The British Isles have abundant Paleolithic remains dating back to over 250,000 years ago. Neolithic cultivators came from the southeast, while extensive settlements occurred in the Bronze Age producing Stonehenge and other megalithic monuments as witness to the rich cultures. Celtic peoples invaded Britain in the 6th century B.C, giving us lots of hill and river names. They were the precursors of many of the peoples now living in the mountain areas of the west.

Britain is comparatively small, but there is hardly a country in the world where such a variety of scenery can be found in so small a compass. There are wild desolate mountains in the northern Highlands of Scotland - the home of the deer and the eagles - which are as lonely as any in Norway. There are flat tulip fields round the Fens - a blaze of colour in spring, that would make you think you were in Holland. Within a few miles of the dirt and smoke of Manchester and Sheffield you can be in glorious heather covered moors.

The North Sea and the English Channel separate the British Isles from European continent. Once the British Isles were part of the mainland of Europe - the nearest point is across the Strait of Dover, where the chalk cliffs of Britain are only twenty-two miles from those of France. The Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea wash the western coast of Great Britain.

The seas round the British Isles are shallow. The North Sea is nowhere more than 600 feet deep, so that if St. Paul's Cathedral were put down in any part of it some of the Cathedral would still be above the water. This shallowness is in some way some advantage. Shallow water is warmer than deep water and helps to keep the shores from extreme cold. It is, too, the home of millions fish, and more than a million tons are caught every year.

You have noticed on the map how deeply indented the coastline is. This indentation gives a good supply of splendid harbours for ships; and you will note, too, that owing to the shape of the country there is no point in it that is more than seventy miles from the sea - a fact that has greatly facilitated the export of manufactures and has made the English race a sea-loving one.

On the north-west the coasts are broken by high rocky. This is especially noticeable in north-west Scotland, where you have long winding inlets, called "lochs", and a grate many islands.

In Scotland you have three distinct regions. There are, firstly, the Highlands, and then there is the central plain or Lowlands. Finally there are the southern uplands, "the Scott country" with their gently rounded hills where the sheep wander. Here there are more sheep to the square mile than anywhere in the British Isles.

In England and Wales all the high land is in the west and northwest. The south-eastern plain reaches the West Coast only at one or two places - at the Bristol Channel and by the mouths of the rivers Dee and Mersey.

In the north you find the Cheviots, separating England from Scotland, the Pennines going down England like a backbone and the Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District, one of the loveliest (and the wettest) parts of England. In the west is the Cambrian Mountains, which occupies the greater part of Wales.

The south-eastern part of England is a low-lying land with gentle hills and a coast which is regular in outline, sandy or muddy, with occasional chalk cliffs, and inland a lovely pattern of green and gold - for most of England's wheat is grown here - and brown ploughland with pleasant farms and cottages in their midst. Its rich brown soil is deeply cultivated - much of it is under wheat; fruit growing is extensively carried on. A quarter of the sugar used in the country comes from sugar beet grown there, but the most important crop is potato.

The position of the mountains naturally determined the direction and length of the rivers, and the longest rivers, except the Severn and Clyde, flow into the North Sea, and even the Severn flaws eastward or south-east for the greater part of it.

The rivers in Britain are of no great value as waterways - the longest, the Thames, is a little over 200 miles - and few of them are navigable except near the mouth for anything but the smaller vassels.

In the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Tyne, Clyde, Tay, Forth and Bristol Avon are some of the greatest ports.

Very little of the present vegetation, which makes the British scene so green and attractive, is natural; it has been modified, if not promoted, by the activity of man. Even before medieval times, forest clearance had spread to the damp oak woods on the intractable clays of southern England, large areas were felled by the Romans to smelt lead and other ores, and much forest clearance was carried on for naval purposes four centuries ago.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters if Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. The climate of Britain is temperate, and although variations are noticeable, the country does not usually experience any extremes of heat or cold. The British never know what their weather is going to be like for two days running. Winter weather can be cloudy, damp and warm, sunny with frost and snow, or frosty and foggy. Summer weather can be chilly and damp, or hot and sticky, or, on a few glorious days each year, brilliantly sunny and warm with a flawless blue sky.

*Sources: "The British Isles" by C. E. Eckersley & Internet

Questions

• The British Isles consists of: Great Britain, Ireland, The Isle of Man, The Isle of Wight, The Orkney Isles, The Shetland Isles, Fair Isle, The Hebrides, The Small Isles, Anglesey, Lindisfarne, The islands of the lower Firth of Clyde (including Arran and Bute), The Isles of Scilly, Lundy, Looe Island, The Channel Islands and many other smaller islands surrounding the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.



• The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom. They are largely self-governing with their own legislative assemblies and systems of law. The British Government is, however, responsible for their defence and international relations.



• Britain comprises Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, and is one of the member states of the European Union (EU). Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.



• The term 'Great Britain' was first officially used in 1604 when King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) was proclaimed 'King of Great Britain'. Prior to this, it was used by some writers to distinguish Britain from Brittany, in France.



• The United Kingdom has a very long history. Many times it was invaded by conquerors from abroad: the Romans, the Vikings, et cetera. It was waged many wars, has had a very strong army and especially navy, and has always played an important part in world politics.



• England was added to the Roman Empire in 43 AD. Under Queen Elizabeth I (second half of 16. century) Britain became a major sea power. Large parts of Africa and Asia were added to the empire during the reign of Queen Victoria (second half of the last century).



• The population of United Kingdom is about 60 million people of various natiolalities. The total population of England is estimated at 49.5 million, Wales is estimated at 2.9 million, Scotland at 5.1 million and Northern Ireland at 1.7 million people. England has the highest population density and Scotland has the lowest.



• Besides the English, the Scottish, the Welsh and the Irish, there are many immigrants from numerous countries, including former British colonies in Africa, Asia and America. The largest ethnic minorities in Britain are those of Caribbean or African descent (891,000 people). The next largest ethnic groups are Indians (840,000 people), and Pakistani and Bangladeshis (640,000 people).



• The capital of England (and the UK) is London. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland. (Dublin is the capital of Republic of Ireland.) Politically, Britain is a parlamentary monarchy with strong democratic traditions. Nominally, the country is ruled by the King or the Queen. But in fact, the real head of the state is the Prime-Minister.



• The Constitution of the UK is unwritten; it is based on custom, tradition and common law. The main body is Parliament. It consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. British parliamentary system is one of the oldest in the world (13th century) The Prime Minister appoints a team of main ministers as the Cabinet. There are two main political parties: the Labour Party (left) and the Conservative Party (right).