The largest island in Europe - Great Britain

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:43

Islands are land areas washed by water from all sides. They are mostly of natural origin. Unlike the continents, they are smaller in size. Greenland is the largest island in the world, in Europe it is Great Britain, in Russia it is Sakhalin. They are all very different. There are both single and whole groups (archipelagos). They can be uninhabited and inhabited. This article will tell you about the island of Great Britain.

Territory

Europe is considered by some to be the largest island in the world. However, this is an erroneous opinion. Great Britain is only the largest island in Europe. In terms of area, it ranks ninth in the world. It is located from north to south, its length is 966 km, its width is about 500 km.

The largest island in Europe is washed by the Atlantic Ocean. The modern coastline is relatively young. It is heavily dissected by a large number of bays.

Great Britain is separated from Denmark and Norway by the North Sea. It is shallow. From Ireland -by the North and St. George Straits, as well as the Irish Sea, and is separated from France by the Pas de Calais and the English Channel.

Here is the state of the same name. So, in Europe there is the largest island in the world, which is recognized as the birthplace of modern parliamentary democracy. Its area is 230 thousand square meters. km.

Relief

The largest island in Europe belongs to the British Isles. Its relief is very uniform and for the most part is rugged. For example, if you move along the road for an hour, then several landscapes will change outside the windows at once. Rocks from almost all geological periods can be found on the island.

Geographically it is customary to divide it into High Britain and Low.

The southern and eastern parts are mostly flat and low-lying areas with low hills and small hills. They are mostly of sedimentary origin.

In the northern and western parts there are mountains in the form of hills separated from each other. There are three small lowlands among them.

The Cambrian Mountains stretch in a strip in Wales. They reach 1085 m. There are two highlands in Scotland, here the city of Ben Nevis goes up to 1343 m. It is recognized as the highest point of the island. There are preserved peaks, completely covered with snow and ice.

The Peking Mountains occupied the middle of the island of Great Britain. They stretch from the northern regions to the south. In this territory, the Lancashire lowlands are separated fromYorkshire.

In the southwest there is a granite plateau, preserved from ancient times, its shores from the Atlantic Ocean are steep cliffs.

What is the largest island in Europe? Its climate

Compared to other areas of the same latitudes, the average temperature in the UK is higher. Europe's largest island is under the influence of the warm Gulf Stream.

The southern regions are much drier and warmer than the northern ones. However, it often rains on the island of Great Britain, cloudy weather prevails. It is very unstable, dense fogs occur throughout the year. Winds blowing from the north and floods are also frequent.

Winter here is mild and quite wet. This is because the warm sea air raises the temperature. But it also brings rain and stormy winds.

Under the influence of the northern air, frosty weather sets in, even snow will fall in places. However, the plants still remain green throughout the year. Only the eastern regions can become an exception.

Reservoirs of Great Britain

Due to the high rainfall and mountainous terrain, the rivers of these areas are full of water, but very short. The longest is the Severn with a length of 338 km, the Thames reaches only 336 km.

Rivers are easily connected into canals, thus forming numerous waterways. Before the development of rail transport, they were very actively used.

Besidesrivers, the largest island in Europe stores a large number of lakes. The most famous of them is Loch Ness, where the Paleozoic monster is said to live. The depth of the water body is 275 meters.

Flora of Great Britain

Answering the question: “What is the largest island in Europe and what is its flora?”, It is worth noting right away that there are a lot of swamps and marshes, and all because of the humid climate. Forests occupy only 10% of the entire territory of the island of Great Britain. Trees are being planted here on a large scale at the moment.

Forests are mostly deciduous, consisting of oak, elm, ash, beech and hornbeam. Sometimes you can meet a pine tree. Birch forests grow in the northern regions. They have been greatly affected by human activity and appear to be very rare.

The meadows of the island are covered with different kinds of flowers. These are daffodils, purple orchis, lilies and primroses. Heather, moss, blueberry, juniper, crowberry and various grasses are found here. There is a lot of marine vegetation on the borders with water bodies.

Fauna of Great Britain

The fauna of the island cannot be called diverse. There are practically no predators here. Many species have been extirpated by hunting. Now in the UK you will not meet a wolf, bear or wild boar.

The largest mammal in this area is the red deer. It usually lives in the mountains. You can also meet roe deer, wild goats, northern seals.

In groves and forests livebadgers, foxes, stoats, otters, ferrets, weasels and huge populations of rabbits.

Fishing is very popular in the UK. The largest island in Europe is famous for salmon, roach, trout, perch, pike, and grayling. Commercial fish include herring, flounder, cod, haddock, mackerel and whiting.

There are many bird species on the island of Great Britain.