters) - 2.9%.

Immigrants and their children reside mainly in the Greater London, West Midlands and Merseyside conurbations. They make up about 8% of the country's population, including:

• immigrants from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh - 3.6%,
• China - 0.4%,
• African countries - 0.8%,
• black people from the islands caribbean - 1 %

The current monarch is Elizabeth II, who began her reign on February 6, 1952. Her eldest son, Prince Charles, is her heir. The Prince of Wales performs various ceremonial functions, as does the Queen's husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. In addition, there are several more members of the august family: children, grandchildren and cousins. Thus, the population is growing due to labor immigrants from countries that have recently joined the European Union, who, after the enlargement of the EU in May 2004, were allowed free entry to work in the UK. Nevertheless, the birth rate in the country still exceeds the death rate, although natural increase is no longer the dominant factor in the increase in the British population.

geographical uk rural resource

Features of the geographical location

Great Britain is an irregularly shaped 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 that are now the bottom of the North Sea and the English Channel. Northern Ireland, which politically complements the United Kingdom, is located on the second largest island, Ireland, and is the western extension of the Scottish mountains. These mountainous areas are separated from each other by a narrow Northern Canal. The western shores of the island of Great Britain are rocky and steep, the eastern ones are more gentle.

The area of ​​Great Britain is about 240,842 sq. km. Most of it is land, and the rest is rivers and lakes. The area of ​​England is 129634 sq. km., Wales - 20637 sq. km., Scotland - 77179 sq. km. and Northern Ireland - 13438 sq. km. 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.

The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its greatest width is half that. Situated on the continental shelf, the British Archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the FRG and by the narrow English Channel (the British call it the English Channel) and the Pas de Calais from France.

Historically, the geographic features of Great Britain have influenced human settlement, population migrations, armed conquest and political union. They also determined the location and operation of industry, transport systems, agriculture, fishing industry, forests, energy resources and communications. They continue to define British life today, and are also closely linked to public concerns about the environment and wildlife.

England (pop. 48.2 million) consists mainly of rolling or flat lowland terrain, with a few mountainous areas in the north and southeast. But low hills stretch across most of the country, interspersed with lowlands and plains.

The population is concentrated mainly around major cities: London and generally in the south-east of England, western Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford and Sheffield, north-western industrial Liverpool and Manchester and north-eastern Newcastle and Sunderland.

Wales (population - 2.9 million people) is a mountainous country with mountains and hills stretching throughout the territory, often breaking off into deep valleys created by riverbeds. These mountains gradually decrease and turn into high hills in the east of England. The highest mountains in Wales are located in the northwest, where Mount Snowdon reaches 1085 m in height.

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

Scotland

Scotland (population - 5.1 million people) can be divided into three main parts. The first part is the northwestern and central mountains along with a large number of islands on the western and northern coasts. These lands are sparsely populated, and make up half of the entire territory of Scotland. The second part is the central lowlands, which make up one-fifth of the entire Scottish territory and three-quarters of the entire population of Scotland, most of the industrial and shopping centers and cultivated land. The third part is the southern uplands, which include a series of hills extending to the border with England.

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

Northern Ireland

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

The British Isles lie off the northwest coast of Europe. The British Isles are surrounded by many small islands. To the southwest of the Isle of Britain are the Isles of Scilly, and to the north of Wales is the Isle of Anglesey. On the western and northern coasts of Scotland there are numerous small islands that are part of Great Britain. The most important of these are the Orkney Shetland Islands.

From the west, Great Britain is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and from the east - by the waters of the North Sea.

From the south, Great Britain borders on France - the closest and most developed neighbor, which has common water borders with it. The shortest distance to the northern coast of France is the Strait of Dover, but the main communication between the states is through the English Channel, called the English Channel by the British, along the bottom of which a high-speed rail tunnel was built at the end of the twentieth century. Prior to this, communication between the two countries was carried out by water or air.

Also, the closest neighbors of Great Britain are Belgium and the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway are located much further.

The variety of geographical features of Great Britain is the result of long geological and climatic changes. Over time, due to the movements of the earth's crust, mountain ranges rose from the bottom of the sea, which formed the oldest territories of Great Britain. Periods of warm subtropical weather gave way to new movements of the earth's crust, and huge marshy forests covered all the lowlands. The forests, in turn, were buried under sand, soil and mud, so that the petrified forests became the coal of modern Britain. Later, the climate changed from subtropical to arctic. During the Ice Age, almost the entire island was buried under the ice, with the possible exception of southern England.

The mountains gradually eroded due to ice, water and winds. This process rounded Mountain peaks and moved the rocks to the lowlands, where they were compressed into new mountains, resulting in a smoother and softer landscape. Geological and weather changes determined the present appearance of the valleys and plains, and also "determined the location of the main rivers of Great Britain, such as the Clyde, Fort and Tweed in Scotland, Tyne, Trent, Humber, Severn and Thames in England and Wales, Bunn and Logan in North Ireland."

The forces of nature also affected the coastlines as the sea receded and returned again. Parts of the coastal zone went under water, while others were exposed. These processes continue today, especially in the eastern and south coasts England. Where the sea receded, chalk and limestone mountains formed, as well as sandy beaches along the coast, while the destruction of the soil caused the loss of part of the land in some places.

Great Britain was originally part of the European mainland, but the melting of the glaciers after the end of the ice age led to a rise in sea levels, and the country was separated from the continent by the North Sea at its widest point and the English Channel at its narrowest. The distance between Dover in England and Calais in France is the shortest (32 km).

The entire coast is criss-crossed with bays, bays, deltas and peninsulas, so that most of Great Britain is at a distance of no more than 120 km from the sea. The sea off the coast is not deeper than 90 meters, because most of the British Isles lie on the continental shelf, which is elevated seabed connected to the mainland. The warm Gulf Stream heats the sea and the air as it travels across the shelf. Therefore, the climate on the islands is much milder than it could be, given their northern location. The current also affects coastal waters, which have importance for the fishing industry.

The area is 244.8 thousand km2. Population - 60.4 million people

A constitutional monarchy is a unitary state with autonomous entities (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). Capital -. London

EGP

Great Britain - Island state in the northeastern part. Atlantic Ocean, from the mainland. Europe is separated by a strait. English Channel. Except the island. Great Britain, it includes the north-eastern part of the island. Ireland and a number of small islands. In the west, the state borders with. Ireland, which was a colony for more than 700 years. UK her. The nearest neighbors on the mainland -. France i. B elgium. UK is a member. EU,. NATO and other integration associations, which contributes to the development of pan-European cooperation.

Great Britain is a central state. The Commonwealth is a political and economic association of countries and territories that were previously part of. British. Empires (49 states and territories) in the composition. The Commonwealth includes 14 states, among them such highly developed ones as. Canada,. Australia,. New. Zealand*.

Location. Great Britain on the islands contributes to the development of maritime transport and access to international maritime trade routes. A tunnel laid at the narrowest point of the strait. English Channel, connects. Great Britain with the mainland. This greatly improves it. EGGP.

Population

In terms of population, the country ranks second among European states after. Germany. For. Great Britain has long been characterized by low natural population growth, which today is more than 1 per 1,000 people per year. For several years, even a slight decrease in the population of the state was observed. Now in. Britain's population is slowly growing due to the insignificant nature of one increase and the influx of foreigners. The low birth rate against the background of a significant average life expectancy (78 years) leads to the aging process of the nation.

The national composition of the population is motley. More than 80% are British, about 4% - Welsh (Welsh), 2% - Irish, about 5.2% - Scots and over 4% - immigrants from the states. Commonwealth and others. From the middle of the XX century about. 3000 people from Ukraine. Residents by religion. Great Britain belong to three denominations: the British and the Welsh are supporters of the Protestant Anglican Church; the Irish are Catholics; Scots are Protestants (Presbyterians).

Placed population. Great Britain on the territory unevenly. The average population density is about 240 people per 1 km2. The highest population density in England (350 people per 1 km2), the smallest in. Scotland India (more than 100 people per 1 km2). More than 90% of the population lives in cities. For. Great Britain is characterized by large agglomerations with a population of over 1 million people, in which one third of the urban population lives. Together with smaller agglomerations (about 30 in all) they form. English metropolis with population. 3 million people. Bridge-millionaire two -. London (7.6 million people) i. Birmingham. The countryside, in terms of the way I live, differs little from Miss Mist.

In the structure of employment of the population, about 80% are employed in the service sector, 19% - in industry and 1% - in agriculture. There is unemployment in the country, on average it reaches 5.5% annually.

Natural conditions and resources

. Island. Great Britain is rich in coal resources, whose reserves are currently very depleted. Largest coal basins -. Yorkshire, Newcastle (Northern England) and. Welsh. Oil and gas reserves are significant (the shelf of the North Sea). B. British sector. The North Sea contains significant deposits of oil and natural gas. Great Britain is the only European country of the "Big Seven" that fully meets its needs with its own oil and natural gas

The Nadra Islands contain small reserves of iron ore in the central coastal parts of the state, lead-zinc and tin ores on the peninsula. Cornwall (southwest. Great Britain). In the central parts. England has deposits of table and potash salts.

The state is relatively rich in water resources (the humid climate contributes to the full flow of the rivers). Only in the center. England is experiencing a shortage of water resources. Insignificant water resources are concentrated in the rivers. S. Scotland and. Wales.

Forest reserves in the country are insignificant. Only 10% of its territory is covered with forests and only 15% of the timber demand is covered by its own resources.

The country is dominated by a flat terrain. Significant areas are occupied by old destroyed mountains (Cambrian, Peninsky), which do not have a significant impact on the nature of the development of the territory

The country's climate is temperate maritime with mild winters and cool summers. It contributes to the cultivation of all crops of the temperate zone. On the western coast of the island, 2000 mm of precipitation falls, and on the eastern coast - 600 mm of precipitation on the river.

The UK has limited farmland resources. The soils of the state are quite fertile (brown forest, podzolic), but require a significant amount of mineral and organic fertilizers.

In the north. Scotland hosts a large lake district, characterized by significant recreational resources

; 1°46` east longitude and 8°00` west longitude.

Great Britain is an island state; consists of the island of Great Britain and the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland (they are separated by a narrow North Strait), as well as smaller islands (the most significant of them are Anglesey, White, Orkney, Hebrides, Shetland). Great Britain includes the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands, located in the English Channel off the coast of France, enjoying internal autonomy. (as they are usually called and) are washed by the waters of the North Sea. They are separated from mainland Europe only by the narrow straits of the Pas de Calais (in the UK - the Strait of Dover) and the English Channel (English Channel). Great Britain is connected with a tunnel 48 km long, of which 37 km passes under. Coastline- 12,429 km - heavily indented, replete with bays and gulfs - convenient parking for sea ​​vessels. The largest bays are Bristol, Cardigan, Solway Firth, Firth of Clyde, Moray Firth, Firth of Forth, Wash. UK has land border with the Irish Republic; its length is 360 km.

Most of the UK is characterized by rugged terrain. It dominates in the north and west. In the northern part of the island, mountains rise from 840 to 1300 m above sea level (the most high peak- Ben Nevis - 1340 m). The North Scottish Highlands are separated from the South Scottish Highlands by the Mid-Scottish Lowland less than 100 km wide. mountain ranges cover almost the entire western part of the island, especially Wales and Cornwall. The middle part of northern England is occupied by the Pennines, which separate the Lancashire lowlands in the west from the Yorkshire lowlands in the east. The southern half of Great Britain consists of plains separated by hills and uplands.

The UK has significant reserves. Among them - oil, natural gas, coal, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, copper, silica. Offshore oil reserves are estimated at 1,430 million tons; most of them are located in, east and northeast of and east of Shetland and Orkney; the largest offshore fields are Fortis and Brent, on the mainland - Witchfarm in Dorset. The reserves reach 1710 billion m3, the main deposits are located in the North Sea off the east coast of England. The main (substantially developed) - Yorkshire - Derby - Nottinghamshire basin in the east Middland, Northumberland - Durham basin in the northeast of England.

The soil cover of Great Britain is quite diverse. Brown forest, podzolic soils predominate. Carbonate, alluvial, acidic soils, peatlands are widespread.

The climate of Great Britain is temperate, humid, oceanic. Thanks to the North Atlantic Current and warm winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, the UK generally has mild winters. But these same explains cloudy weather, frequent rains and. The average temperature in January is 3-7°С, in July 11-17°С, the amount of annual precipitation is 550-800 mm in the southeast, 3000 mm in the mountainous western and northern regions. Most precipitation falls from October to January, less - in February-March.

In the UK there is a large number of rivers and lakes. The most - Severn (328 km) - originates in the mountains of Wales and flows into Bristol Bay (west coast). The Lancashire lowlands are crossed by the Mersey, which flows into Liverpool Bay. Main river east coast - the Thames (336 km) - flows through the most densely populated areas of southeast England. The Mid-Scottish Lowlands are also rich in rivers. The longest of them is the Clyde (157 km), originating in the South Scottish Highlands and flowing into the Firth of Clyde (west coast), and the Fort, flowing into the Firth of Forth ( East Coast). There are many lakes in the north of the country. The largest is Loch Nih in Northern Ireland - 396 km2. The deepest is Loch Morir in the North Scottish Highlands (310 m).

The flora of Great Britain is diverse - 9% of the territory. Broad-leaved forests predominate - oak, beech, birch. There are many coniferous forests in Scotland - spruce, larch. Heathlands are widespread. Evergreen species of plants are found in the south of the country. Plants vegetate all year round.

There are about 30 thousand species of animals in Great Britain. Among them are foxes, hares, red squirrels, otters, black rats, mink, reptiles and amphibians. Of the 200 bird species, the most common are sparrows, finches, starlings, crows, kingfishers, robins, and tits. In rivers and coastal sea ​​waters numerous species of fish are found - cod, haddock, whiting, herring, salmon, trout.

(86% of cargo turnover), it provides international and domestic communications. On automobile transport accounts for 75% domestic transport(the main motorway London-Manchester-Glasgow), and for the railway - about 20%. With the opening of the railway tunnel, the role of this transport in international traffic has increased. high speed trains cover the distance between London and Paris in 3 hours. River routes are used for purposes, and the role of pipeline transport is increasing.

Since the country is an island, the role of air transport is great. In the country 150 passenger airports, which provide communication with 120 . Transportation is carried out by the transnational company British Airways. The largest airports are located in London (Heathrow and Gatwick).

Since Great Britain is an island state, all its external transportation and trade are connected with the sea and by air. About 90% of the total cargo turnover is accounted for by sea transport, including 25% for cabotage.

The UK Navy is 9.6 million reg. br.t. All areas of the country, except the West Midlands, are in one way or another directly connected with seaports, which serve as the main transport hubs. The largest of them are London, Southampton, Liverpool, Goole and Harwich. The ports of London and Liverpool handle about half of all cargo (by value).

In the past, more passengers arrived by sea than by air. However, since the beginning of the 60s of the 20th century, the number of air passengers began to grow rapidly and now exceeds the number of those arriving in the country by sea by several times. In total, the country has about 150 airports, through which it is connected by permanent airlines with more than 100 countries of the world.

Almost all transportation is carried out by British Airways. Five largest airports countries - located in the London area Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as Manchester, Luton and Glasgow - provide 75% of all passenger and air cargo transportation.

The UK is connected to the continent by two rail ferries (Dover - Dunkirk and Harwich - Ostend), a channel under and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, and. To attract passengers, duty-free trade is open on ferries.

Road transport plays the most important role in domestic freight transport. It is more than 3 times inferior to the railway and coastal routes. In connection with the development of motor transport, more than 12 thousand km were filmed railway tracks. Now the length of the railway tracks is about 17 thousand km. the network is expanding at the same time highways(371 thousand km) and their reconstruction is taking place. At the same time, the main attention is paid to connecting the main conurbations of the country in the shortest possible way.