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

Great Britain - 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.

Great Britain (full name - the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is an island state in Western Europe(Fig. 1.1), the form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The capital is the city of London.

Rice. 1.1

A state in Northwestern Europe, on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), washed by Atlantic Ocean and its seas. The area is 241 thousand km 2.

Mountainous terrain prevails in the north and west of Great Britain - the North Scottish Highlands (up to 1344 m), the Pennines and the Cambrian Mountains; in the south and southeast there are hilly plains. The climate is temperate oceanic, humid. In January average temperature air is from 3 to 7°C, in July - about 11--17°C; rainfall up to 3000 mm per year in the west and 600--750 mm in the southeast. Major rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey, Clyde. Forests (mainly beech, oak, birch) occupy about 9% of the UK.

Great Britain consists of four administrative and political parts (historical provinces): England (it includes 39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London), Wales (it includes 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 city-counties), Scotland ( consists of 32 regions) and Northern Ireland (includes 26 regions). Economic and social geography of neighboring countries: Ed. M.P. Ratanova. - M: Bustard. 2004. - 576 p.

The UK population over the last century is represented by the following census results:

• - 1900 - 35,405,900 people
• - 1949 - 50.3 million people.
• - 1959 - 51.9 million people.
• - 1976 - 55.9 million people.
• - 1998 - 59.1 million people.
• - 2004 - 59,834,900 people Simagin Yu. A. Territorial organization of the population: Textbook. - M.: Dashkov and K. - 2005. - 236 p.

Population dynamics can be represented on a graph (Fig. 1.2).

Rice. 1.2

The ethnic composition of the UK population is as follows:

• - British - 81.5%.
• - Scots - 12.4%.
• - Irish - 2.4%.
• - Welsh (or Welsh) - 1.9%.
• - Ulster - 1.8%. Shepetilov A.A. Economics of Western Europe. - K.: Higher school. - 2003. - 262 p.

The remaining ethnic groups make up a very low percentage in the UK. In addition, these ethnic groups are relatively constant and their share in the UK population is also always approximately the same. The rest of the ethnic groups are unstable and difficult to account for.

For a clearer perception, let's present the data on the ethnic composition of the UK population on a diagram (Fig. 1.3).

Political structure. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy headed by a queen.

The legislature is a bicameral parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The government is headed by the prime minister.

Rice. 1.3

A distinctive feature of the British Constitution is the absence of any single document that could be called the fundamental law of the country; moreover, there is not even an exact list of documents that would relate to the Constitution. Sinitsyn O.I. Modern economy. Public training course. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005. - 608s.

Economy. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, a major supplier of finished industrial products to the world market and a major exporter of capital (mainly in the developed countries). GNP per capita $16,070 per year. Extraction of oil and natural gas (mainly on the shelf of the North Sea), coal. Mechanical engineering is the most developed (focused on the production of non-standard products, as well as various kinds and types of machines), including electrical and electronic, transport (including large aircraft, rocket, car and shipbuilding), machine tool building, agricultural, production of industrial equipment, handling equipment, etc., chemical and petrochemical (Great Britain occupies one of the leading places in the world for the production and export of synthetic fibers and dyes, plastics, detergents, fertilizers, etc.), the pharmaceutical, oil refining, ferrous (high-quality steels) and non-ferrous (tin, aluminum) metallurgy. The oldest branch of English industry - textile - has lost its former importance. Large food flavoring (traditional production of whiskey, beer; processing of imported agricultural raw materials) industry; production of footwear, knitwear; famous English porcelain. Dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and bacon pig breeding predominate in agriculture; meat and wool sheep breeding. They grow mainly barley, wheat, sugar beets, oats, and potatoes. Vegetable and fruit growing (large greenhouse and greenhouse farm), floriculture (daffodils, tulips).

The monetary unit is the pound sterling = 100 pence. Runova T.G. Economic Geography with the Basics of Regional Studies: Textbook (3rd ed., ster.). - M.: MGIU. - 2007. - 184 p.

British Armed Forces. British Armed Forces armed forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The British Armed Forces are under the control of the Defense Council of the Ministry of Defence. The main task of the British Armed Forces is to protect the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, advancing UK security interests and supporting international peace efforts. Also, the British Armed Forces are active and permanent participants in NATO operations and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuskov A.S. Economic Geography in Questions and Answers: Textbook. - M.: League. - 2004. - 224 p.

The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries often called This is a rather complex and multifaceted category. It will be discussed in this article. What are the characteristics of the economic and geographical position of the leading states of Eurasia - Japan, Great Britain, France? And how profitable is it?

Position of the country in relation to neighboring countries

The countries of our planet differ significantly from each other. And not only in terms of size, population or cultural characteristics. There are other factors that largely determine the welfare of the state. So, some countries have extensive access to the ocean, while others are closed within the mainland. Some states are at the crossroads of important transcontinental transport routes, which gives them huge benefits in the form of profit from the transit of goods by other subjects of the world economy. All these factors can be attributed to the concept considered in this article.

So, the position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is called the economic and geographical position of the state (abbreviated as EGP). However, this is a very narrow interpretation of the concept. EGP is a very complex and multifaceted geographical category. In a broad sense, EGP is the position of a country (as well as a city or region) relative to those geographical objects that can have an impact (positive or negative) on its economic development.

EGP can be central, peripheral, deep or marginal. It can be assessed at the global or regional level.

When characterizing the EGP of a particular state, many factors should be taken into account. This:

• availability of access to the sea (World Ocean);
• number of neighboring countries;
• marketing opportunities for their products;
• the presence of large fuel and raw material bases;
• position regarding important transport routes, etc.

It is interesting that some countries successfully use the benefits of their geographical position. Other states have not yet learned this art. The Soviet geographer Nikolai Baransky was the first to seriously study theoretical aspects EGP concepts.

The position in relation to neighboring countries is often also referred to. However, in this case, we are talking exclusively about political factors, the nature of the relationship of a particular state with its neighbors, and the like.

Characteristics of the EGP of France

France is one of the largest countries in Europe. It includes Corsica, as well as a number of small islands in the Mediterranean Sea. In addition, France owns overseas departments and territories almost all over the world.

The position of France in relation to neighboring countries can be described as favorable. It borders on eight states. France maintains good neighborly and close relations with each of them.

The country is located in Western Europe and has access to mediterranean sea in the south and towards the Atlantic in the west and northwest. The coastline within the state is indented by numerous bays, convenient for the entry of large international ships.

Characteristics of the EGP of Japan

Japan is an archipelago country in East Asia, which consists of six thousand islands of various sizes. From the east, the territory of the state is washed Pacific Ocean, from the west - by the waters of the three seas that separate it from the "Great Land".

The position of Japan in relation to neighboring countries can generally be considered advantageous. Due to its location at the junction of the largest continent and the largest ocean on the planet, the country has received many opportunities for establishing international contacts and marketing its products.

Japan is frankly unlucky with natural resources and relief. About 80% of its territory is not suitable for the development of the economy and the construction of residential buildings (due to mountain landscapes). In addition, there are practically no minerals in the country.

UK GWP score

Great Britain in many ways resembles This country is also located on, however, not on the eastern, but on the western outskirts of Eurasia.

Great Britain is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and two seas - the North and the Irish. It is separated from the mainland by the 35-kilometer English Channel. It has a common land border with only one country - Ireland.

Due to its geographical position, England received the unspoken status of the "sea queen of Europe" several centuries ago. The relief and natural and climatic conditions also contribute to the development of the country's economy.

Conclusion

Under the term EGP understand the position of the country in relation to neighboring countries. It can be central, deep or marginal, profitable or unprofitable. In addition, not all states effectively use their geographical position.

EGP characteristic

Great Britain (United Kingdom) is an island state, most of whose territory is located on two major islands separated by the waters of the Irish Sea. total area Great Britain is 244,017 sq. km. The population of Great Britain is 58,395 thousand people.

The official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It consists of four countries: England, Scotland and Wales, located on the island of Britain, and Northern Ireland. The latter is located on the same island as the Independent Republic of Ireland. Thus, Great Britain has a common land border only with Ireland.

The British Isles lie off the northwest coast of Europe. The British Isles are surrounded by many small islands. The Isles of Scilly are located southwest of the Isle of Britain, and the Isle of Anglesey is to the north of Wales. 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. 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 at the end of the twentieth century a tunnel for high-speed rail traffic was laid. 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 UK EGP is both neighboring and seaside, which is extremely beneficial for economic development country, although, of course, it has certain disadvantages in strategic and military terms.

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.

Contemporary Administrative division Great Britain

The UK is one of the most densely populated and highly urbanized countries in the world. On average, there are 230 people per 1 square meter of its area. However, the distribution of the population across the country is very uneven. The main part of the inhabitants of Great Britain is concentrated in England, which has the most convenient geographical position, favorable natural conditions and has played a leading economic role throughout the history of the British Isles. Here the average density increases to 356 people per 1 sq. km. km. Within England itself, the main industrial belt of the country, stretched along the London-Liverpool axis, is most densely populated: half of the entire population of Great Britain lives in this belt. The most sparsely populated areas are in Scotland with its harsh natural conditions and less developed economy compared to other parts of the country. For 1 sq. km. It has an average population of 86, with the population concentrated mainly on the coasts, in the valleys and lowlands (especially around Glasgow and Edinburgh), while some highland areas are virtually deserted.

By the end of the nineteenth century. 3/4 of the population of Great Britain lived in cities, and the predominant type of population was already large conurbations. Since the beginning of the twentieth century. there is an intensive migration of rural residents to cities, where almost 4/5 of the country's population now lives. Drawing a line between urban and rural settlements in a highly urbanized country like the UK is difficult. Many villages have become the "bedrooms" of nearby towns, with villagers commuting daily to the towns for work.

There are about a thousand cities in the UK. Half of the country's urban population is concentrated in seven conurbations. One of them - Central Clydesgard (1.7 million people) - are located in Scotland, and the rest in England. These are Tynesad, which is home to 0.8 million people, West Midlands (2.4 million), South East Lancashire (2.3 million), West Yorkshire (1.7 million), Mersnside (1.3 million) and Greater London (7 million). Over 1/10 of city dwellers live in cities with a population of more than 200,000 people each, of which Sheffield and Edinburgh each have more than half a million inhabitants. 75 cities with a population of 50 to 100 thousand people belong to the average in the UK. Five conurbations and half of all large and medium-sized cities in the country are concentrated in an industrial belt along the London-Liverpool axis, which is partly called the metropolis.

One of the consequences of the development of conurbations and especially their central cities is an exorbitantly high population density. In this regard, measures are being taken to relieve them: part of the excess population is moving to the suburbs or to new expanding medium-sized cities.

In the "hierarchy" of British cities, London undoubtedly occupies a leading position as the capital, the main political and Cultural Center country, one of its largest industrial centers, the largest sea ​​port and the leading city of Britain's most important economic region, Southern England. In addition to London, many "capital" functions are performed by 10 more cities in Great Britain: Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast as the capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively; Glasgow, Newcastle, Leeds and Bradford, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool as central conurbation cities and regional centres. In addition, over 150 cities, in terms of the number of inhabitants and the role they play in the life of nearby territories, are higher than the main mass of cities. These cities are called "City", all the rest - "town".

There are few countries in the world in which seaside cities occupy such an important place as in Great Britain, in which 44 out of 100 large cities are seaside. London arose primarily as a seaport for trade with continental European states; through Gul (Hull) trade has long been conducted with the countries of the basin Baltic Sea; Bristol and Liverpool served as "gates to the New World. Near large industrial centers are located seaside resort towns: Brighton and Margate - near London, Blackknul - at the Lankshire coal basin, Scarborough - on the coast of Yorkshire. All of the original development gravitated toward the sea. Near the coast, all specialized apartments were built, and even further - housing.

Much faster than other cities, in the last two centuries, the largest industrial centers grew near coal and iron ore deposits: Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Belfast, Middleborough, etc. The developing industry required more and more workers, and working quarters, hastily built up by speculators , were often slums from the start. Houses for workers were built according to a single standard. Most often, these are monotonous "terraces" - rows of houses of the same type standing back to back. The monotony of workers' quarters in industrial cities is broken only by the huge sooty buildings of factories and plants, warehouses and gas distribution stations. Railway here, as a rule, it goes to the very center of the city and serves as its "skeleton". The old quarters of industrial cities are overgrown with new buildings, in which the industrial zone is separated from the residential area.

Until very recently, all cities in the UK grew mainly in breadth, as low-rise buildings are cheaper and more in line with the tastes and traditions of the British. Until now, some are reluctant to settle in apartment buildings because it means living without your own, even a tiny, garden. Cities are expanding their territory more and more due to the growth of suburbs, absorbing already scarce land resources. Only in the last decade, multi-storey apartment buildings began to appear in British cities, but housing in them is very expensive. Therefore, most Britons continue to live in old houses, many of which were built in the last century. The acute housing crisis, accompanied by rising rents, is one of the country's most serious social and economic problems.

In the UK, there are mainly two types rural settlements. In the low-lying eastern part of England, the population lives predominantly in villages. The forms of villages are varied: more often a star-shaped plan, less often an ordinary, street layout.

Everywhere there are many medium-sized farms on which farming is carried out without the use of hired labor. Small-scale farming is concentrated mainly in Scotland and Wales. The densest network of villages is in North East Yorkshire, where they are often no more than 2.5 km away. from each other. The density of rural and semi-rural settlements is exceptionally high in the main industrial belt of the country and around the conurbations of Tynsad and Clydeside. Here, the settlements in which workers live, employed in the industrial enterprises of conurbations, are interspersed with villages, hamlets and individual farms.

(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.