The peculiarities of the economic and geographical position of Great Britain include the location of the state on the islands, as well as the presence of a land border with only one power - Ireland. In addition, the UK has 4 major regions: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Physical and geographical location of Great Britain
Great Britain or the United Kingdom is an island state located in the northwest of Europe. It occupies the island of Great Britain, the northern part of the island of Ireland, as well as many smaller islands and archipelagos belonging to the British Isles. In addition, the state owns several island archipelagos located in Oceania, the Indian and Atlantic oceans.
Figure: 1. Island of Great Britain.
In ancient times, the British Isles were part of the Eurasian continent, but the melting of glaciers and flooding of lands led to the formation of the North Sea and the English Channel, which separated the UK from Europe.
Great Britain is located in the water area Atlantic Ocean, which is represented by several small seas: North, Irish, Celtic and Hebrides.
The area of \u200b\u200bthe United Kingdom is 243.8 thousand square meters. km, of which internal waters occupy 3.23 thousand square meters. km. The length of the state from north to south is 966 km, and the distance in its widest part is about 480 km. The most extreme point in the south is the Cornwall Peninsula, and in the north is the Shetland Islands archipelago.
The entire coast is indented by numerous deltas, bays, bays and peninsulas, as a result of which the maximum distance of any point in the country from the sea does not exceed 120 km.
TOP-3 articleswho read along with this
Figure: 2. Coast of Great Britain.
Off the coast, the sea is about 90 m deep, since the British Isles are located on the continental shelf - an elevated seabed connected to the mainland. The warm current of the Gulf Stream maintains a sufficiently high water temperature on the shelf, due to which the climate on the islands is much milder, even taking into account their northern location.
UK borders
The United Kingdom has a land border with only one state, the Republic of Ireland, which occupies the southern part of the island of Ireland, while the northern part belongs to Great Britain.
All other borders of the country are maritime:
- in the south, Great Britain is separated from France by the English Channel;
- in the southeast, the island state is separated from Belgium and Norway by the shallow North Sea.
The English Channel, which is often called the English Channel, plays an important role in the communication of Great Britain with the mainland European states. At the end of the twentieth century, a tunnel for high-speed railway traffic was laid along its bottom. In addition, communication between countries is carried out by air and waterways.
; 1 ° 46` east longitude and 8 ° 00` west longitude.
Great Britain is an island state; consists of the island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland (they are separated by the narrow North Strait), as well as smaller islands (the most significant of them are Anglesey, White, Orkney, Hebrides, Shetland). The UK includes the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands, located in the English Channel off the coast of France. (as they usually call 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 Great Britain - the Strait of Dover) and the English Channel (English Channel). Great Britain is connected with a tunnel 48 km long, of which 37 km runs under. The coastline - 12,429 km - is heavily indented, abounds in bays and bays - convenient anchorages for sea vessels. The largest bays are Bristol, Cardigan, Solway Firth, Firth of Clyde, Moray Firth, Firth of Forth, Wash. Great Britain shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; its length is 360 km.
Most of the UK is characterized by rugged terrain. In the north and west prevails. 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 Scottish Highlands are separated from the South Scottish Highlands by the Mid-Scots Lowlands 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 is a plain divided by hills and highlands.
Great Britain has significant reserves. Among them are oil, natural gas, coal, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, copper, silica. The reserves of offshore oil fields are estimated at 1,430 million tons; most are located in, east and northeast of and east of the Shetland and Orkney Islands; the largest offshore fields are Fortis and Brent, on the mainland - Witchpharm in Dorset. Reserves reach 1,710 billion m3, the main fields are located in the North Sea off the east coast of England. The main (significantly depleted) - Yorkshire - Derby - Nottinghamshire Basin in the East Midland, Northumberland - Durham Basin in the north-east of England.
The soil cover in Great Britain is quite diverse. Brown forest, podzolic soils prevail. Calcareous, alluvial, acidic soils and peat bogs are widespread.
The climate of Great Britain is temperate, humid, oceanic. With the North Atlantic Current and warm winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, winters are generally mild in the UK. But this also explains cloudy weather, frequent rains, etc. The average temperature in January is 3-7 ° C, in July 11 - 17 ° C, the amount of precipitation falling annually 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.
The UK has a large number of rivers and lakes. The most - Severn (328 km) - originates in the mountains of Wales and flows into the Bay of Bristol (west coast). The Lancashire Lowland is crossed by the Mersey, which flows into the Liverpool Bay. Main river east coast - Thames (336 km) - flows through the most densely populated areas of southeast England. The Lowlands of Scotland are also rich in rivers. The longest of them is the Clyde (157 km), which originates in the South Scottish Highlands and flows into the Firth of Clyde (west coast), and the Fort, which flows into the Firth of Forth (east coast). There are many lakes in the north of the country. The largest is Lough Nih in Northern Ireland - 396 km2. The deepest is Loch Morir in the Scottish Highlands (310 m).
The flora of Great Britain is diverse - 9% of the territory. Deciduous forests predominate - oak, beech, birch. There are many coniferous forests in Scotland - spruce and larch. Moorlands are widespread. Evergreen plant species are found in the south of the country. Plants vegetate all year round.
There are about 30 thousand animal species in Great Britain. Among them are foxes, hares, red squirrels, otters, black rats, minks, reptiles and amphibians. Of the 200 bird species, the most common are sparrows, finches, starlings, crows, kingfishers, robins, and tits. In the rivers and coastal sea waters there are numerous species of fish - cod, haddock, whiting, herring, salmon, trout.
The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is often called This is a rather complex and multifaceted category. She 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?
Country position 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 background. 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 inside the continent. Some states are located at the intersection of important transcontinental transport routes, which gives them enormous benefits in the form of profits from the transit of goods by other entities 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 geographic 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 globally or regionally.
When characterizing the EGL of a particular state, many factors should be taken into account. It:
- availability of an outlet to the sea (the World Ocean);
- number of neighboring countries;
- sales opportunities for their products;
- the presence of large fuel and raw material bases;
- position in relation to important transport routes, etc.
Interestingly, some countries are successfully taking advantage of their geographic location. Other states have not yet learned this art. The Soviet scientist-geographer Nikolai Baransky was the first to seriously study the theoretical aspects of the concept of EGP.
The situation in relation to neighboring countries is often also called. However, in this case, it is exclusively about political factors, the nature of the relationship of a particular state with its neighbors, and the like.
EGP characteristics of France
France is one of the largest countries in Europe. This includes Corsica, as well as a number of small islands in the Mediterranean. In addition, France owns overseas departments and territories virtually all over the world.
France's position in relation to neighboring countries can be described as advantageous. 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.
EGP characteristics 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 The Pacific Ocean, from the west - by the waters of the three seas that separate it from the "mainland".
The position of Japan in relation to neighboring countries can be generally 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.
EGP Assessment UK
Great Britain resembles in many ways This country is also located on, however, not on the eastern, but on the western edge 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.
Thanks to its geographical position, England received the unofficial 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
The term EGP refers to the position of a country in relation to neighboring countries. It can be central, deep or marginal, profitable or disadvantageous. Moreover, not all states make effective use of their geographic location.
(86% of cargo turnover), it provides international and domestic connections. Road transport accounts for 75% of domestic traffic (the main highway London-Manchester-Glasgow), while rail accounts for about 20%. With the opening of the railway tunnel, the role of this transport in international transport increased. High-speed trains cover the distance between London and Paris in 3 hours. Riverways 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. Country 150 passenger airportsthat provide communication with 120. Transportation is carried out by a transnational company British Airways. The largest airports are located in London (Heathrow and Gatwick).
Since Great Britain is an island state, all of its external transportation and trade are associated with sea and by air... About 90% of the total cargo turnover falls on sea transport, including 25% for cabotage.
The UK Navy is 9.6 million reg. br.t. All regions 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. London and Liverpool ports 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 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 major airports countries - located in the London area Heathrow and Gatwick, as well as Manchester, Luton and Glasgow - account for 75% of all passenger and air cargo traffic.
Great Britain is connected with the continent by two rail ferries (Dover - Dunkirk and Harwich - Ostend), a canal underneath and numerous sea car and passenger ferries - with Denmark, etc. To attract passengers, duty-free trade is open on ferries.
In domestic freight traffic, road transport plays the greatest role. It is more than 3 times inferior to railway and cabotage. In connection with the development of motor transport, more than 12 thousand km of railway lines were removed. Now the length of the railway lines is about 17 thousand km. at the same time the network of highways (371 thousand km) is expanding and their reconstruction is taking place. At the same time, the main attention is paid to connecting the main conurbations of the country by the shortest routes.
Introduction page 2
Main part:
1. Geographical position page 2
2. State structure p. 3
3. Relief p. 3
4. Minerals page 4
5. Climate p. 5
6. Water resources p. 5
7. Soils p. 6
8. Agriculture p. 7
9. Industry p. 7
Conclusion page 9
List of sources and literature page 10
Geographic location
Introduction:
The topic "The economic and geographical location of Great Britain" is very extensive. It covers many aspects related to this country. Such as: economic, geographical location, the state of the sectors of the economy at this stage of the country's development. This abstract was written using three sources, which describe the current situation in Great Britain quite accurately and completely. A clear description of the state of the economy, EGP, geographical location (relief, climate, etc.) is given. The essay was written to show the current state of the country and to draw a conclusion about its state.
The abstract consists of an introduction, main part and conclusion. In the introduction, the analysis of sources and literature is briefly given, and the purpose of writing an abstract is formulated. The main part is divided into three chapters. The first chapter provides some basic information; the second is about natural conditions; and the third chapter describes the state of the country's economy. In conclusion, a conclusion is drawn about the general state of Great Britain.
Main part :
Chapter 1
GEOGRAPHICAL POSITION
The country located in the British Isles off the northwestern coast of continental Europe is traditionally called Great Britain, and by the name of the historical part - England. Officially, it is called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country includes 4 historical regions: England (occupies the central and eastern part of the island of Great Britain); Wales (in the west of the same island); Northern Ireland (the island of Ireland) and Scotland. The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands (Great Britain and Ireland) and more than 5 thousand small islands. The southern tip of the island of Great Britain, the Lizard Peninsula, is located at 50 degrees north latitude, and the northernmost part of the archipelago, the Shetland Islands, is at 60 degrees north latitude. The length of the island of Great Britain from north to south is 966 km, and its largest width is half that. The British archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from Sweden and Denmark, and the narrow English Channel and Pas-de-Calais from France. Modern outlines coastline developed relatively recently. The area of \u200b\u200bthe United Kingdom is 244,100 sq. km.
PUBLIC STRUCTURE
Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. There is no constitution here, its legislation is based on centuries-old constitutional customs and precedents, that is, parliamentarians look at how a similar case was once resolved. Formally, the country is ruled by a monarch (since 1952 - Queen Elizabeth II), but in fact the highest legislative body is 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 blood, hereditary peers ... The House of Lords has the right to delay a bill (not financial) for up to one year. Financial bills are converted into laws when passing through the House of Commons and signed by the Queen. She usually does not interfere with the work of the House of Lords and does not interfere in public affairs at all.
Chapter 2
RELIEF
The natural features of Great Britain are in many ways similar to the neighboring countries of Western Europe. This is not surprising, since the British Isles, located on the shelf, separated from the mainland only in recent geological times. The coastline of the North Sea and the English Channel took shape, close to modern, just a few thousand years ago.
The insular position of Great Britain, the proximity of the warm North Atlantic Current, the strong rugged coastline nevertheless left a certain imprint on the nature of this country. This is reflected in the prevalence of moderate temperatures, increased moisture, an extraordinary abundance of surface waters, the spread of deciduous forests and heather wastelands.
At the base of the mountains throughout Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales lie the Lower Paleozoic fold structures, and Hercynian in the south of Wales and in the south of Cornwall. These ancient mountain structures were subjected to intense erosion and destruction for a long time, which led to the leveling of their surface. In the Alpine era, the uplifts contributed to the revival of the medium-altitude mountains of Great Britain, and due to the unevenness of these uplifts, the western parts of the mountains were significantly higher than the eastern ones.
This orographic asymmetry, as a rule, is inherent in all mountain structures in Great Britain, and accordingly the main watershed is shifted towards the west coast. The western steep and precipitous shores differ sharply from the gentle low-lying shores prevailing in the east of the country.
The Quaternary glaciation in general intensified the flattening of the mountains of Great Britain, and only in the most elevated regions did the relief of the Alpine type form with sharp jagged ridges and peaks, glacial cirques and typical valleys. A significant role in the modeling of the relief was played by erosive processes, which are actively taking place at the present time. In many lowland areas, erosion is strong, and in some places completely erased the glacial accumulation landformsformed at a time when ice sheets descended from the mountains to the plains. It is known that, for example, during the maximum glaciation, the ice approached the Thames Valley, but the extreme south of England was never covered with ice.
The northern, most elevated part of Great Britain is occupied by the Scottish Highlands, which rises steeply to the west. To the east, the highlands gradually decrease and are replaced by coastal lowlands. The deep and narrow rectilinear Glen More Basin serves as the border of large parts of the Scottish Highlands - the Northwest Highlands and the Gramnian Mountains with the majestic Ben Nevis (1343) peak of the entire country.
The Grampian Mountains drop abruptly to a vast depression occupied by the Mid-Scots Lowlands, the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde. In the composition of the thick stratum of sedimentary rocks that fill the depression, productive horizons of Devonian coal are distinguished, which are very intensively developed here. The South Scottish Upland has a highly dissected topography. The average heights are about 600 m, and the highest point - Mount Merrick - reaches 842 m.
In the north of England, in the meridian direction, the Penyinsky Mountains rise, on average 700 m. In their northern part, there is the highest point of the Penin Mountains - Mount Cross Fell (893 m).
The massive Camberlain mountains, composed mainly of Cambro-Silurian schists and ancient igneous rocks, approach the Penins in the northwest. This dome-shaped uplift with Scofell Summit (978 m) is strongly dissected by radial valleys that formed at the site of faults. In the upper part of the mountains, glacial landforms and numerous lakes have been preserved, due to which this territory was named "Lake Circle".
The mountains of Wales, united under the name of the Cambrian, are most raised in the north, where Mount Snowdon rises (1085 m).
MINERALS
In general, the plains of England have long been widely used for settlement and agricultural development. A little later, mountainous areas began to be developed, where an important incentive for this was first rich pasture lands, and later - mineral resources. In the course of the complex geological history of the islands, a variety of minerals were formed in their depths. Almost all known minerals are found there, except for diamonds.
In the north of England, the Pienin Mountains, made of carboniferous sedimentary rocks, stretch. Karst is widespread in their northern part. At the foot of the Peninsky Mountains, rich productive strata of coal are shallow. On the basis of these deposits, large mining and industrial centers of the Lankshire, Yorkshire and other basins arose, the reserves of which amount to more than 4 billion tons.
Most of England is characterized by alternation of flat plains with hilly cuesta ridges. Cuestas are usually composed of limestone or writing chalk, and the plains are composed of looser rocks: sands, marls, clays. All of these sedimentary rocks accumulated in ancient marine basins. The sloping peaks of the cuestas are characterized by the development of karst, and on many plains a cover of glacial deposits (moraines) has been preserved. These deposits are particularly widespread in the Midland Plains. Deposits of coal and iron ore are associated here with small remnant uplands. The largest iron ore deposit is in the East Midlands: 60% of all reserves are concentrated here.
There are significant reserves of rock and potassium salts found in Cheshire and Durham.
Lead-zinc and hematite ores were found in the Kembedlen massif, and lead-zinc and tin ores were found on Cornwall. Many hopes are pinned on oil and gas from the North Sea, the total reserves of which are 2.6 billion tons and 1400 billion cubic meters, respectively.
CLIMATE
The oceanic nature of the UK climate is reflected in the prevalence of unstable weather with gusty winds and thick fogs throughout the year. Winters are very humid and unusually mild, with a sharp temperature anomaly (about 12-15 degrees) compared to the mid-latitude. The average temperature of the coldest month - January - does not drop below +3.5 degrees even in the extreme northeast of Great Britain, but in the southwest it reaches + 5.5 degrees, and plants grow there all year round. Masses of warm sea air coming from the southwest increase winter temperatures, but at the same time bring cloudy and rainy weather with strong winds and storms. With the invasion of cold air from the east and northeast, frosty weather sets in for a long time. Snow falls throughout the country in winter, but very unevenly. In the highlands of Scotland, the snow cover lasts at least 1-1.5 months. In the south of England and especially in its southwest, snow falls very rarely and lasts no more than a week. Here the grass turns green all year round. Western Britain typically receives twice as much rainfall during the winter as in the summer. In the eastern regions, winters are colder and less humid.
In the spring, cold northerly winds blow, significantly retarding the growth of crops in the east of Scotland, and sometimes dry east ones. This time of the year is usually the least rainy. Spring in the British Isles is cooler and longer than at the same latitudes on the continent.
In Great Britain, as in other countries with a maritime climate, summers are relatively cool: the average temperature of the warmest month - July - is 1-2 degrees lower than at the same latitudes of the mainland. In the summer months, cyclonic activity decreases, and the distribution of average July temperatures is more consistent with latitudinal zoning: +16 degrees in the southeast of the country, and +12 degrees in the extreme northwest. The maximum temperature in the south-east of England sometimes rises above +27 degrees, and sometimes up to +32 degrees. The maximum precipitation here falls on the second half of summer.
In autumn, cyclonic activity intensifies, the weather becomes cloudy and rainy, sometimes with severe storms, especially in September and October. When warm air is carried to the chilled surface of the islands, fogs are frequent on the coasts.
Warm and humid winds blowing from the Atlantic are associated with an abundance of rain in the western UK. On average, 2000 mm of precipitation falls there per year, while in eastern England, located in the "rain shadow" - only about 600 mm, and in some places even 500 mm. The mountains thus serve as a natural barrier to trap moist air on the west side. The abundance of rainfall adversely affects the growth of many crops, especially wheat and barley. In general, grains in the British Isles do well in drier years, but grasses often burn out.
WATER RESOURCES
Great Britain is rich in water resources. Practically throughout the country, except for some southeastern regions, the amount of precipitation exceeds evaporation, and therefore a dense network of deep rivers is developed. The largest of them are the Severn, which has a length of 354 km, and the Thames (338 km), the basins of which adjoin each other. The Thames is of the greatest importance for the UK economy. Its basin is home to 1/5 of the total population of the country. There is also a metropolitan conurbation - Greater London.
The rivers of the low-lying part of the country, located east of the main watershed, are calm. In the mountainous regions of Scotland and Wales, the sources of the rivers are at significant heights, so the flow of rivers is fast, they often overflow the banks, especially during the rainy season. The short but deep and fast rivers of northwestern Scotland and Wales are used to generate electricity. More than 60 hydroelectric power plants have been built here. The estuaries of the largest rivers in Great Britain - the Thames, Severn, Humber, Mersey, Clyde and Forth - are wide, artificially deepened and straightened bays. The largest seaports and industrial hubs are located there. At high tide, salt water penetrates the estuaries far upstream, so the population of most seaports is supplied with drinking water from upper rivers, underground reservoirs and mountain lakes.
The largest lakes in Great Britain are Lough Neigh (about 400 sq. Km) in northern Ireland, as well as Loch Lomond and Loch Ness in Scotland. The numerous lakes of the Highlands of Scotland and the Lake Circle serve as flow regulators and are used as local transport routes. There are no large lakes in the plains of the UK, but there are many artificial reservoirs created on the site of former peat mines, sand and gravel pits.
Underground reservoirs have long been the main source of high quality water for the people of the lowlands of England. The largest underground pool with an area of \u200b\u200balmost 30 thousand square meters. km, located under chalk limestones in the south-east of England. At present, underground reservoirs provide 2/5 of all water consumed in England and Wales.
SOILS
The most fertile soils in Great Britain are found in its warm and relatively dry southeastern part, where they formed mainly on calcareous rocks. Relatively high summer temperatures here contribute to increased biological activity and accumulation of humus in the upper soil layer. Initially, this entire area was covered with broadleaf forests, under which brown forest soils were formed. Currently, the soils are highly cultivated as a result of long-term use for crops of barley, wheat and sugar beet, as well as herbs. On the boggy coastal lowlands - the marshes - and in some other lowland areas of England that have been reclaimed, brown forest podzolized soils have been preserved under natural and perennial pastures. Rather fertile peaty alluvial soils are common in the drained Fenland lowlands, as well as in the Trent valley. In these regions, more than in other regions of the country, they sow wheat, plant orchards and berry fields, and are engaged in intensive gardening. On the hills and cuesta ridges, thin humus-calcareous and soddy-calcareous soils are developed. In the western and northwestern regions of Great Britain, acidic brown podzolic soils prevail. These lands are used for grasses and as natural pastures. Barley is mainly grown here from grain crops. In the highlands of Cornwall, Penin, the Lake Circle and Scotland, where a humid and cool climate is developed sod-podzolic soils, which are easily subject to waterlogging, leading to the formation of peatlands. It is dominated by pastures with coarse grass.
Chapter 3
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 needs for barley, oats, potatoes, poultry, pork, eggs and fresh milk are fully met. However, many important UK products have to be imported from other countries. They imports 4/5 of butter, 2/3 of sugar, half of wheat and bacon, 1/4 of the country's beef and veal.
The natural conditions of Great Britain are more favorable for the development of animal husbandry than agriculture. Livestock and plant growing give respectively 65 and 23% of the value of the country's agricultural products. Mostly livestock farms are located in the western, more humid part of the island of Great Britain. England is one of the world's largest suppliers of sheep wool.
INDUSTRY
The industry of Great Britain gives 1/3 of the gross national product, it accounts for 1/3 of all employed. It mainly uses imported raw materials, and increasingly focuses on the external market. On the one hand, the UK is characterized by the rapid growth of modern industries that use advanced production technology and labor organization, the latest equipment and perfect management methods, on the other, the lagging behind the old traditional industries, the first group includes electronics, the latest industries of general and precision engineering, most industries chemical industry, the second - coal mining, cotton and wool industry, shipbuilding, ferrous metallurgy.
The main industry in the UK mining industry is coal mining. It has been going on for three centuries. Until 1910, British coal dominated the world market. However, since 1913, when a record amount of 287 million tons was produced, production has been steadily declining.
Coal mining has provided the UK economy with fuel for centuries. Bituminous coal was also exported. Coal basins became the nuclei for the formation of most of the country's industrial regions. While the newest industries developed on the basis of the latest advances in science and technology, coal continued to produce millions of tons using the old methods. Oil became an increasingly serious competitor to coal. In addition, the methods of using the coal itself were improved. All this led to a decrease in its consumption. The use of natural gas, new methods of steelmaking and electrification of transport have led to an even greater reduction in the consumption of this type of fuel.
Nevertheless, coal remains one of the leading fuels in the country. It provides 1/3 of the energy used in the UK, second only to oil, which gives almost half of it. The largest coal basin in the British Isles is Yorkshire, where in 1975 28 million tons were mined. coal. It is followed by Northumberland-Durham and Northwest.
Coal consumption in the UK has increased slightly in recent years due to higher world oil prices.
The British refining industry is still dependent on imports of crude oil and petroleum products. Wells in the East Midlands produce less than 100 thousand tons annually. Extraction of oil and gas from under the North Sea is a thriving new industry in the country. Crude oil is injected from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Libya, oil products - from Italy, the Netherlands and Venezuela.
The largest refineries are located at the deep sea ports of Southampton, Cheshire, at the estuaries of the Thames, Trent and Tees. Five factories in South Wales are connected to the port of Ang Bay by an oil pipeline. There is also a large plant in Scotland on the Gulf Coast. Firth of Fort. From fields in the North Sea to oil refineries at the mouth of the river. Yew and in the Firth-Off-Fort are oil pipelines.
The gas pipeline, laid at the bottom of the North Sea, reaches the east coast of the island of Great Britain in the Isington and Jörg-wider region. There are five main natural gas fields in the British zone, which provide 1 6 of the country's energy consumption. Nowadays, almost all gas comes from natural sources.
Great Britain is the world's second largest supplier and exporter of kaolin (white clay from which porcelain is made); here on a very large scale other types of clay are mined for the ceramic industry. There are prospects for the extraction of tungsten, copper and gold from newly explored deposits. It is even possible that in the future Britain can completely stop imports of tungsten.
Iron ore is mined in a relatively narrow belt that begins at Scunthorpe in Yorkshire in the north and stretches across the East Midlands to Banbury in the south. The ore here is of low quality, siliceous and contains only 33% metal. The demand for iron ore is met by imports from Canada, Liberia and Mauritania.
Great Britain is fully self-sufficient in electricity. 86% of electricity is generated by thermal power plants, 12% by nuclear and 2% by hydroelectric power plants. The overwhelming majority of thermal power plants operate on coal, but in recent years, some of them have switched to oil. The largest thermal power plants (with a capacity of over 1 million kW) are located on the Trent River and near London.
Hydroelectric power plants are usually small, located mainly in the Scottish Highlands. And in 1970 the construction of a single power transmission system ("Supergrid") with high voltage was completed in Great Britain.
Most of all energy is consumed by one of the leading branches of the British industry - ferrous metallurgy. The UK is the eighth largest iron and steel producer in the world. Almost all of the country's steel is produced by the state-owned British Steel Corporation. Metallurgy in Great Britain developed in favorable conditions. The country is rich in coal. Iron ore was often found in the coal seams themselves, or mined nearby. The third component required for metallurgy is that limestone is found almost everywhere in the British Isles. Coal basins, near which metallurgical centers developed, are located relatively close to each other and from the country's largest seaports, which facilitates the delivery of missing raw materials from other regions of the country and from foreign countries and the export of finished products.
The steelmaking industry in Great Britain is increasingly using scrap metal as a raw material, so modern steelmaking plants are usually tied to the main industrial centers as sources of raw materials and markets for finished products.
British non-ferrous metallurgy is one of the largest in Europe. It operates almost entirely on imported raw materials, so the smelting of non-ferrous metals tends to be in port cities. Exports of non-ferrous metals in value far exceeded the exports of pig iron and steel. Great Britain is also one of the main suppliers of metals such as uranium, zirconium, beryllium, niobium, germanium, etc., which are used in the nuclear industry, aircraft construction and electronics. The main buyers of British non-ferrous metals are the USA and Germany.
The oldest traditional industry in the UK is the textile industry. Woolen fabrics are produced primarily in West Yorkshire, with rayon production predominant in the Yorkshire city of Silsden, and cotton fabrics in Lancashire, in small textile towns northeast of Manchester. The production of woolen fabrics, products, yarns is the oldest in the British Isles. The woolen products of British textile workers are still highly valued in foreign markets today.
Conclusion:
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 I haven't done it yet. In Britain, minerals are being mined, new methods of extracting the latter are being developed. Due to the fact that Britain is an island state, it remains one of the largest maritime powers today.
Thanks to its EGP, there are still development options in the UK. This country can only develop and improve its position in the world.
List of sources and literature used:
Soviet encyclopedic dictionary. –M .: Soviet encyclopedia
1979 .-- p. 204.
3. What is Who is. –M .: Pedagogy 1990. –p.208. *
* Source # 2 and # 3 was mainly used in the first chapter.
UK economic - geographic position Australia Abstract \u003e\u003e Geography
Political and economics-geographic position ... Australia is the only state in the world that occupies ... - a federal state within the commonwealth led by Great Britain... The head of state is the Queen of England, represented by ...
