Characteristic UK EGP

1) Great Britain (United Kingdom) - 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. official capital 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.

The area is 244.8 thousand km2. Population - 60.4 million people

A constitutional monarchy is a unitary state with autonomous entities (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands). Capital -. London

EGP

Great Britain is an island state in the northeastern part. Atlantic Ocean, from the mainland. Europe is separated by a strait. English Channel. Except the island. Great Britain, it includes the north-eastern part of the island. Ireland and a number of small islands. In the west, the state borders with. Ireland, which was a colony for more than 700 years. UK her. The nearest neighbors on the mainland -. France i. B elgium. UK is a member. EU,. NATO and other integration associations, which contributes to the development of pan-European cooperation.

Great Britain is a central state. The Commonwealth is a political and economic association of countries and territories that were previously part of. British. Empires (49 states and territories) in the composition. The Commonwealth includes 14 states, among them such highly developed ones as. Canada,. Australia,. New. Zealand*.

Location. Great Britain in the Islands promotes development maritime transport and access to international maritime trade routes. A tunnel laid at the narrowest point of the strait. English Channel, connects. Great Britain with the mainland. This greatly improves it. EGGP.

Population

In terms of population, the country ranks second among European countries after. Germany. For. Great Britain has long been characterized by low natural increase population, which today is more than 1 per 1000 people per year. For several years, even a slight decrease in the population of the state was observed. Now in. Britain's population is slowly growing due to the insignificant nature of one increase and the influx of foreigners. The low birth rate against the background of a significant average life expectancy (78 years) leads to the aging process of the nation.

The national composition of the population is motley. More than 80% are British, about 4% - Welsh (Welsh), 2% - Irish, about 5.2% - Scots and over 4% - immigrants from the states. Commonwealth and others. From the middle of the XX century about. 3000 people from Ukraine. Residents by religion. Great Britain belong to three denominations: the British and the Welsh are supporters of the Protestant Anglican Church; the Irish are Catholics; Scots are Protestants (Presbyterians).

Placed population. Great Britain on the territory unevenly. The average population density is about 240 people per 1 km2. The highest population density in England (350 people per 1 km2), the smallest in. Scotland India (more than 100 people per 1 km2). More than 90% of the population lives in cities. For. Great Britain is characterized by large agglomerations with a population of over 1 million people, in which one third of the urban population lives. Together with smaller agglomerations (about 30 in all) they form. English metropolis with population. 3 million people. Bridge-millionaire two -. London (7.6 million people) i. Birmingham. The countryside, in terms of the way I live, differs little from Miss Mist.

In the structure of employment of the population, about 80% are employed in the service sector, 19% - in industry and 1% - in agriculture. There is unemployment in the country, on average it reaches 5.5% annually.

Natural conditions and resources

. Island. Great Britain is rich in coal resources, whose reserves are currently very depleted. Largest coal basins -. Yorkshire, Newcastle (Northern England) and. Welsh. Oil and gas reserves are significant (the shelf of the North Sea). B. British sector. The North Sea contains significant deposits of oil and natural gas. Great Britain is the only European country of the "Big Seven" that fully meets its needs with its own oil and natural gas

The Nadra Islands contain small reserves of iron ore in the central coastal parts of the state, lead-zinc and tin ores on the peninsula. Cornwall (southwest. Great Britain). In the central parts. England has deposits of table and potash salts.

The state is relatively rich in water resources (the humid climate contributes to the full flow of the rivers). Only in the center. England is in short supply water resources. Insignificant water resources are concentrated in the rivers. S. Scotland and. Wales.

Forest reserves in the country are insignificant. Only 10% of its territory is covered with forests and only 15% of the timber demand is covered by its own resources.

The country is dominated by a flat terrain. Significant areas are occupied by old destroyed mountains (Cambrian, Peninsky), which do not have a significant impact on the nature of the development of the territory

The country's climate is temperate maritime with mild winters and cool summers. It contributes to the cultivation of all crops of the temperate zone. On the western coast of the island, 2000 mm of precipitation falls, and on the eastern coast - 600 mm of precipitation on the river.

The UK has limited farmland resources. The soils of the state are quite fertile (brown forest, podzolic), but require a significant amount of mineral and organic fertilizers.

In the north. Scotland hosts a large lake district, characterized by significant recreational resources

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MOU "OSCHEPKOVSKAYA SECONDARY EDUCATIONAL SCHOOL"

Characteristics of Great Britain

Completed by: Marina Rogaleva

11th grade student

Lecturer: Maishev A.N.

R. Pyshma - 2011

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 on 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 surrounds Atlantic Ocean from the north and west sides. Through the vastness of this ocean, this 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.

natural conditions

The climate of the United Kingdom is very mild. The mildness of the climate is mainly due to the influence of the North Atlantic Current (an extension of the Gulf Stream), which brings warm waters to the western coast of Europe. At these latitudes, westerly winds prevail, and thus cool air enters from the Atlantic Ocean in summer and warm air in winter.

Although temperature differences are quite small, winters are warmer on the west coast of the United Kingdom than on the east. Winters become less favorable as you move north along the east coast, where chilly, damp winds blow from the cold North Sea.

Frost and snow are not uncommon, especially on high altitudes, however, in the lowlands in a normal winter, temperatures below 0 ° C stay only 30-60 days a year, and snow - only 10-15 days. In London, snow lies on the ground only about 5 days a year.

In normal years, all areas of Great Britain receive enough rainfall for agricultural work, and in some mountainous areas they are even excessive. Seasonal and annual fluctuations in precipitation are insignificant, droughts are rare.

Fairly cloudy weather prevails, as most of the precipitation falls in the form of constant drizzle rather than showers, and the sun does not show for many days of the year.

At these latitudes, summer days are long and winter days are very short. The lack of sunlight depends more on overcast than on fogs. Damp damp fog is recorded in London on average 45 days a year, mainly in January and February, and in most ports there are from 15 to 30 foggy days each year, and the fog can paralyze all traffic for a couple of days or more.

Natural resources

There are not so many valuable natural resources in the UK. The once-important iron ore production has now dropped to near zero. Other economically important mineral ores include lead, which only half meets the needs of the economy, and zinc. Quite a lot of other resources, such as chalk, lime, clay, sand, gypsum.

On the other hand, the UK has more energy resources, including oil, natural gas and coal, than any other country in the European Community.

The discovery of oil deposits in the North Sea led to the rapid development of the oil industry. Since the start of operation in 1975, the amount of oil produced annually has increased every year, which has made the UK almost self-sufficient in terms of oil consumption, and even its exporter. With an average production of 2.6 million barrels per day, the UK is the sixth largest oil producer in the world. Oil reserves in the UK reach 770 million tons. uk device population economy

With the start of natural gas production in 1967, coal was gradually replaced in cities with gas, and a gas pipeline was built throughout the country. Natural gas reserves are estimated at 22.7 trillion cubic feet.

Population

According to the first census of the population of Great Britain, carried out in 1801, the population of England and Wales was almost 9 million, while that of Scotland was more than 1.5 million. the population increased annually by 1-1.5%, but in the 20th century. its growth slowed down, and by the mid-1970s it had practically stopped.

Birth and death rates

During the 1970s, the birth rate in the United Kingdom declined and reached the death rate. From the level of births in 1969, which was 16.7 per thousand inhabitants, it fell in 1977 to 11.8. However, in subsequent years, the birth rate slowly increased.

Age structure of the population

Due to low mortality in the 1930s and then since the late 1950s, the proportion of the active-age population was relatively small - in the 1980s it was only about 63%, and an even greater decrease was expected. The share of children under 16 accounted for only 22%. The elderly, especially those over 85 years of age, have markedly increased their share of the total population. Their number has also increased in absolute terms. There are 9 million Britons living in Britain today who are aged 65 or over.

distributionpopulation division and density

Excluding Greater London, South coast England and the area around Belfast, it is safe to say that the majority of the citizens of the United Kingdom live in the cities that arose near the coal mines. Approximately 90% of the population lives in the city, more than one in three residents lived in one of the eight urban regions that the British call " big cities"(i.e., metropolitan areas). Each such metropolis arises from a large city; with the exception of London, they are all located near large coal basins.

There are 9 densely populated areas in the UK. Greater London, centered on London, is political, commercial, financial and cultural capital United Kingdom; its population is estimated at about 7 million people. In the West Midlands, such a metropolis is Birmingham and the "Black Country", an area of ​​\u200b\u200bmetalworking and light industry. The county of Lancashire, with its two metropolitan areas, Merseyside (the Mersey Valley) and Greater Manchester, is located at the northwestern end of a densely populated belt running diagonally across England from London through Birmingham.

In the lowlands of Scotland is the capital city of Edinburgh and the industrial region of Central Clydeside, centered on Glasgow. The valleys of the rivers Lagan and Bann in Northern Ireland are located around Belfast - a modern industrial city and the capital of Northern Ireland. South Wales is a coal mining and industrial region where people live in small towns stretched along deep narrow valleys with coal mines. On south coast from Portsmouth to Eastbourne are resorts and recreation areas, as well as the important port cities of Southampton and Portsmouth.

At the opposite end of the densely populated regions are almost uninhabited areas - most of central Wales, the northern Pennines and the Lake District, the south coast and the mountain range.

economy

Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country (share of GDP: industry 24.1%, Agriculture 1.8%), which in the international division of labor acts as a supplier of industrial products. At the same time, the economic role of Great Britain in the modern world is determined not only by industrial, but also by banking, insurance, ship-freight and other commercial activities.

For the development of the British economy, the export of industrial goods and the export of "services" to the capitalist world, which together account for 26% of the gross national product, are of exceptional importance. An important source of income for the British international monopolies has been and remains the export of capital to other countries.

With the reorientation of British industry to the latest industries, the external market began to play a greater role for its development than cheap labor. Recently, this market has been found by the British monopolies in the developed capitalist countries, whose share in the export of British capital has exceeded 3/5. The export of British capital to developing countries is still large: it accounts for almost half of the capital exported to these countries by Western European states. At the same time, the contributions of foreign monopolies to the British economy are growing rapidly.

Great Britain remains a large, rich country with a high level of both economy and economy. The UK remains one of the main exporters of capital to developing countries (mainly to the countries of the Persian Gulf and Foreign Europe). The country continues to occupy one of the first places in the world in terms of economy.

Industry

The most important sectors of industry are mechanical engineering, food industry (including the production of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages), tobacco and chemical industries, paper and printing industries, and light industry. The fastest growing sectors of industry were the chemical, timber, furniture, rubber and plastics industries. Within the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry began to develop especially actively. The food and light industries, as well as machine building as a whole, perform below average.

The largest industrial regions of Great Britain are Mid-Scots (in the north of the country), South Wales (west coast). Such industrial areas as London, Midland, North-East, Lancashire are located within the boundaries of the "central axis" of development, where about half of the entire economic potential of the region is concentrated.

Agriculture

Agriculture in the UK employs only about 3% of the country's working population. Great Britain produces more than half of the agricultural products consumed by its population. The demand for barley, oats, potatoes, poultry, pork, eggs and fresh milk is fully met. However, many important 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.

The natural conditions of Great Britain are more favorable for the development of animal husbandry than for agriculture. Livestock and crop production account for 65% and 23%, respectively, of the value of the country's agricultural output. Mostly livestock farms are located in the western, wetter part of the island of Great Britain. England is one of the world's largest suppliers of sheep's wool.

The most important cereals are wheat, oats, rye (mainly the northern eastern areas of distribution). A significant part of the cereals is used to feed livestock, but the rest goes to the production of bread, cereals, etc. In animal husbandry, cattle are the most important.

Transport

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.

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, Goole and Harwich, and London and Liverpool seaports pass about half of all cargo.

In the past, more passengers arrived in the UK by sea than by air. However, since the early 1960s, the number of air passengers began to grow rapidly and soon exceeded the number of those arriving by sea. Freight transport by air is also on the rise. In total, there are about 150 passenger airports in the country. Great Britain is connected by permanent airlines with almost 100 countries of the world. Five largest airports countries - located in the London area (Heathrow and Gatwick), as well as Manchester, Luton and Glasgow - provide 3/4 of all passenger and air cargo transportation.

Great Britain is connected with the continent by two railway ferries (Dover-Dunkirk and Harwich-Ostende), and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and France. The United Kingdom is also connected to France through the Eurotunnel under the English Channel - a double-track railway tunnel, about 51 km long, of which 39 km is under the English Channel. Thanks to the tunnel, it became possible to visit London from Paris in just 2 hours and 15 minutes; in the tunnel itself, the trains are from 20 to 35 minutes.

In domestic freight transport plays the biggest role automobile transport. It is more than 3 times (in ton-kilometers) inferior to the railway and how many times - cabotage. In connection with the development of motor transport, more than 11 thousand km of railway tracks were removed.

At the same time, the network is expanding highways and they are being reconstructed. In terms of the length of roads per unit area, the UK ranks fourth in the world. At the same time, it still has few modern highways, and the roads remain the most congested in the world.

Main economic regions

According to the conditions of development in Great Britain, the southeast - the so-called "Green England" - and the rest of the territory, where the industrial revolution of the 18th century. created large centers of industry based on coal and iron ore resources.

SOUTH - East England is still the most agricultural part of the country. The industrial role of South East England has grown significantly. It has become one of the most important areas for the concentration of new industries. In Greater London there is a significant number of heavy industry enterprises—electrotechnical, automobile, chemical, and others—concentrated in the suburbs. The agriculture of South East England is specialized in the supply of meat, milk, vegetables and fruits for London.

South West England includes the mountainous peninsula Cornwall - one of the most important areas of dairy farming, developing on the basis of large lush pastures. Tin and kaolin are mined in Cornwall.

On the banks of the English Channel is the city of Plymouth - a military and Trading port and a shipbuilding center that forms one with Devonport. The largest city and port of South West England, Bristol is a significant center of the aviation and food industries.

To the north of "Green England" lie areas of heavy industry (coal mining, metallurgy, heavy engineering) and old areas of the textile industry. They start from a strip of coal and iron ore deposits that border the southern spurs of the Pennines.

Midland - an industrial region located on the central plain, the oldest center of the coal metallurgical and engineering industries.

Birmingham - largest center military, automotive, aviation, electrical industry, car and steam locomotive building, production of high-quality steel, alloys and metal products.

Wales is a mountainous peninsula in the west of Great Britain, teeming with pastures for sheep. Dairy farming and horticulture are developed in the valleys and on the coast. South Wales is one of the most important areas of the coal industry, as well as an area of ​​ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy (in particular, the production of white wool) and the chemical industry.

Northern England is the most industrial part of the country. It has 3 large industrial areas - Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northeast and the smaller Cumberland. All of them were formed on the basis of coal deposits. Lancashire, together with the adjacent parts of Cheshire and Derbyshire, is the largest area of ​​the cotton industry.

Scotland. On the Mid-Scottish Lowland there is an area of ​​coal and metal-working industries; its center is Glasgow with shipyards, machine-building plants, chemical and textile enterprises. In the eastern part of the Mid-Scottish Lowland, along with coal mining, light industry is developed. Large cities are located here - Edinburgh ( administrative center Scotland) and Dundee. Northern and Southern Scotland - backward, sparsely populated mountainous areas, where large areas are occupied by sheep pastures and hunting reserves. On the coast - fishing ports, the most important of them - Aberdeen. In South Scotland, in the river basin. Tweed developed the production of woolen fabrics.

Northern Ireland occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. Wheat and flax crops are common here, dairy farming and horticulture are developed. The main industrial city and port of Belfast is the center of shipbuilding and the production of linen.

Foreign economic relations

Foreign trade turnover increased almost fourfold. On the one hand, the export of capital has doubled, on the other hand, the contributions of foreign monopolies to the British economy are growing rapidly. Great Britain has large investments abroad (about £20 billion), the bulk of which is in the Commonwealth countries, which have large reserves of raw materials. At the same time, American, West German and Japanese monopolies are intensively penetrating the former British colonies, and private American capital is occupying an increasingly strong position in the economy of Great Britain itself.

In the world export of highly developed countries, the UK ranks 5th. Almost four times increased "invisible exports". Most of the export value comes from manufactured goods: automobiles, aircraft, hardware, electrical equipment, chemical products, synthetic fabrics, steel and textiles. Export: machinery and equipment, oil and oil products, products of the chemical industry.

The country continues to import natural rubber, phosphorites, almost all non-ferrous and rare metals, more than half of iron ore, as well as cotton, sulfur, and wool.

However, in general, the dependence of the UK on imports of raw materials is decreasing due to the reorientation of domestic industry towards modern industries and, in particular, further development chemistry and the use of substitutes and local raw materials.

Main foreign trade partners: EU countries, USA, Japan. From the Commonwealth countries, Great Britain exports many useful minerals (oil, metals.), from the USA and Japan - machinery and equipment, products of the chemical industry.

General conclusion

Great Britain today is a country with a highly developed, strong and independent economy. Now Great Britain 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 this is not the limit. In Britain, mining is underway, the development of new methods for extracting the latter. Due to the fact that Britain is an island state, it remains one of the largest maritime powers at the present time.

Thanks to its EGP, there are still development options in the UK. This country can only develop and improve its position in the world.

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EGP characteristic

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. The total area of ​​the UK 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 with independent republic 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 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 seaside, which is extremely beneficial for the economic development of the country, although, undoubtedly, 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.

Modern administrative divisions of 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 geographic location, favorable natural conditions and playing 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 with 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 where seaside towns occupied 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 with the countries of the Baltic Sea basin has long been carried out; Bristol and Liverpool served as "gateways to New World. Seaside resort towns are located near large industrial centers: Brighton and Margate - near London, Blackknul - at the Lankshire coal basin, Scarborough - on the coast of Yorkshire. All of the original development gravitated towards 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 have grown near coal and iron ore deposits: Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Belfast, Middleborough, etc. The developing industry required more and more workers, and the working quarters, hastily built up by speculators, were often slums from the very beginning. 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 working quarters in industrial cities 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 still reluctant to settle in apartment buildings, as this means living without their 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 of 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.

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 on the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe, traditionally called (by the name of the largest island) Great Britain, and by 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, this 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.