Geography of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland is at its nearest point only 21km (13 miles)
from Scotland. It has 488-km (303-mile) border in the south and vest
with the Irish Republic. At its centre lies Lough Neagh, Britain’s
largest freshwater lake (381sq km, 147sq miles). Many of the principal
towns lie in valleys leading from the lough, including the capital,
Belfast, which stands at the mouth of the river Lagan. The Mourne
Mountains, rising sharply in the south-east, include Slieve Donard,
Northern Ireland’s highest peak (852 m, 2,796 ft).
Environment of Scotland.
Scotland’s countryside contains rich variety of wildlife, with
some species not found elsewhere in Britain. There are 71 national
nature reserves and over 1,300 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Four regional parks and 40 national scenic areas have been designated,
covering 13 per cent of the land surface. Four of the 11 forest parks in
Great Britain are in Scotland, and a fifth spans the border between
Scotland and England.
Environment of Whales
There are extensive areas of picturesque hill, lake and
mountain country, and the countryside supports a variety of plants and
wildlife. There are three National Parks (Snowdonia, the Brecon Becons
and the Pembrokeshire Coast), five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
and two national trails as well as 31 country parks and large stretches
of heritage coast. There are about 50 National Nature Reserves and over
800 Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Nearly all of the rivers and
canals are classified as having water of good or fair quality, and a
significant improvement has been achieved in the quality of bathing
waters.
Geographical Position of Great Britain.
The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The
British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland,
and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 244,000
sq. km.
The British Isles are separated from the European continent by
the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great
Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland.
It borders on the Irish Republic in the south. The island of Great
Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle
part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the west) and
Scotland (the northern part of the island).
There are no high mountains in Great Britain. In the north the
Cheviots (the Cheviot Hills) separate England almost along its middle,
the Cambrian mountains occupy the greater part of Wales and the
Highlands of Scotland are the tallest of the British mountains. Ben
Nevis, the tallest peak of the Highlands, is only 1,343 m high.
There is very little country except in the region known as East Anglia.
Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the
deepest and the longest of the British rivers, it is over 300 km long.
Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the
Thames, Mersey, Tyne , Clyde and Bristol Avon.
Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources, it has
some deposits of coal, and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas
that were discovered in the North Sea. The warm currents in the Atlantic
Ocean influence the climate of Great Britain.
Britain forms the greater part of the British Isles, which lie
off the north-west coast of mainland Europe. Its weather is changeable,
but there are few extremes of temperature. Britain is major world
producer of oil, natural gas and coal. Since 1980 it has been
self-sufficient in energy in net terms.
Woodland covers nearly 2-4 hectares in Britain: about 13 per
cent of Scotland, 12 per cent of Wales, 73 per cent of England, and 52
per cent of Northern Ireland. British woodlands meet 12 per cent of the
country’s consumption of wood and wood products.
Over three-quarters of Britain’s varied landscape is used for
agriculture.
Environmental Protection.
Responsibility for pollution control rests with local and
central government. Integrated pollution control restricts emissions to
air, land and water from the most harmful processes. Recycling of waste
will be a duty of local government.
The National Rivers Authority protects inland waters in England and
Wales. In Scotland the river purification authorities are responsible
for water pollution control.
Total emissions of smoke in the air have fallen by over 85 per cent
since 1960. Sulphur dioxide emissions have fallen by about 40 per cent
since 1970. Britain has adopted a phased programme of reductions in
sulphur dioxide emissions form existing large combustion plants of up to
60 per cent by 2003. It has also agreed to reduce nitrogen oxide
emissions by up to 30 per cent by 1998. Over 95 per cent of petrol
stations in Britain stock unleaded petrol. Strict controls have reduced
carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions.
The Government is committed to the elimination of chlorofluorocarbons,
which damage the ozone layer. They also contribute to the greenhouse
effect, which leads to global warming and rise in sea levels.
Britain stresses the need for improvement in understanding the
science of climate change.
There are nearly 500,000 protected buildings, and 7,000
conservation areas of architectural or historical interest, in Britain.
The Government supports the work of the voluntary sector in preserving
the national heritage. Green belts are where land should be left open
and free from urban sprawl. The Government attaches great importance to
their protection. National parks cover 9 per cent of the total land area
of England and Wales. Some 38 areas of outstanding natural beauty have
been designed – 13 per cent of the same land area. Three regional parks
and 40 national scenic areas cover 13 per cent of Scotland. Care is
taken to control development on parts of the coastline.
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