THE BRITISH ISLESTHE BRITISH ISLES

The British Isles are a group of islands on the north-west coast

of Europe. The largest islands are Great Britain and

Ireland

Archipelagos and smaller islandsArchipelagos and smaller islands Orkney

ShetlandHebrides

Isle of Man

Aran Islands(Ireland)

Isle of Wight

Channel Islands

Seasand

channels

Seas and channels:Bristol Channel

Seas and channels:North Channel

From a political point of view the area is divided into the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) and the Republic of Ireland (Éire).

PHYSICAL PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHYGEOGRAPHY

Plains and hills to the south-east

United KingdomUnited Kingdom

Mountains to the west and to the northThe mountains are very old, so they are not very high.

Ben Nevis – 1343 m

Wicklow Mountains

Almost entirely flat or hilly.Many lakes in the Central Plain.The main mountain range is in the south. Ireland = Emerald Island.

IrelandIreland

Central Plain

London

Severn

Severn

Lake Neagh

Thames

Lake (Loch) Ness

Trent

Rivers Rivers and lakesand lakes

Rivers: short but navigable. Many important ports at the estuaries (Liverpool, Bristol, London).

Small lakes of glacial origin.

DUBLIN

Blackwater

Lough Corrib

Barrow

Lough Mask

Shannon

IrelandIreland

Main river: Shannon.

It has a large estuary in the

Atlantic Ocean.

Lough Ree

CoastsCoasts

Land’s End

Firths

Giant’s Causeway

Dover

Cliffs of Moher

Oceanic climatemitigated by the Gulf Stream:

-small temperature range (= small difference between summer and winter temperature: between +4° e +16°) - rain all throughout the year

-changeable weatherGulf Stream(hot, it comes from the Gulf Of Mexico)