The largest island in Europe is Great Britain

The islands are land areas washed by water from all sides. Basically they are of natural origin. Unlike the continents, they are smaller in size. Greenland - 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 you about the island of Great Britain.

Territory

Some believe that Europe is the largest island in the world. However, this is an erroneous opinion. The UK 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, the width is about 500 km.

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

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

There is a state with the same name. So, in Europe there is the largest island in the world which is recognized as the birthplace of the parliamentary democracy of our time. Its area is 230 thousand square meters. Km.

Relief

The largest island of Europe belongs to the British Isles. Its relief is very monotonous and for the most part is crossed. For example, if you move along the road for an hour, then several landscapes will change immediately after the windows. On the island you can meet the 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 a flat and lowland area with low hills and small hills. They are mostly of sedimentary origin.

In the northern and western parts of the mountains are located in the form of divided highlands. Among them there are three small lowlands.

In Wales, the strip stretches the Cambrian mountains. They reach 1085 m. In Scotland there are two highlands, here upwards at 1343 m. Ben-Nevis leaves. It is recognized as the highest point of the island. There are sharp peaks, completely covered with snow and ice.

The middle of the island the Great Britain occupied the Beijing mountains. They stretch from the northern regions to the southern ones. In this territory the Lancashire lowland is separated from the Yorkshire lowland.

In the south-west 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 with other areas of the same latitudes, the average temperature in the UK is higher. The largest island in Europe is under the influence of the warm Gulf Stream.

In the southern regions it is much drier and warmer than in the northern regions. However, on the island of Great Britain it often rains, overcast weather prevails. It is very unstable, thick fogs occur throughout the year. There are also frequent winds blowing from the north, and floods.

The winter here is mild and quite wet. This is because warm sea air raises the temperature. But it also brings with it rains and storm winds.

Under the influence of the northern air, frosty weather sets in, even in places the snow falls. However, the plants still remain green throughout the year. An exception can only be the eastern regions.

Reservoirs of Great Britain

Due to the large amount of precipitation and mountainous terrain, the rivers of these regions are many, but very short. The longest is the Severn with a length of 338 km, the Thames reaches a total of 336 km.

The rivers are easily connected to canals, so numerous waterways are formed. Prior to the development of rail transport, they were very actively used.

Besides rivers, Europe's largest island stores a large number of lakes. The most famous of them is Loch Ness, where, as they say, the monster of Paleozoic lives. 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 should be noted right away that there are a lot of swamps and marshes here, and all because of the humid climate. Forests occupy only 10% of the entire territory of the island of Great Britain. Nowadays, large-scale trees are planted 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 badly affected by human activities and seem very rare.

The meadows of the island are covered with different kinds of flowers. These are daffodils, purple orchis, lilies and primroses. There are heather, moss, blueberry, juniper, crow and various grass. There are a lot of marine vegetation on the borders with water bodies.

Fauna of Great Britain

The animal world of the island can not be called diverse. There are practically no predators here. Many species were exterminated as a result of hunting. Now in the UK you will not find a wolf, a bear or a wild boar.

The largest mammal in this area is the red deer. He, as a rule, lives in the mountains. You can also find roes, wild goats, northern seals.

In the groves and forests there live badgers, foxes, ermines, otters, ferrets, weasels and huge populations of rabbits.

In Great Britain, fishing is very popular. The largest island in Europe is famous for salmon, roach, trout, perch, pike, grayling. Among the commercial fish, you can distinguish herring, flounder, cod, haddock, mackerel and merlang.

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