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The official name of the country we usually call England is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK is situated on the group of islands lying just off the mainland of north-western Europe. The British Isles include Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. The southern part of Ireland is the Republic of Eire. Great Britain covers 83 698 square miles (216 777 km²). Ireland covers 32 589 square miles (84 406 km²).

Great Britain is separated from the continent by the English Channel, the narrower part of which is called the Strait of Dover. The British Isles are surrounded by the shallow waters of the Irish Sea and the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea, the North Channel and the Atlantic Ocean.

Britain is rather small, but there is hardly a country, in the world where such a variety of scenery can be found. There are wild desolate mountains in the northern Highlands of Scotland – the home of the deer and the eagle. The Pennine Range in northern England and the Cambrian Mountains in Wales are much lower. The ten tallest mountains in the UK are all found in Scotland. The highest peak is Ben Nevis 1 344 metres (Scotland). The lowest point of the UK is in the Fens of East Anglia, in England, parts of which lie up to 4 miles below sea level. In the south of England there are famous chalk hills, some of which form the Dover Cliffs. The southern and south-eastern parts of the island lie in varied lowlands.

The rivers of the region are rather short. The longest of them is the “Father of London”, the Thames, which is over 200 miles. The largest lake in the UK is Lough Neagh (147 39 miles²,
381 74 km², N. Ireland). The deepest lake in the UK is Loch Morar with a maximum depth of 309 metres (Loch Ness is the second at 228 metres deep). The deepest lake in England is Wastwater which descends to 79 metres (258 feet).

Britain’s principal ports are London, Liverpool, Manchester, Hull, Glasgow. They have splendid harbours, for the coast line is very indented. The most significant geographical fact is that Great Britain is an island and that no part of it is more than 75 miles from the sea. Naturally, it’s made the English race a sea-loving one.

The warm currents in the Atlantic Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain. The winters are not severely cold, while summers are rarely hot. The British Isles are well-watered throughout the year. The cloudiness is rather dense, well over half the days of the year are overcast, fogs along the coast frequently hide the sun. The fogs of London, often made severe by mixture with city smoke have a worldwide reputation, but the one not to be envied. Rivers in Great Britain are seldom frozen and generally ice-free. The grass remains green all the year round.

The climate of the United Kingdom is generally mild and temperate. The west of the country is somewhat wetter than the east, with the highest average rainfall. Thanks to climatic conditions, Britain in truth looks like one great well-ordered park with its old trees, green meadows and hedges.