Geography of England - Case Study Example

England An Assignment Submitted by of Establishment XXXX, Section XXXX, Spring Introduction England is the largest historical and administrative part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It occupies south-eastern part of the Isle of Great Britain known as the Mainland. On the north it borders with Scotland, on the west – with Wells. The population of England constitutes 83% of the population of the Great Britain. 1. Physical Geography Climate Because of the relatively small size of the country and the influence of warm ocean currents and western winds, there are no extreme temperature fluctuations on the territory of the United Kingdom. The defining influence on the climate has the warm current of Gulfstream, which passes by the western coast and warms up the air. In summer the temperature rarely rises above 32 ° C, and in winter it is seldom below -10 ° C. In England, the climate is mild, due to the relative warmth of the surrounding seas. The average annual temperature is about 11 ° C in the south, and about 9 ° C in the north-east. In London, the average July temperature is about 18 ° C, the average temperature in January is about 4,5 ° C. The strongest rains are in October, a total amount of rainfall is about 760 mm per year. The weather in the UK is a topic for daily jokes and discussions. In general, foreigners have the strong opinion that the country is constantly shrouded in mist. But it is not. Since the British ceased to stoke the furnace with coal in their homes and went on gas, smog over cities cleared up. However, the weather is very changeable in the UK: rain and sun can replace each other in a matter of few minutes. Terrain, Rivers and Lakes, Coastline The land area of England is 129.720 square km. England can be divided into two major regions – lowland zone and highland zone. England is dominated mostly by hilly terrains and lowlands, with some mountainous areas in the northern and south-eastern parts. Low hills stretch throughout the whole country, however, they are interspersed with lowlands and plains. The highest point of the highland zone is 2930 feet above the sea level. It is cooler in the Highland than in the Lowland, there are more rains and less sunshine. The soil here is not suitable for farming – it is thin and stony. The Pennine Chain of mountains is situated in the highland zone; it extends down into northern England and into the southwestern peninsula. The Pennine Chain is sometimes called the backbone of England. Cumbrian Mountains are situated to the west of the northern Pennines. The part of the highland zone in the southwest peninsula of England is called the West Country. The counties of Devon and Cornwall are situated on this peninsula. There are hilly, rough areas, the moorland plateaus of Dartmoor and Exmoor, and many picturesque valleys. This area is known for its mild climate. The lowland zone receives less rain and more sunshine, therefore the soil there is very good for farming. Most of the population of England lives in this part of the country. This is where London – the capital of England – is situated as well. The flattest lands in the lowland zone are situated in the east. There are a lot of deep rivers in England, which is explained by the fact that the amount of rainfalls in the country exceeds the amount of evaporation. Severn is the longest river, its length is 354 km. The second longest is the Thames, which is 334 km. London is situated on its shore. Thames is the largest river entirely in England, its basin area is estimated at 15 300 km ². The riverbed is meandrous; the appearance of a lot of small islands is explained by this fact. The width of the river in the area of London is 200-250 m; the tide rise is 6.5 meters. There are a lot of lakes in England; the largest one is Windermere, which is situated on the territory of the Lake District. The area of the lake is 15 km ² and maximum depth is 67 meters. Maximum length is approximately 18.8 km, width - 1,49 km. There are 18 islands on the lake; the largest on is Belle Isle. Currently, Windermere is a popular tourist attraction. The coastline of England is 3200 km. In the south and west the coastline is rocky; the east coast is mostly flat, with nice beaches. 2. Social issues History of England and the Government England got its name after the Angles – the most numerous German tribe which settled in England in the 5-6th centuries AD. Some scholars believe that this tribe was the descendants of the immigrants who lived in the Angeln Peninsula, the territory of the modern Denmark and northern Germany. The first mentioning of England is found in the work named “Germany”, dated to 98 AD, written by the Roman historian Tacitus. According to the Oxford Dictionary of the English language, the first known use of the word England is dated back to 897 AD. The history or England began with the invasion of the Germanic tribes of Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians, and the creation of several feudal states on the territory of the modern Great Britain. In 9-10th centuries BC Celts actively migrated to the territory of Britain, and from the 1st century AD were invaded by the Romans. Roman rule ended in about 410, when Anglo-Saxons formed their seven kingdoms there, lately united into one kingdom of England. Anglo-Saxons were the main rulers of these territories. The raids of Vikings became more frequent in the 9th century, in the 11th century England was even possessed by the Danish kings. In 1066 the Normans invaded the territory of the country. During the Middle Ages, England went through a lot of civil wars and battles with other European nations (including the Hundred Years War). At the Renaissance period England was ruled by the dynasty of Tudors. In the 12th century England conquered Wales, and at the beginning of the 18th century it merged with Scotland, to form the United Kingdom. During the Industrial Revolution Britain ruled over a vast empire, possessing territories on every continent. Despite the fact that not a lot remained of the territorial dominion of the Empire (though formally, the British monarchy is still the head of the so-called British Commonwealth of Australia and Canada), it is hard to overestimate the cultural influence of this country. Being a part of the United Kingdom, England has a parliamentary system and constitutional monarchy. England does not have its own government since 1707, when England and Scotland joined together to form the United Kingdom. The Parliament is formed by the leader of the ruling party. The main parties of the Great Britain are Conservative Party, Labor Party and Liberal Democrats. The Parliament is divided into the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The head of the country is the Queen of England. The queen represents the country all over the world, but she does not participate in the legislative process. Nevertheless, the queen has some significant rights, e.g. she can appoint the Prime Minister or dissolve the Parliament. Culture and Religion England gave the English language to the world, which is the most wide-spread language in the world, and the language of international communication. A lot of words were brought to the English language by the greatest master of the language – William Shakespeare. Other English writers are famous all over the world as well, and it is hard to overestimate the contribution brought to the world literature by Charles Dickens, Jane Austin, or William Thackeray. England is famous for its traditional food and drinks. Everybody knows about tea with milk that Englishmen like so much. “Afternoon tea is said to have originated with one person; Anna, 7th Duchess of Bedford. In the early 1800s she launched the idea of having tea in the late afternoon to bridge the gap between luncheon and dinner, which in fashionable circles might not be served until 8 oclock at night.” (Tea in Britain, para.15) And of course, Christmas pudding, mince pie and British trifle should be mentioned as well. As far as sports go, apart from soccer, traditional game of cricket should be talked about, which originated in England, and then spread all over the world. The major focus is the country championships, but traditional village cricket is still played in towns and villages all over the country. The official Church of England is the Anglican church, which is one of the branches of Christianity. The number of parishes of Anglican Church in England is 26 million people. There are other Christian denominations in England, such as Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodox churches, Pentecostal churches, Methodism. Christianity was introduced to England by Romans, who left Christian culture behind when they left England. “In 664, the English Church aligned itself completely with Roman Catholicism. Over the next few centuries, exquisite churches and cathedrals were constructed, some of which still stand today as a reminder of the ancient roots of England.” (Du Plessis, England Religion, para.6) Representatives of other world religions can also be found in England. There are not many environmental problems in England. The most serious threat is the danger of flooding at the south western part of the country. Nevertheless, there are organizations in England which goal is to take care of the environment. The examples of such organizations are the Greenpeace and the WWF – the last one particularly looks after the endangered animals. National parks are created with the goal of protecting the wildlife. 3. Economics Natural Resources, Agriculture, Forestry and Mining Being a relatively small country England is not very rich in natural resources, though some can be found. Particularly, oil and natural gas were found on the shelf of the North Sea, not far away from the south-east of England. Besides, some stocks of coal, petroleum, zinc, tin, iron ore, tin, salt, clay and chalk can also be found on the territory of the country. Still, England relies on the import of many natural resources too. As far as forestry, woods only cover 5% of the territory, whereas before it covered 15%, therefore wood needs to be imported. Around ¾ of the woods are privately owned, and only ¼ is managed by the Government Department – Forestry Commission. Development of England in the industrial direction led to the fact that the country is highly dependent upon imports of many important products, such as butter, sugar, wheat, etc. Nevertheless, the needs in barley, oats, potatoes, poultry, pork, eggs and fresh milk are met locally. High price of the land influences the development of crops productions – the prices for locally grown food are higher than for the imported products. Animal husbandry is highly developed in the Great Britain, and England is the largest world supplier of the fleece. Electric power industry is highly developed. Most of the country’s power stations are running on coal, the share of hydro power is low. Coal industry in England is in serious need of reconstruction. A lot of mines are closed due to their unprofitability. The oil industry works on the imported raw materials mainly, because of the small amount of own natural reserves. Industry and Manufacturing Engineering industry plays the leading role in the industry of England. Production of the machine-building enterprises comprises almost half of the total export amount of the United Kingdom. One of the oldest industries is the textile manufacturing. It is dominated by the production of cotton and woolen goods. Knitted and silk production is also developed. As far as the chemical industry, actively developed are the productions of acids, alkalis, dyes and paint, rubber and rubber products, soap, glycerin, artificial fibers and fertilizers. Steel industry is dominated by the production of steel. Cast iron and scrap metal are mostly imported. Commerce, Trade and Tourism Currently England pays more attention to the cooperation with European countries, above all – the countries of the European Union. Strong economic trade relations connect England with Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, which are the main exporters of their products in Britain, and the importers of British goods. Along with the European countries, the USA, Canada and Japan are the main trade partners of England. As it was mentioned above, England is the biggest world supplier of fleece. It also exports manufactured goods and beef, which is the leading exported good to such countries as Italy, Greece, Netherlands, Spain, Belgium and France. Rich historical heritage and diverse culture make England the place of great attraction for tourists. Besides, England is famous for its shopping, theatrical performances and high quality of service. Among the most attractive sights in London the following should be mentioned: Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, Big Ben, the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, Kew Gardens, and others. There are a lot of places beside London that should be paid special attention to. They are Cambridge – university town, Stratford-upon-Avon – the birthplace of the world acclaimed playwright William Shakespeare, Windsor Castle, etc. Brighton is the most famous seaside resort. 4. Infrastructure The UK has an extensive network of highways, railways, sea and inland shipping routes, and air routes. Transportation services make up about 8% of the GPD of the United Kingdom. More than a million people are employed in the sector of transportation services. The British government considers transport infrastructure to be strategically important sector of the economy, and consistently implements its long-term program of development “Future of Transport” Railway transport is the oldest in England, it is one of the most extensive in Europe. The most popular is the automobile transport. About 75% of the population owns a car. Motorcycling is popular as well, both as a means of transportation, and as a hobby. In the cities people use trams, underground, and of course, famous double-decker red buses. Community bus service is highly developed too. In England most of the bus communications are taken care of by the following companies: “National Express”, ‘Arriva”, “First Group”, “Go-Ahead Group”, “Megabus”. There are 470 airports in England, five of them in London: Heathrow, Gatwick, Standstead, Luton, and London City. Heathrow is the main one in England, as well the one of the largest airports in the world. It is used for overseas flights. Waterways are very important for England. Almost 95% of cargo arrives to England by sea. The biggest ports are Grimsby, Immingham, London and Southampton. Conclusion England is one of the most attractive countries of the world, both for tourists and businessmen. It is highly developed industrialized country, with rich culture and deep historical roots. References Mandy Barrow (2011). Project Britain. Retrieved April 17, 2012 from http://projectbritain.com Britain Express (n.d.) Retrieved April 17, 2012 from http://www.britainexpress.com Geography of England (n.d.) Retrieved April 17, 2012 from http://geography.howstuffworks.com Amelia Du Plessis (n.d.). England. Retrieved April 17, 2012 from http://www.england.org.za Read More