Britain is
in north-west Europe and is an island country
( See map
). It is only 35 km from
France and is now linked by a tunnel under the English Channel.
The south of Britain is mostly low-lying land, with hills and
agricultural land; the north of England, Wales and Scotland are
mostly covered in moorland and mountains.
Quick
Facts about our Amazing Country!
Geographic coordinates:
|
54 00 N,
2 00 W |
Land area:
|
243,000
sq km (93,000 sq miles). |
Coastline:
|
12,429
km |
Length:
|
Just under 1,000
km (600 miles) from North to South |
Width:
|
About 480
Km from east to west |
Land use:
|
arable land:25%
permanent crops:0%
permanent pastures:46%
forests and woodland:10%
other:19% (1993 est.) |
Natural
resources:
|
coal, petroleum,
natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum,
lead, silica, arable land |
Capital City:
|
London
is the capital of the UK and of England. Edinburgh is the capital
of Scotland. Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. Cardiff
is the capital of Wales. |
Main Cities:
|
London, Manchester, Birmingham,
Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff |
Official Language:
|
English |
Main Religion:
|
Christianity |
Continent:
|
Europe |
Number of countries in Europe:
|
48 |
Highest mountain:
|
Ben Nevis
in Scotland, at 1,343m (4,406 ft) above sea level. |
Lowest Point:
|
The lowest point in the UK is
the Fenlands, which is 4 m below sea level. |
Longest river:
|
The Severn, 322 km long,
which rises in central Wales and flows through Shrewsbury, Worcester
and Gloucester in England to the Bristol Channel |
London's population:
|
6,770,400 |
Population of UK:
|
about 59,647,790 (July 2001 est.)
|
England's climate:
|
Mild, normally not going much
below zero even in the depths of winter, and never much above
25 degrees Celcius in summer. Most of the time it is between
10 and 20 degrees Celcius. |
Currency:
|
pound sterling |
Symbols associated
with London and England:
|
|
Historic British
|
- The Beatles, rock-and-roll
band from 1962 to 1970
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965),
prime minister from 1940 to 1945 and 1951 to 1955
|
Electricity
|
Electricity in England is 240
Volts AC (50Hz). |
Food & Drink
|
Find
out more here |
Take our United
Kingdom Quiz.
|
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Britain
