United Kingdom

MEET THE UK

THE BRITISH ISLES are a group of islands lying off the north-west coast of Europe. The main islands are Great Britain and Ireland; Great Britain is the largest island in Europe.

Ireland lies to the west of Britain; only a small portion of Ireland, called Northern Ireland or Ulster, is part of the United Kingdom; the rest of the island is an independent republic called Eire.

The most important of the smaller islands are:

• The Isle of Man, between Britain and Ireland (situated in the Irish Sea);
• The Isle of Wight, situated in the English Channel;
• The Isle of Anglesey, connected by a bridge to North Wales;
• The Channel Islands, near the French coast (situated between Britain and France);
• The Hebrides, an archipelago lying off the west coast of Scotland, formed by over 500 islands;
• The Orkneys and the Shetland, two groups of islands lying off the north coast of Scotland, (which have a severe climate).

The United Kingdom is a political name referring to the Great Britain, including the regions of England, Scotland (that lies to the north of England) and Wales (that lies to the west of England), and to the region of Northern Ireland. Each region is divided in counties and has a capital: London of England, Cardiff of Wales, Edinburgh of Scotland, Belfast of Northern Ireland.

SEAS AND COASTS

The British Isles are completely surrounded by the sea:

• to the west and north-west by the North Atlantic Ocean (it is named the North Channel, the Irish Sea and the St George's Channel between Great Britain and Ireland, and there it is crossed by the mild currents of the Gulf Stream which improves the climate of the whole country)
• to the east by the North Sea, which separates Great Britain from Norway;
• to the south by the English Channel, which separates the main island from the Continent.

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