2.2. Britain's relief.

2.2.1. Scotland is the most northern of the countries that constitute the United Kingdom. It occupies an area of 78,8 thousand sq. km. Scotland is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and west and by the North Sea in the east.

The coastline of Scotland is greatly indented. In many places deep fiords penetrate very far inland. Geographically the territory of Scotland can be divided into three regions: the Northern Highlands, the Central Lowlands and the Southern Uplands. The Highlands are the highest mountains in the British Isles. Their average height does not exceed 457 m above sea level, though some peaks are much higher, rising over a thousand metres. Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the British Isles, reaches the height of 1343 m. The Lowlands are the cradle of the Scottish na­tion. They are densely populated.

2.2.2. Wales is a peninsula washed by the sea on three sides: the Bristol Channel in the south, the St. George's Channel in the west, and the Irish Sea in the north. Its territory is 20, 8 thousand sq. km. Geographically Wales may be considered part of highland Britain, the Cambrian Mountains occupy­ing most of the land. It is an area of high mountains, deep valleys, waterfalls and lakes. Wales is a region of heavy rainfall brought by the prevailing west winds from the Atlantic Ocean. The valleys are sheltered by the high mountains from cold east winds. The climate is rather mild.

2.2.3. Northern Ireland occupies the north-eastern part of Ireland, which is separated from the island of Great Britain by the North Channel^. In the south-west Northern Ireland borders on the Irish Republic (Eire). Almost all the area of Northern Ireland is a plain of volcanic origin, deepening in the centre to form the largest lake of the British Isles, Lough Neagh. The greatly indented coastline of Northern Ireland is abundant in rocks and cliffs. The largest lake in GB and the biggest inland loch in Scotland is Loch Lomond (70 sq. km). The longest lake is Loch Ness (56 sq. km) which also has the greatest volume of water.

2.2.4. The rivers of Britain are short; their direction and character are determined by the position of the moun­tains. Most of the rivers flow in the eastward direction since the west coast is mountainous. Due to the humid climate and abundant rainfall, the water level in the rivers is always high. The riv­ers seldom freeze in winter, most of them remain ice-free. Many of the rivers are joined together by ca­nals. This system of rivers and canals provides a good means of cheap inland water transport.

The most important rivers are the Severn, flow­ing from the Cambrian Mountains in Wales into the Bristol Channel, the Thames, flowing across the plains of south-eastern England and emptying into the North Sea, the Tyne and the Trent, flowing from the eastern slopes of the Pennines to the North Sea, the Mersey, flowing down the western slopes of the Pennines and emptying into the Irish Sea at Liv­erpool, and the Clyde in Scotland, which flows west across the Southern Uplands and on which the port of Glasgow is situated.