Lecture 1

General Features of U.K. (Geography)

By Wang Huimei

Introduction: Abstract

• In this lecture, we are going to discuss some main features of Britain. It is about the physical features such as its territory, climate, rivers and important natural resources and major big cities. We will also deal with its population, age and sex structure, ethnic groups and other related topics.

Focus Questions(part one)• What is the full name of the British state? What

countries does it consist of?• What is the total population of the United Kingdom

? Where do most British people live? What is the most densely populated area of Britain? What is the least populated?

• Which is the largest ethnic group in U.K.?• Why are there so many different ethnic groups in

Britain?

Focus Questions (part two)• What is the official language in Britain?• What is the longest river in England? What is

the largest lake in Britain?• What are the main natural resources of U.K.?• Describe some of the big cities in Britain.• Describe the main features of the climate in

Britain.

The Full Name of the British StateThe Full Name of the British State

Great Britain(England, Scotland and Wales)

Nor t her n I r el and

the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The Total Population of Britain:(1)in mid-1991 57.8 million

(it ranks 17th in the world)

0.00%10.00%20.00%30.00%40.00%50.00%60.00%70.00%80.00%90.00%

Engl

and

(83.

1)

Wale

s(5

%)

Scot

land

(9.1

%)

Nort

hern

Irel

and

(2.8

%)

The Total Population of Britain (in millions):(2)

05

101520253035404550

Engl and(47.837)

Wal es(2.881)

Scotl and(5.102)

N. I rel and(1.589)

Population Density(population per square kilometer)

050

100150200250300350400

ECav

erag

e

UKav

erag

e

Engl

and

Scot

land

Wale

s

N.Ir

elan

d

Population: by ethnic groups(1987-89)54.666

million including 51.6 whitesEthnic Group Population(thousands)Indian 779

Pakistani 433

Bangladeshi 112

Chinese 132

African 127

Arab 72All ethnic minoritygroups (others, mixed)

2,569

Other Facts About Britain• The official language: English

• The longest river in England: River Severn

• An important river in Britain: 泰晤士河• The largest lake in Britain: 内伊湖• Major natural resources: oi

l, natural gas, coal, iron, forests, and so on.

Some of the Big Cities

• Capital City: London

• Major cities in southeastern England

• Major cities in central England

• Major cities in northern England

• Major cities in Scotland

London• The City of London +Inner London + Outer London= Greater

London• The city with the largest population in U.K.:6.767 million (198

5)• The commercial center: the West End• The political center: the City of Webminste

r (Downing street, Buckingham Palace)• The cultural center: London University (the bigges

t)• The center of Labor Movement (Chartism)宪章运动

• The industrial center

Major cities in southeastern England

• Greenwich: 1)Royal Greenwich Observatory 2)tourist city: National Maritime museum; Royal Naval College

• Oxford: 大学城 Oxford University(one of the 3 most famous universities in Britain, the other 2 being Cambridge University and London University)

• Cambridge: Cambridge University

Major Cities in Central England

• Birmingham: the 2nd largest city in Britain and the center of British Industrial Revolution

• Stratford: Stratford upon Avon, famous because of William Shakespeare, the greatest poet.

Major Cities in Northern England

• Manchester: flourishing in the Industrial Revolution; one of the centers of British labor movement （恩格斯）

• Liverpool: the 2nd port; the Beatles

• Newcastle: a port; a center of ship-making industry

Major Cities in Scotland

• Glasgow: the largest city and main port in Scotland

• Edinburgh: economic center of Scotland; a tourist city second only to London in U.K.; a cultural city

Glasgow city chambers and George Square

Main Features of Climate

• The climate is generally mild and temperate, with few extremes of temperature. It is rarely above 32 or below -10 C.

• The average annual rainfall is more than 1600mm in the mountainous areas of the north and west but less than 800mm over central and eastern parts.

Assignment

• Review the topics we have covered in this lecture.

• Get prepared to answer questions mentioned in the lesson.

Temperature in England & Wales1992(in Centigrade)

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

J F M A M J J A S O N D

Rainfall in England & Wales 1992 (in centimeters)

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

J F M A M J J A S O N D