Here are the British Isles

23rd September 2015

Name and location

- The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

- Britain ≠ Brittany (<Fr. Bretagne)

- NW coast of Europe

- 54°N4°W

Coasts

• The seas are shallow• Britain lies on the Continental shelf• Irregular coasts:• A. estuary >> funnel-shaped river mouth• B. firth (fjord) >> drowned glaciated valley• C. ria >> river valley drowned by the rise in sea- level• D. peninsula• E. straits and channels >> narrow stretches of water

Affected by:

• Erosion >> cliffs are formed

• Building up >> beaches are formed

Sea levels

• They change for another season

• High tides/low tides every 12 hours (< the attraction of the Moon on the Earth)

• The islands in the Irish Sea (e.g. the Isle of Man) and the Channel Islands are not part of the UK, but they are part of the Commonwealth

• They are self-governing dependencies with different legal, legislative and administrative systems

• The British Government is responsible for their defence and international relations