Mineral Resources

Describe the geographical position of the British Isles, offering an explanation of its advantages and disadvantages. Define the term “continental shelf”, its importance for the economy

The BI are situated on the continental shelf off the north-west coast of Europe.

From the European continent the British Isles are separated by the E. Channel and the North Sea.BI is washed by: Atlantic ocean (west), The North Sea(east)

GB and Ireland are separated by the Irish Sea and 2 straits: the North Channel+ St. George’s Channel

-the total area: 322,246 sqkm

-population:60 million people(one of the most densely populated parts of the earth’s surface)

Britain formally known as the Ukingdom of GB and NI. It comprises the mainland of England, Wales, and Scotland (GB) and the northern part of Ireland. The southern part of Ireland, the second largest island of the group is the Irish Republic.

-the UK’s area-244,100sqkm.

1)Off the north-western coast of GB-group of islands-the Hebrides(Inner and Outer)-separated from each other by the sea of the Hebrides and the Little Minch.

2)separated from the mainland by the Pentland Firth- the Orkney Islands.

3)The Shetland Islands –about 100km north of the Orkneys.

4)in the middle of the Irish Sea- the Isle of Man( is administrated by its own Manx Parliament.)The population is engaged in farming, fishing, tourist trade. The largest settlement is the holiday resort Douglas.

5)in the Irish Sea-Anglesey island(separated by the Menai Strait). It is a place of a very famous village with the longest place name in GB. The population engaged in local industry.

6)The Isle of Wight- in the E.Channel. Separated from the mainland by the Solent.

7)a tiny group of the Isles of Scilly- in the E. Channel.

8)the Channel Islands . To the French they are Known as the Isles Normandes. The form an archipelago and separated by shallow waters from northern France. The chief islands of the group-Jersey and Guernsey.

-the coastline of the BI is indentedàthere are many bays, harbors, peninsulas. The western coasts of Scotland and Wales- indented à this offers economic advantagesà the possibility to establish ports in this inlets.

The BI are of the continental origin. Once it was a part of Europe. But after melting of the snow it was separated by a shallow stretch of sea.

The zone of shallow water which surrounds the continent resembles a shelf above the deep water of the oceans- the continental shelf.

!!The advantageous geographical position of GB created good conditions for the development of shipping, trade and the economy.

Benefits of the Shelf:

1. fishing (warm water);

2. oil and natural gas deposits (platforms in the North Sea);

3. the Channel Tunnel (the depth of the water over the Tunnel is only 30m);

mild climate (shallow water gets warm during the day and never gets too cold during the night).

2.) Give an account of geography of the British Isles describing the varied relief features. Examine the main rivers and lakes of Great Britain. Account for the chief mineral resources of GB

The relief is represented by Highlands, Lowlands, deep valleys, plains. The highest parts are in Scotland. North Wales, North of England and the central region of England.

England:

Mountains: The Pennines – “the backbone of England”, forms a watershed separating the west-flowing and east-flowing rivers of England; the highest point – Cross Fell (893m); The Cheviot Hills – form a natural border between England and Scotland; the highest point – the Cheviot (816m);The Cumbrian Mountains – famous for the Lake District; the highest point – Scafell (978m).

Plains: Salisbury Plain;The South-West Lowlands and Uplands (600m);The Midland Plains.

Rivers: The Thames (332km), The Trent (274km), The Ouse, the Humber, the Tees, the Tyne (flow into the North Sea); The Mersey, the Eden (flow into the Irish Sea).

Lakes: Windermere – the largest in England; Grasmere; Ullswater.

Wales:

Mountains: The Cambrian Mountains – famous for the Snowdon resort; the highest point – the Snowdon (1085m).

Rivers: The Severn (350m) – the longest in GB, begins in Wales, flows through England (flows into the Irish Sea);The Wye (flows into the Irish Sea).

Scotland:

Regions: The Highlands – take up 50% of the territory of Scotland but only 15% of the population lives here. The Highlands consist of the 3 parts: the Northern Highlands; the Glen More Depression; the Grampian Mountains – contains the highest peak of the British Isles – Ben Nevis(1347m); The Central Lowlands/the Midland Valley – take up only 15% of the territory of Scotland but 15% of the population lives here; The Southern Uplands.

Rivers: The Clyde (flows into the Irish Sea);The Tweed, the Forth, the Dee, the Tay (flow into the North Sea).

Lakes: Loch Lomond – the largest in GB;Loch Ness – the longest in the British Isles, famous for its monster;

Northern Ireland:

Mountains: The Antrim Mountains – comprise the famous Giant’s Causeway; The Sperrin Mountains;The Mourne Mountains.

Rivers: The Shannon (384m) – the longest on the British Isles;

Lakes: Lough Neagh – the largest in the British Isles.

Weather–a state of atmosphere over a short period of time.

Climate– average weather conditions over a long period of time.

Britain is an island country and the surrounding sea gives England a varied climate. The main influence on climate is the island’s close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, its northern latitude, and the warming of the waters around the land by the Gulf Stream (a warm current of the northern Atlantic Ocean). Gulf Stream helps to keep winters milder compared with other landlocked nations with a similar latitude. The overall climate on British Isles is called temperate maritime. Winters are never too cold, summers are never too hot. The warmest months – July and August, the coldest – January and February.

Winter (Average t°= +3 – +5 °C; Normal t°= –10 °C)

Summer (Average t°= +12 – +17 °C; Normal t°= +25 – +30 °C)

Relief is the most important factor controlling the distribution of temperature and precipitation in Britain. The average annual rainfall in Britain is about 1,100 mm. But the geographical distribution of rainfall is largely determined by topography. Rainfall is fairly well distributed throughout the year, although March to June are the driest months and October to January are the wettest.

The distribution of sunshine shows a general decrease from south to north – the south has much longer periods of sunshine than the north.

Mineral Resources

The UK used to be a country of considerable amount of mineral resources (coal, iron ore, copper, lead, tin, etc.) but in the course of the last hundred years most of the deposits have been worked out. At the present moment the UK imports lots of raw materials (iron, zinc, nickel, chrome, copper), forest and half of its food.

Major Resources:

1. Coal (not as important now as it was before, it is replaced by oil and uranium) – was used as a fuel. Deposits: Yorkshire, Lancashire, Newcastle, Central Scotland (Glasgow) and Southern Wales (the Cambrian Mountains).

2. Oil and Gas – usually occur together; are used as fuel and in chemical industry. Oil and natural gas have been discovered in the 1950s on the Shelf in the North Sea. Since then many platforms have been built in the North Sea to take oil and natural gas ashore through the submarine pipelines.

3. Iron Ore – usually found in the areas of major coal basins.

4. Non-metallic Minerals:

· Common Rocks/Granite – used in house-building and road-making; deposits – Devon, Cornwall;

· Clay – used for the production of bricks;

· Chalk – used in cement industry; deposits – the Thames, the Humber;

· Salt – used for the production of chemicals, textile, in soap-making;

Sand and Gravel – found in the north of England and in Central Scotland.

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