egp japan

1. not profitable, because there are no neighbors

2. profitable, because it is a leader among port states and many trade routes pass through it

3. not profitable, poor in minerals, has polymetallic ores and copper ores, agricultural areas are not developed

4. profitable egp

5. Trade relations with other countries of the world have become more active. From the end of the 12th century until 1867, the feudal state that existed on the islands of Japan was ruled by the shoguns. The feudal rulers imposed a ban on almost all contact with foreigners, fearing their expansion and the spread of Christianity. The “closure” of Japan prevented the colonization of the country. However, a long period of its isolation led to the fact that until the 20th century it was, as it were, hidden from the eyes of Europeans. Severe isolation greatly affected the economic development of the country. At a time when all of Europe was advancing by leaps and bounds towards scientific and technological progress, Japan was still at the agrarian stage of development. In the 20th century, Japan was a participant in three major wars (Russian-Japanese, 1st and 2nd World Wars). In World War II, it was an ally of Nazi Germany and Italy. In 1945, in accordance with the secret Yalta agreements of the victorious countries, all the Kuriles passed to the Soviet Union as a war trophy. Since the Second World War, Japan has not had a peace treaty with Russia and claims Russia to the islands of the Kuril chain: Kunashir, Shikotan, Habomai. After almost 50 years of belonging to the Kuriles of the USSR and Russia, the socio-economic situation on the islands remains extremely difficult, the islands have remained undeveloped. Based on the principles of justice, it must be admitted that Japan has the moral and legal right to lay claim to at least the South Kuriles. It is necessary to support in every possible way the emerging trend towards rapprochement, resolve the territorial issue and conclude peace with Japan, putting an end to the Second World War.

6.beneficial influence, increased production area

egp uk

1. favorable

2.favorable, there is access to the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean

3.Favorable, average amount of minerals

4.favorable

6.EGP has a positive effect on the manufacturing sector

The leading role in the country belongs to maritime transport (86% of cargo turnover), it provides international and domestic communications. On automobile transport accounts for 75% of domestic traffic (the main motorway London-Manchester-Glasgow), and rail - 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 recreational 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 countries of the world. 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 in the UK 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.

egp uk. The position of the UK in relation to neighboring countries.

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. The five largest airports in the country - located in the London area Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as Manchester, Luton and Glasgow - provide 75% of all passenger and air cargo transportation.

Great Britain is connected with the continent by two railway ferries (Dover - Dunkirk and Harwich - Ostend), the English Channel and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and France.

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.

UK transport system wikipedia
Site search:

Characteristics of Great Britain

(England) 1 position in relation to neighboring countries 2 Provision against the main land and sea transport routes 3 Rules in relation to the main fuel bases of raw materials, industrial and agricultural areas 4 Positions in relation to the main areas of sales of products 5 Change in the EGP in time 6 General conclusion Influence of the EGP on the development and expansion of the country's economy

(England)1 Position in relation to neighboring countries 2 Position in relation to
to the main land and sea transport routes 3
relation to the main fuel resource bases, industrial and
agricultural areas 4 Position in relation to the main
sales areas 5 EGP change over time 6 General conclusion about
the influence of the EGP on the development and location of the country's economy

1) Great Britain borders only with Ireland.
2) The island state is an important point of cargo transportation from Europe to America and Africa.
Land transport matters only in domestic transport.
3) one of the major fuel bases in Europe, the North Sea, is located near Great Britain. Great Britain, through the narrow English Channel, neighbors with the major economic countries of Europe - France and the Netherlands with Belgium.
4) UK sales areas are Europe, America, Asia and Africa
5) EGL has not changed significantly over time since the 80s of the 20th century (the formation of the EU).
6) Thanks to its favorable geographical position (access to the Atlantic, close to Europe, direct connection with the USA), Great Britain is actively developing its economy and international trade.

The largest economic centers of Great Britain are located on the coast, near major ports.

The easiest way to get around central London is the tube. You can buy tickets for one or two trips, but if you use the metro often, then travel cards will be very convenient.

These can be cards for one day, for a week, or for a month, and they give you the opportunity to use the metro, bus and train in the areas you have chosen for an unlimited number of times.

One-day travel cards can be purchased at metro ticket offices. They are valid for travel on the metro and buses at any time. They are not valid for airport buses or special tours.

Weekly passes are valid for metro and bus travel at any time, but are not valid for airport bus travel or special tours.

The cost varies depending on the number of zones selected.

How to get to the city center from Heathrow Airport

TAXI. The taxi rank is located next to the airport exit.

BUS. Airport buses run to central London (A1 to Victoria station and A2 to Euston station). The fare is about 6 pounds. Tickets can be purchased at the airport building or on the bus.

Buses depart every 20 minutes.
METRO. The Piccadilly line runs from Heathrow to central London and links the ramified underground network metro.

But if you have a lot of luggage, then the trip can be difficult. Trains depart every 5 minutes and the journey takes 55 minutes.
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN. To central London, to PADDINGTON railway station, every 20 min. walk high speed trains, travel time 20 min.
TAXI"Black cabs" are a characteristic feature of the London streets, they are safe and their traffic is orderly.

Taxis can be hailed on the street when the yellow light is on to indicate that the taxi is available. There are taxi ranks in many places, including major stations. Doormen and porters in hotels will order a taxi for you. Be careful and do not accept offers from car drivers who do not have special taxi signs.

Many of them do not have a legal work permit, they are not safe to drive because they are not insured, and the drivers are often inexperienced.

Urban transport

London is one of the cities in the world where transport has become a legend.

The world's first subway and the famous double-decker buses are the visiting card of the English capital. Of course, Londoners, faithful to the traditions, try to preserve their appearance with the least changes. True, London's urban transport has long been no longer limited to the underground and red Double Decker double-decker buses.

Despite all the English conservatism, new modes of transport regularly appear in the British capital. The steam subway has long been electrified, the division of carriages into classes has disappeared, and buses in London are no longer only double-decker. Now the main transport load is still borne by the metro and buses. However, the history of London transport (beginning with omnibuses and launched in 1863 by the steam metro) is so great and interesting that a museum of urban transport has been created in the British capital.

Metro (Underground, Tube) has twelve lines. All of them were created at different times and by different owners, and therefore are still quite different from each other. Some trains run mostly underground, others on the surface.

Over time, many sections of the railways switched from metro to trains. long distance and vice versa. At first glance, the metro scheme, intertwined with the regular train network, is depressing, especially after the slender Moscow metro system. However, it's pretty easy to figure it out. The lines often branch out into separate branches to one or another area of the city, so you should always pay attention to the destination of the train.

In addition, trains of different lines can run on the same tracks. On the main lines, trains run quite often, with an interval of no more than five minutes; on the outlying lines, you can wait up to half an hour.

The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries. Economic and geographical position of countries

Tariff system London Underground It seems complicated, but in fact, understanding it is not a big problem.
The whole of Greater London is divided into six zones, which diverge from the center in concentric circles.

Any ticket must be valid in all zones through which the trip passes. Therefore, when choosing a travel route, you need to make sure that you do not inadvertently get into an area where your ticket is not valid. In general, the London Underground usually allows you to get to your destination in several ways. Among them, you can choose the one that affects fewer zones. Let's say, if you need to travel from the second zone to the third one on the opposite side of the city, you can easily bypass the first central zone and, thus, halve the cost of the trip.

The most expensive is the first zone, which includes the city center and the largest number of tourist attractions.
A single smart_card (Oyster Card) is another way to pay for travel on the London Underground, buses and trams. It is also valid on some rail routes and DLR (Docklands Light Rail) lines.

Oyster Card is a more economical payment system that allows you to link several travel cards to a magnetic card, or use the “pay as you go” mode.

You can top up your magnetic card balance at London Underground stations, at some railway stations, at specialized points of sale of these cards, by phone or on the website www.tfl.gov.uk.
The tram has recently been restored in London. Everyone knows about double-decker buses, but few people know that fifty years ago double-decker trams ran around London.

The London Tram now has three routes in the southern part of the city. Thirty meter long double wagons serve the Croydon area. Tram tickets are sold separately from vending machines at stops. If you need to transfer to a bus after a tram ride or vice versa, you can buy a “tram-bus” ticket for the same price. Bus tickets are not valid on the tram.
Another new (a little over ten years old) type of London transport is the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

It owes its appearance to the collapse of the London docks, which lost their orders after the modernization of maritime freight transport. Large-tonnage container ships began to unload in the deep-water ports of the coast, leaving the vast London area in desolation.

The program for reviving the docks area provided for the appearance of high-speed transport there, which was launched in the late eighties. The DLR train consists of several driverless trailers that can accommodate about 250 people. Four lines are currently in operation.

They link the former dock area to metro and rail stations, as well as to the city centre. The DLR fare system is the same as the metro, metro tickets are valid on the DLR and vice versa.
Tickets for transport can be bought at vending machines located at metro stations and at stops of land transport. In addition, bus tickets can be bought from the driver.

All child tickets expire at 22:00.
In general, London transport operates from four or five in the morning until one in the morning. It is better not to drive during peak hours: 07:30-09:30 and 16:30-18:30. Night buses have an N index in front of their number, for example, N-23.

All of them pass through Trafalgar Square. On Sunday, transport starts after seven in the morning and stops by midnight. Traffic intervals on Sunday are approximately twice as long. At Christmas, many lines do not function at all.
Another part of London's transport system is the river boats that ply between the many jetties on the Thames.

They are owned by several companies and contain a total of twenty routes. The Thames fare system is its own.

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 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. 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 by air. Also, the closest neighbors of Great Britain are Belgium and the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Norway are located much further. Thus, 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 the mountainous regions of Scotland, the snow cover lasts for 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.

4. Economy and industry

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks sixth among the top countries in terms of overall economic activity and in terms of gross domestic product(GDP). The country's economy is highly monopolized: the 100 largest TNCs control over 50% of industrial output and foreign trade. The UK industry provides 1/3 of the gross national product, it accounts for 1/3 of all employees. It uses mainly imported raw materials, and is increasingly oriented to the foreign market. On the one hand, the UK is characterized by the rapid growth of modern industries using progressive production technology and labor organization, the latest equipment and sophisticated management methods, on the other hand, the old traditional industries lag behind. The country's largest industrial monopolies are Imperial Chemical Industries, or ICI, Unilever, British Leyland, and General Electric Company, which each employ 200,000 people. The main part of the industrial enterprises of Great Britain is concentrated in a densely populated industrial belt, including the counties from London to Lancashire and from West Yorkshire to Gloucestershire. The largest industrial areas outside this belt are South Wales, North East England and central part Scotland. In areas where old industries and traditional industries developed, they became lagging behind or depressed. This is most of Scotland, Northern Ireland, almost all of Wales, the extreme northeast and part of the southwest of England. The main branch of the mining industry in Great Britain is coal mining. It has been going on for three centuries. In terms of coal reserves, Great Britain ranks third in Europe. As for the British oil refining industry, it is still dependent on imports of crude oil and petroleum products. There are 9 refineries in the country with a total capacity of about 90 million tons per year (in 1999, the Shell refinery in Shell Haven with a capacity of 4.3 million tons per year was closed). They are located at the mouth of the Thames, at Foley near Southampton, in south Wales, at the Manchester Canal, in Teesside, Humberside and in Scotland (Grangemouth). More than 80 gas fields with proven reserves of 2 trillion cubic meters have been discovered in the British North Sea zone. m 3 and recoverable - 0.8 trillion. m 3. Gas production at them began in the mid-60s, now 37 fields are being exploited, 1/2 of the production is produced by 7, among them are Lehman Bank, Brent, Morkham. Production volume for 1990–2003 increased from I to 103 billion m 3 . Foreign gas trade is negligible; in 2003, its exports amounted to 15, and imports - 8 billion m 3 . The gas pipeline, laid on the bottom of the North Sea, reaches the east coast of the island of Great Britain in the area of Easington and Yorkshire. A major achievement of the British economy is that the entire manufacturing and consumer sectors are fully supplied with electricity. 86% of electricity is produced by thermal power plants, 12% by nuclear and 2% by hydroelectric power plants. The vast majority of thermal power plants run on coal, but in recent years some of them have switched to oil. The largest thermal power plants (with a capacity of more than 1 million kW) are located on the River Trent and near London. Hydro stations are usually small, located mainly in the Scottish Highlands. Iron ore is mined in a relatively narrow belt that starts at Scunthorpe in Yorkshire in the north and runs through the East Midlands to Banbury in the south. The ore here is of low quality, siliceous and contains only 33% of the metal. The need for iron ore is covered by imports from Canada, Liberia and Mauritania. Ferrous metallurgy has been greatly developed.
Today, the UK ranks eighth in the world in iron and steel smelting. The state corporation British Steel produces almost all the steel for the country. 4 metallurgical districts have survived, of which only one is located in the center of the country: Sheffield-Rotherham, with its specialization in high-quality steel and electric steel, the rest - on the coast in ports (in South Wales - Port Talbot, Llanvern, in Humbersay - de - Scunthorpe , in Teesside - Redcar). Engineering, the largest branch of British industry, employs 1/4 of all those employed in the manufacturing industry. The industry accounts for 40% of conditionally pure products of the manufacturing industry. Transport engineering dominates. About 1/3 of the capital spent on the production of means of transport belongs to American companies that have established themselves in the British Isles after the Second World War. There are enterprises in this industry in almost all areas and in most cities in the UK. Electrical engineering is one of the growing and developing industries, it ranks second among the manufacturing industries in terms of the number of employees. Several very large companies dominate electrical engineering: General Electric, English Electric, and Associated Electric Industries. The position of the UK in the production of turbines and electric motors is still quite strong. But now electronics is dominating. The production of computer technology is developing most dynamically, but the main positions here are occupied by American capital, and in the production of consumer electronics - by Japanese capital. British firms are traditionally strong in the production of electronic equipment (radar, radio transmitters) and communications. Aircraft manufacturing is one of the fastest growing engineering industries in the UK. This industry is dominated by the state's largest firm, British Airspace. It specializes in the production of a wide range of various aircraft, helicopters, spacecraft, rockets. Helicopters are manufactured by another large firm, Westland Aircraft. Almost all the production of aircraft engines in the country is concentrated in the hands of the nationalized company Rolls-Royce, which has factories in Derby, Bristol, Coventry, and also in Scotland. Widely developed cooperation with Western European and American companies in the production of civil and military equipment. The newest productions of the chemical industry are also among the rapidly developing industries. About 1/3 of the products of basic chemistry are inorganic chemicals - sulfuric acid, oxides of metals and non-metals. Among the many chemical industries, the production of synthetic fibers began to stand out on a large scale. various kinds plastics, new dyes, pharmaceuticals and detergents. British chemistry is based on oil and gas raw materials and specializes in a fairly limited number of chemicals. The industries traditional for the British economy, such as the textile industry, are also developing. Of the light industries, it plays a special role in the industrial development of the country, in the spread of the machine method of production throughout the world. Woolen fabrics are produced mainly in West Yorkshire, rayon production prevails in the Yorkshire city of Silesden, and cotton fabrics in Lancashire, in small textile towns north-east of Manchester. The production of woolen fabrics, products, yarn is the oldest in the British Isles. The woolen products of British textile workers are still highly valued in foreign markets today. In the structure of the manufacturing industry, the paper and printing industries (13.9%), food and tobacco (13.8%) have the largest share. The food and flavor industry over the past half century has become one of the main areas of concentration of British capital: of the 40 corporations in the country that are members of the "Club 500" of the largest firms in the world, this industry is represented by a dozen, led by Unilever, Diageo and Cadbury Schweppes. Food concentrates, confectionery, drinks (including tea, Scotch whiskey and London gin), and tobacco products are highly competitive on the world market. The placement of the largest enterprises is focused on markets, including external ones. Thus, the UK ranks sixth among countries in terms of the overall scale of economic activity, in terms of GDP and industrial production.

5.Agriculture

In recent decades, the scientific and technical level and productivity of the national agro-industrial complex has significantly increased in the development of agriculture. The provision of the country at the expense of local resources is steadily growing, and in the post-war period it has risen from 1/3 to 4/5, full self-sufficiency has been achieved in such products as milk, the provision is high in eggs, poultry meat, wheat, oats, barley, potatoes; fruits, butter, sugar, cheeses are imported. Under the conditions prevailing in the EU, you have to pay more for imported products in comparison with the possibilities of importing food from former colonies, which gives rise to constant contradictions between the UK and other EU members. Agriculture in the UK is currently one of the most productive and mechanized in the world. The share of employment in the industry is 2% of the total employment in the country. The total area of agricultural land is 58.3 million hectares (76% of all land in the country). The structure of agricultural production is dominated by animal husbandry. Dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding, pig breeding (bacon fattening), meat sheep breeding and poultry farming are also developed. England is one of the world's largest suppliers of sheep's wool. Traditionally, animal husbandry is concentrated in river basins. However, animal husbandry suffered great damage in 2001 due to livestock diseases - first spongiform encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”), and then foot and mouth disease. In crop production, almost 60% of arable land is occupied by perennial grasses, more than 28% - by grain crops (including 15% - wheat, 11% - barley); 12% - under technical (rapeseed, sugar beet, flax) and fodder crops (including potatoes), as well as vegetable gardens and berry fields. The main agricultural areas are East Anglia and the South East. There are many orchards in the country. Agriculture enjoys great state support and receives subsidies from the EU budget. For such products as: wheat, barley, oats and pork, production volumes exceed consumption; for such as: potatoes, beef, lamb, wool, sugar and eggs - the volume of production is lower than the volume of consumption. Thus, many essential UK products have to be imported from other countries. They import 4/5 of butter, 2/3 of sugar, half of wheat and bacon, 1/4 of the beef and veal consumed in the country.

6.Transport

Great Britain is an island state, therefore all its external transportation and trade are connected with sea and air transport. About 9/10 of the total cargo turnover falls on maritime transport, including 1/4 - on cabotage. All areas of Great Britain, except for 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, Hull and Harwich, with London and Liverpool seaports pass about half of all cargo (by value). Great Britain is connected with the continent by a tunnel under the English Channel, two railway ferries (Dover - Dunkirk and Harwich - Ostend), and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and France. Road transport plays the most important role in domestic freight transport. The dominant role in domestic transportation is occupied by road transport - 85% of passenger traffic and 81% of freight traffic. The territory of Great Britain is covered with a dense network of highways. The length of paved roads is 406.4 thousand km. Unlike others developed countries in the UK, with a high density of roads, only 4% are modern motorways, which attract 36% of traffic flows. The most intensive traffic is on the axial motorway London - Birmingham - Manchester - Glasgow. Both London and Glasgow have subways. To increase competitiveness, electrification of railways was carried out (1/3 of the lines), express trains for passengers and cargo were launched on the main directions. The government is implementing various organizational measures to modernize this mode of transport. Falling value river transport. The length of waterways is 3.2 thousand km. Internal waterways(rivers and canal network) are now mainly used for recreational purposes only. Cargo transportation is carried out mainly within the deep-sea estuaries of the Mersey, Thames, Severn, and Humber. Air transport is developing rapidly. Since the 1980s air transportation of passengers and cargo has more than tripled. British Airways is a leading international airline. There are about 450 civilian airports in the country - the largest of them is Heathrow. The pipeline transport network is rapidly expanding; it is connected to gas pipelines coming from the fields of the North Sea; the total length of pipelines is 3.9 thousand km. - up to 75% of oil is delivered to land through oil pipelines.

Thus, transport in the UK plays an important role in domestic freight and passenger transport. So the tunnel under the English Channel with two rail ferries transports 60-80% of the total population per day.

7. Science and finance

Great is the contribution of Great Britain to the treasury of world science, primarily to the development of natural and technical sciences. Among the outstanding scientists - physicists, chemists, biologists: I. Newton, R. Boyle, R. Hooke, J. Joule, M. Faraday, J. Maxwell, C. Darwin, Cavendish, E. Rutherford. World famous works of British philosophers, sociologists, historians, economists: R. Bacon, T. More, Fr. Bacon, T. Hobbes, I. Bentham, W. Petty, A. Smith, D. Riccardo, J. Mill, R. Owen, T. R. Malthus, A. Marshall, J. M. Keynes, B. Russell. Over 70 British scientists have been awarded Nobel Prizes. The UK accounts for approximately 4.5% of the world's spending on science, 8% of all scientific publications. The importance of science in the UK can be seen from the changes that have taken place in education. Technical schools and colleges, as well as continuing education programs at other institutions, seek to increase the number of professional scientific workers. Schools work closely with industry. The Manchester Research Council brings together university scientists and members of the Chamber of Commerce. The University of Sheffield conducts industrial research in the field of glass technology, and in Cheshire in the use of radio telescopes. There are more than 200 scientific institutions and organizations in the UK, producing more than 400 scientific periodicals. As for the libraries, let's name the main ones. The British Museum Library in London (over 10 million volumes), the Cambridge University Library (over 3.5 million volumes), the Bodleian Library in Oxford (over 4.5 million volumes), and the Scottish National Library in Edinburgh (over 4 million volumes), National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth (more than 2 million volumes). Copies of all published books go, in accordance with the law, to the British Museum for copyright, as well as to other libraries, if they receive requests for these publications. The largest libraries are located at the universities of London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St. Andrews, Royal (in Belfast), John Ryland (in Manchester), at the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Museum of Natural History. Important collections of special editions are held at the Patent Office, India House, State Archive , at the Royal Geographical Society, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Royal College of Music, the Royal Academy of Music, the Council of the Arts, the National Book League, the National Archives, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Institute of Modern History (Wiener Library) and the National Library for the Blind. There are about 500 public library boards with over 40,000 branches and lending out over 400 million books a year. The delivery of books on specially equipped vehicles is becoming increasingly popular for remote areas. Book collections are supplemented by a large number of video and audio materials. British companies have cut their R&D (Research and Development) spending. According to this indicator, the UK ranks fifth among the seven leading industrialized countries. In the field of high technology, British firms are ahead of Japanese and German companies, but behind the US and France. This situation is caused not only by a decrease in the level of development funding from the companies themselves, but also by a reduction in support from the state. The Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance are developing a joint policy to increase investment in R&D and to optimize the process of introducing research results into all sectors of the country's economy. The fact that the Ministry of Finance is involved underscores the attention that the government is paying to solving this problem. The two ministries lead the working groups involved in the restructuring of the process of organizing and financing British R&D. The Chief Treasurer of the Treasury sponsors a group led by the director of British Biotech. The group is looking into R&D funding in high-tech companies, and in particular upstream funding. The Ministry of Trade and Industry sponsors the Tech-Stars group to overcome barriers to the development of small and medium-sized firms in the field of high technology. The Minister of Science leads a working group on inventive activity and the implementation of inventions in industry. The Investment Working Group, chaired by Lord Hollick, is busy looking at the constraints to investment in R&D. All groups include representatives of banking circles, joint capital and firms in the fields of production and services. Thus, scientific and technical programs have been developed and are being implemented aimed at solving urgent problems of industry and society, which include: the creation of a promising vehicle future; pollution reduction major cities countries; creation of promising materials for industry; genetic and ecological balance of human health; an integrated approach to the problems of aging. And the role of science in the UK is very significant.

8. Recreation and tourism

For most visits to the UK, a multi-entry visitor visa is issued for a period of 6 months. In some cases, a visitor visa may be issued for a single visit. Russian citizens, thanks to a concession under the UK Immigration Rules, may not receive transit visa and leave the airport transit area if staying in the UK for no more than 24 hours. In cooking, the British are as committed to tradition as in many other things. An English day for centuries begins with a traditional breakfast: scrambled eggs with fried bacon, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, sausages and black pudding. Nowadays, oatmeal and corn flakes are more commonly served. After breakfast, tea and toasted toast with orange jam are sure to be waiting for you. Lunch, or second breakfast, is served at half past two, followed by tea or a light lunch at 5 o'clock and dinner at 7. Snacks and sandwiches are very popular - triangular sandwiches have already become one of the many English traditions. Puree soups and broths are common among the first courses, but they are rarely served, they are not an integral part of the daily meal. Spices and herbs are used very rarely. The British eat a lot of meat: beef, veal, lamb, pork. It is baked whole with blood or cut into steaks and fried in a pan. Meat is served with gravy, roasted vegetables (usually potatoes) and pickles. Of the intoxicating drinks, beer is especially popular - black ale and porter, and draft beer is especially appreciated, as well as whiskey, gin, brandy, rum, port wine. Accommodations in the UK are divided into three types:

Hotel - a hotel where a full service for accommodation is provided;
B&B and Inn - guest accommodation providing the necessary service for overnight stays and breakfasts;
Motel - budget or roadside hotels, informal accommodation options with a very limited range of services. run by private entrepreneurs and have limited opportunities for businessmen.

In addition to star rating, hotels (Hotel) can be assigned specific names. MetroHotel (metro hotel). Does not offer hot meals to guests, but should be within walking distance of eating places. CountryHouseHotel (country home hotel). The hotel should have a small park or garden - secluded and quiet. SmallHotel (mini-hotel). The maximum number of rooms is 20. Usually these hotels are run by private entrepreneurs and have limited opportunities for businessmen. The main sights of England and the whole of Great Britain are, of course, located in London, where, for example, in the City area, tradition and modernity are combined. And also in the capital of Scotland - Edinburgh. Big Ben ( appendix 1) - This is a huge clock that stands on the tower of St. Stephen. This clock, located on the tower of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, is recognizable by sound and heard all over the world, because their beat is broadcast on BBC radio every hour. Tourists are not allowed to enter Big Ben. To get to the very top of the ninety-six-meter tower, you can use a very narrow spiral staircase. After passing all three hundred and thirty-four steps, you can get to a small open area, this is where the legendary bell is located. Big Ben is one bell. It is over two meters high and three meters in diameter. British museum(Appendix 2) - The British Library, the reading room of the British Museum, which is a huge cylindrical room. All the walls of this room are lined with books. Buckingham Palace(Appendix 3) - Buckingham Palace is located opposite the marble gilded monument to Queen Victoria opposite Pall Mall. If the Queen is in the palace, then the royal flag flies on the roof of the palace. At the request of the Queen's ancestor, King George IV, the palace was built to an architectural design by John Nash. The cost of building reached seven hundred pounds due to the mass of excesses of this kind, such as, for example, five hundred marble blocks with veins from Carrara Edinburgh castle(Appendix 4) Edinburgh Castle is located in the heart of the city, so it is visible from everywhere. None of the passing tourists can pass by. Because the castle has a huge height. But in addition to entertainment, it attracts with its age and historical significance. Stonehenge. The giant structure in the center of Europe - Stonehenge - is a stone mystery. In general, Stonehenge is a giant structure that includes 82 five-ton megaliths, 30 stone blocks of 25 tons and 5 huge triliths weighing 50 tons. Stone blocks are stacked in the form of arches pointing to the cardinal directions. Until recently, scientists believed that this structure was erected in 3100 BC by the tribes of the British Isles in order to observe the Sun and Moon. But recently this idea has been revisited. London parks- this is a special attraction, which is a green spot in the very center of the city, with an area of more than three hundred hectares. The huge size of the parks, their length creates the illusion of an untouched landscape of nature, creating an environment that contrasts with the super-urban landscape of the city. The significance of parks in restoring the atmosphere of central London is enormous, which is why they are called the "lungs of London". Museum of Z. Freud. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, lived in this house since 1938 with his family after fleeing Austria from the Nazi regime. Until 1982, the youngest daughter of Freud, also a psychoanalyst, lived here. Now it houses both a museum and a research center. Tower of London. In a book dedicated to the 900th anniversary of the Tower, the Duke of Edinburgh wrote: "Throughout its history, the Tower of London has been a fortress, and a palace, and a repository of royal jewels, and an arsenal, and a mint, and a prison, and an observatory, and a zoo, and a place that attracts tourists." Ferris wheel(LondonEye) is a large, tallest Ferris wheel in the world. Such a gift to Londoners and guests of the city was made by 2000. The Ferris wheel has 32 cabins, each of which is designed for 25 people, a full turn of the wheel takes half an hour. The construction of a huge Ferris wheel was financed by British Airlways. From a height of one hundred and thirty-five meters, a wonderful view of London opens up; if the weather is favorable, you can see the city with its surroundings within a radius of forty kilometers. Saint's Cathedral Paul- This is the residence of the Bishop of London, as well as the spiritual center of the City. The architect Sir Christopher Wren watched the construction of the cathedral from the windows of his house, which was located on the opposite bank of the river. From there he could see the work at the top of Ludgate Hill. The construction of this masterpiece lasted for thirty-five years. Sherlock Holmes' house built in 1815. The British government declared it an architectural and historical monument of the second category. From 1860 until 1934, the house was a private property, there was a boarding house, but with the acquisition of the building by the International Society, it became the home of Sherlock Holmes. windsor palace- this castle, which is visible from the side of Windsor Park, the great people found it very romantic. To the left of it is the Round Tower. The architect Geoffrey Whiteville for his creation in 1828 was awarded his work in the estate of knights. Westminster Abbey – its beauty has been painstakingly created by generations of members of the royal family, beginning with Edward the Confessor, who ascended the throne in 1040. It is a pity that the church he built was consecrated only in 1065, when the king became weak and could not attend the consecration ceremony. The following year, on Christmas Day, the coronation of William the Conqueror took place in the church. Thus, in the UK, tradition and modernity, traditions in cooking, religion and cultural values, and modernity in education, upbringing of young generations and social development have merged.

9. Environmental protection and environmental issues

Today, a three-year project to create a database of building materials is at the last stage of implementation. The project is supported by 24 trade organizations involved in the production and supply of building materials, and is aimed at improving their quality, service life and checking how they meet the principles of energy saving, environmental protection and human health. Recent sociological studies show that about 70% of respondents believe that the state of the environment in their living quarters needs to be improved. Therefore, the Institute of Construction is going to publish recommendations for construction companies on how they can improve the quality of buildings being built and their compliance with environmental requirements. To encourage construction firms to participate in this important cause, the Institute is planning to publish a book, Environment. Competition. Profit, which will include data on all firms that are serious about protecting the environment. The UK is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions . Under the Kyoto Protocol commitments, the country has already reduced emissions by 12.5% compared to 1990 and plans to reach 20% in 2010. It is planned that by 2015 33% of household waste will be recycled or used as fertilizer. During the period from 1999 to 2000, the recycling of household waste increased from 8.8% to 10.3%. Great Britain ratified such international agreements: “on environmental protection”, “on air pollution” (nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, organic compounds), “on protection of the natural environment of Antarctica”, “on conservation of marine resources of Antarctica”. "Antarctic Treaty", "on biodiversity", the UN framework convention "on climate change", the Kyoto Protocol "on desertification", "on hazardous waste", the Maritime Convention, the ban on nuclear weapons testing, "on the protection of whales" and others. Thus, by signing the above treaties and agreements, the UK seeks to reduce and partially eliminate the environmental problem.

Conclusion

This essay was written using four sources, having studied which I can conclude that now the UK is a highly developed state, one of the leading world powers. In terms of industrial production, it ranks fifth in the world after the USA, Japan, Germany and France. But it hasn't been done yet. In Britain, mining is underway, the development of new methods for extracting the latter. Because Britain is Island state, it remains one of the largest maritime powers at the present time. Due to its economic and geographical position, there are still development options in the UK. This country can only develop and improve its position in the world.

Annex 1

1-1976; 2-1998; 3-2004; 4-2005; 5-2007; 6-2009

Appendix 2

Annex 3

Appendix 4

Annex 5

Bibliography:

1 .Internet "Great Soviet Encyclopedia". Editor-in-Chief S.I. Vavilov. State scientific publishing house "Big Soviet Encyclopedia". Volume number 7. 1951.2.Internet Handbook "Countries of the World". 1976. Moscow. Publishing house of political literature.3.Internet Encyclopedia for children. "Avanta+". Volume 13. “Countries. Peoples. Civilizations. 1999.

Soviet encyclopedic dictionary. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia
1979.- p.204.

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

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 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. 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 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. Thus, the EGP of Great Britain is both neighboring and coastal, which is extremely beneficial for the economic development of the 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. The average temperature of 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 falls throughout the country, but very unevenly. In the mountainous regions of Scotland, the snow cover lasts for 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 the western 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. The rural population is 11%, the density of the rural population is 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 of the Caribbean - 1%

State structure

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Formally, the country is ruled by a monarch (since 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II), but in fact the highest legislative body is the Parliament, which includes the Queen, the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is a national assembly, elected every five years. House of Lords - aristocrats, princes of the blood, hereditary peers.

Position in relation to neighboring countries

The country is located in the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe, traditionally called (after largest island) Great Britain, and according to the name of the historical part - England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean from the north and from the west. Through the vastness of this ocean given country"adjacent" to Iceland in the north.

From the east, the shores of "foggy Albion" are washed by the waters of the North Sea. The neighboring countries on this side are Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The closest neighboring country is France. It borders the UK on the south side and is separated from the coast of the United Kingdom by the English Channel.

In the west, Great Britain is separated from the main part of Ireland by the Irish Sea and the Strait of St. George.

Characteristics of the UK EGP

1) Great Britain (United Kingdom) is an island state, most of whose territory is located on two large islands separated by the waters of the Irish Sea.

It consists of four countries: England, Scotland and Wales, located on the island of Britain, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom has a common land border only with Ireland.

From the south, Great Britain borders on France - the closest and most developed neighbor, which has common water borders with it.

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

Thus, the EGP of Great Britain is both neighboring and seaside, which is extremely beneficial for the economic development of the country, although, undoubtedly, it has certain disadvantages in strategic and military terms.

2) 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.

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.

3) The main sources of energy are coal and oil, to a lesser extent - natural gas. The coal mining industry is one of the oldest industries in the UK. The main coal mining areas are Cardiff, South Wales and Central England (Sheffield).

The UK has a temperate and fairly humid climate. Therefore, most of the used rural land is occupied by pastures (about 80%). A smaller part of the territory is occupied by agricultural crops, which are mainly grown in East Anglia. One of the main crops is sugar beet, grown in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, where the main sugar refineries are located. Important crops are also wheat, barley, oats grown in England, Northern Ireland and on the east coast of Scotland.

Dairy farming also plays an important role in UK agriculture. Dairy cattle are predominantly bred in the southwest of England.

Since Great Britain has been a maritime power since ancient times, fishing is considered a traditional craft. The basis of the fishery is cod, flounder, herring, whitefish, trout, oysters and crabs.

4) The administrative map of Great Britain has changed several times, because the accession of the countries that make up the United Kingdom lasted for centuries. Each once independent state has its own capital or administrative center. The official capital of Great Britain is London, since the unification of the lands took place around England.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Great Britain, being in first place in the world in terms of economic development, created a colossal colonial power that occupied almost a quarter of the planet's territory. The British colonies included India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and much of Africa. In the twentieth century, the English colonies became independent states, but many of them are part of the British Commonwealth, headed by the British monarch. In 1921, the southern part of Ireland seceded from Great Britain and became an independent state.