The full and official name of the country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland and a great number of small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.
The British Isles are separated from the European continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.
Northern Ireland occupies one third of the island of Ireland. It borders on the Irish Republic in the south.
The island of Great Britain consists of three main parts: England (the southern and middle part of the island), Wales (a mountainous peninsula in the West) and Scotland (the northern part of the island).
Most of the rivers flow into the North Sea. The Thames is the deepest and the longest of the British rivers. Some of the British greatest ports are situated in the estuaries of the Thames, Mersey, Tyne, Clyde and Bristol Avon.
Great Britain is not very rich in mineral resources; it has some deposits of coal and iron ore and vast deposits of oil and gas that were discovered in the North Sea.
Great Britain has few mineral resources. Coal and oil are the most important of them. Much of the country is under cultivation and about 20% of the land is covered by National Parks and others countryside conservation areas. Great Britain is one of the leading countries in the world. It has highly developed motorcar, shipbuilding, textile, and chemical and electronics industries which are centered in such cities as London, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle.
Great Britain is also famous for its woolens industry. English wool is exported to many countries.