Geography

The United Kingdom is located in Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North

Sea, northwest of France.The Geographic coordinates are 54 00 N, 2 00 W.

It has the total area of 244,820 sq km including land area of241,590 sq km and water of3,230 sq km in which  Rockall and Shetland Islands are included.

The islands comprising the United Kingdom includes the countries of  England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. More precisely, the United Kingdom encompases the Western Europe islands, including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France.

The English Channel, the Straits of Dover, and the North Sea separate the islands from the Continent. At the closest point, they are only 17 miles from the French coast.

The capital city of London is in the southeast and lies on the same latitude as Winnipeg, Canada.

The UK has a total land area of 94,217 square miles, roughly the size of Oregon.

The British Isles have a complex geology with a rich variety of scenery and impressive contrasts in topography. Highland Britain contains the principal mountain ranges which vary from 4,000 to 5,000 feet and occupy most of the north and west of the country. Lowland Britain, almost entirely composed of low, rolling hills and flatlands, lies to the southeast.

Prevailing southwesterly winds, influenced by the Gulf Stream, make Britain's climate temperate and equable year round. Weather patterns frequently change, but few temperature extremes occur. Temperatures range from an average of 40 degrees Fahrenheit in winter to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. A low of 20 degrees Fahrenheit sometimes occurs in the winter. A high of 90 degrees Fahrenheit may rarely occur in the summer. The average annual rainfall is about 30 to 50 inches, usually distributed evenly throughout the year. Cloud cover is persistent, however, limiting sunshine to an average of about 6 to 7 hours a day in the summer and 1 to 2 hours a day in the winter.

Capital        London

Languages   English

Currency     British Pound (£) (GBP)

Climate

The climate is generally mild and temperate. Prevailing weather systems move in from the Atlantic, and the weather is mainly influenced by depressions and their associated fronts moving eastwards, punctuated by settled, fine, anticyclonic periods lasting from a few days to several weeks. The temperature rarely rises above 32°C (90°F) or falls below -10°C (14°F). There are four seasons: spring (March to May); summer (June to August); autumn (September to November) and winter
(December to February). Rainfall is greatest in the western and upland areas, where the annual average exceeds 1,100 millimetres; the highest mountain areas receive more than 2,000 millimetres. Over much of lowland central England, annual rainfall ranges from 700 to 850 millimetres. Parts of East Anglia and the south east have the lowest rainfall, just 550 millimetres. Rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, with February to March generally the driest period and October to January the wettest. During May, June and July (the months of longest daylight) the mean daily duration of sunshine varies from five hours in northern Scotland to
eight hours in the Isle of Wight. During the months of shortest daylight (November, December and January) sunshine is at a minimum, with an average of an hour a day in northern Scotland and two hours a day on the south coast of England.