The islands are land areas washed by water from all sides. They are mainly of natural origin. Unlike the mainland, they are smaller in size. Greenland is the largest island in the world, in Europe it is Great Britain, in Russia - Sakhalin. They are all very different. There are both single and whole groups (archipelagos). They can be uninhabited and inhabited. This article will tell about the island of Great Britain.
Territory
Some believe that Europe has the largest island in the world. However, this is a misconception. Great Britain is only the largest island in Europe. By area, it occupies the ninth place 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 strongly dissected by a large number of bays.
Great Britain is separated from Denmark and Norway by the North Sea. It is shallow. From Ireland - the Straits of the North and St. George, as well as the Irish Sea, and from France is separated by means of the Pas de Calais and the English Channel.
Here is the state of the same name. So, in Europe 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 on the road for an hour, then several landscapes will change at once outside the windows. On the island you can find rocks of almost all geological periods.
Geographically, it is customary to divide it into High Britain and Low.
The southern and eastern parts are mainly represented by flat and lowlands with low hills and small hills. They are mostly sedimentary in origin.
In the northern and western parts of the mountains are located in the form of divided hills. Among them there are three small lowlands.
In Wales, the Cambrian Mountains stretch in stripe . They reach 1085 m. There are two highlands in Scotland, here Ben Nevis goes up 1343 m. It is recognized as the highest point of the island. Pointed peaks, completely covered with snow and ice, are preserved here.
The middle of the island of Great Britain was occupied by the Beijing mountains. They stretch from the northern to the southern regions. In this area, the Lancashire Lowland is separated from Yorkshire.
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 latitude, the average UK temperature is higher. The largest island in Europe is influenced by the warm Gulf Stream.
The southern regions are much drier and warmer than the northern ones. However, on the island of Great Britain it often rains, cloudy weather prevails. It is very unstable, thick fogs occur throughout the year. Frequent and wind blowing from the north, and floods.
Winter is mild and rather humid. This is because warm sea air raises the temperature. But he also brings with it rains and gales.
Under the influence of the northern air, frosty weather sets in, even in places snow will fall. However, the plants still remain green throughout the year. An exception may be only the eastern regions.
UK ponds
Due to the large amount of precipitation 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 easily connect to canals, so numerous waterways form. Before the development of railway transport, they were very actively used.
In addition to rivers, Europe’s largest island holds a large number of lakes. The most famous of them is Loch Ness, where, as they say, the Paleozoic monster lives. The depth of the water body is 275 meters.
UK flora
Answering the question: “What is the largest island in Europe and what is its flora?”, It is worth noting immediately that there are a lot of swamps and marshes, and all because of the humid climate. Forests occupy only 10% of the entire island of Great Britain. Currently, trees are planted on a large scale here.
Forests are mainly deciduous, consisting of oak, elm, ash, beech and hornbeam. Sometimes you can meet a pine tree. Birch forests grow in the northern regions. They are very much affected by human activities and seem very rare.
Meadows of the island are covered with different types of flowers. These are daffodils, purple orchis, lilies and primrose. Heather, moss, blueberries, juniper, crowberry and various herbs are found here. There are a lot of marine vegetation on the borders with water bodies.
UK fauna
The fauna of the island cannot be called diverse. There are practically no predators. Many species were exterminated as a result of hunting. Now in the UK you will not meet a wolf, a bear or a wild boar.
The largest mammal in this area is a red deer. He usually lives in the mountains. You can also meet roe deer, wild goats, northern seals.
In the groves and forests live badgers, foxes, ermines, otters, ferrets, weasels and huge populations of rabbits.
In the UK, fishing is very popular. The largest island in Europe is famous for salmon, roach, trout, perch, pike, grayling. Among commercial fish, herring, flounder, cod, haddock, mackerel and merlang can be distinguished.
There are many species of birds on the island of Great Britain.