Geography of the United Kingdom

Geography of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom (UK) is an island nation located in Western Europe. Its land area is made up of the island of Great Britain, part of the island of Ireland and many smaller nearby islands. The UK has coastlines along the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, and the North Sea. The UK is one of the worlds most developed nations and as such it has a global influence. Formation of the United Kingdom Much of the United Kingdoms history is known for the British Empire, its continuous worldwide trade and expansion that began as early as the end of the 14th century and the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. This article, however, focuses on the formation of the United Kingdom. The UK has a long history that consists of several different invasions, including a brief entry by the Romans in 55 B.C.E. In 1066 the UK area was part of the Norman Conquest, which aided in its cultural and political development. In 1282 the UK took over the independent Kingdom of Wales under Edward I and in 1301, his son, Edward II, was made the Prince of Wales in an effort to appease the Welsh people according to the United States Department of State. The oldest son of the British monarch is still given this title today. In 1536 England and Wales became an official union. In 1603, England and Scotland also came under the same rule when James VI succeeded Elizabeth I, his cousin, to become James I of England. A little over 100 years later in 1707, England and Scotland became unified as Great Britain. In the early 17th century Ireland became increasingly settled by people from Scotland and England and England sought control of the area (as it had for many centuries before). On January 1, 1801, a legislative union between Great Britain and Ireland took place and the region became known as the United Kingdom. However, throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, Ireland continuously fought for its independence. As a result in 1921, the Anglo-Irish Treaty established the Irish Free State (which later became an independent republic. Northern Ireland however, remained a part of the UK which is today made up of that region as well as England, Scotland, and Wales. Government of the United Kingdom Today the United Kingdom is considered a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth realm. Its official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales). The executive branch of the UKs government consists of a Chief of State (Queen Elizabeth II) and a head of government (a position filled by the Prime Minister). The legislative branch is made up of a bicameral Parliament consisting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons, while the UKs judicial branch includes the Supreme Court of the UK, the Senior Courts of England and Wales, Northern Irelands Court of Judicature and Scotlands Court of Session and High Court of the Justiciary. Economics and Land Use in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom has the third largest economy in Europe (behind Germany and France) and it is one of the worlds largest financial centers. The majority of the UKs economy is within the service and industrial sectors and agriculture jobs represent less than 2% of the workforce. The main industries of the UK are machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper products, food processing, textiles, and clothing. The agricultural products of the UK are cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables cattle, sheep, poultry and fish. Geography and Climate of the United Kingdom The United Kingdom is located in Western Europe to the northwest of France and between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Its capital and largest city is London, but other large cities are Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Edinburgh. The UK has a total area of 94,058 square miles (243,610 sq km). Much of the topography of the UK consists of rugged, undeveloped hills and low mountains but there are flat and gently rolling plains in the eastern and southeastern areas of the country. The highest point in the UK is Ben Nevis at 4,406 feet (1,343 m) and it is located in the northern UK in Scotland. The climate of the UK is considered temperate despite its latitude. Its climate is moderated by its maritime location and the Gulf Stream. However, the UK is known for being very cloudy and rainy throughout much of the year. The western parts of the country are wettest and also windy, while the eastern portions are drier and less windy. London, located in England in the south of the UK, has an average January low temperature of 36ËšF (2.4ËšC) and a July average temperature of 73ËšF (23ËšC). References Central Intelligence Agency. (6 April 2011). CIA - The World Factbook - United Kingdom. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/uk.html Infoplease.com. (n.d.). United Kingdom: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0108078.html United States Department of State. (14 December 2010). United Kingdom. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3846.htm Wikipedia.com. (16 April 2011). United Kingdom - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_kingdom

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligentâ€According to Science

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligent- According to Science According to a new study, brainy people tend to spend more time being chill than their less-intelligent, but more active counterparts- mostly because they have a higher IQ, get bored less and are thus more likely to be comfortable getting lost in thought. Active people, on the other hand, need constant activity to keep themselves stimulated, as they are more easily bored. Florida Gulf University gave a test to a group of students, asking them to rate how strongly they agreed with statements about engagement with tasks and problems, and from this, were able to select 30 â€Å"thinkers† and 30 â€Å"non-thinkers† from their pool.The 60 subjects then wore a movement/activity tracking device on their wrists for the next week, giving researchers a constant stream of data about their physical habits. Their findings, described as â€Å"highly significant† and â€Å"robust† in statistical terms, showed that the â€Å"thinkers† were far less active during th e week than their â€Å"non-thinker† counterparts. The weekends, strangely, were about the same.It may actually be beneficial, then, to spend an extra hour or two in bed thinking through tasks and schedules, revisiting and reimagining your goals. Your daydreaming might be twice as generative as a non-thinker’s doing.There’s a danger, of course, to less active people- no matter how brainy- and that is the danger of the sedentary lifestyle. So if you think you might be a â€Å"thinker,† and relishing those quiet moments lost in thought, you might also want to make a point of exercising enough. Just to make sure you stay healthy and nourish your body- not just your brain.In addition to this, you should also consider finding a job that is compatible with your personality. The sooner you find a job that you enjoy, the happier you will be, regardless of how intelligent or lazy you are.

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligentâ€According to Science

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligent- According to Science According to a new study, brainy people tend to spend more time being chill than their less-intelligent, but more active counterparts- mostly because they have a higher IQ, get bored less and are thus more likely to be comfortable getting lost in thought. Active people, on the other hand, need constant activity to keep themselves stimulated, as they are more easily bored. Florida Gulf University gave a test to a group of students, asking them to rate how strongly they agreed with statements about engagement with tasks and problems, and from this, were able to select 30 â€Å"thinkers† and 30 â€Å"non-thinkers† from their pool.The 60 subjects then wore a movement/activity tracking device on their wrists for the next week, giving researchers a constant stream of data about their physical habits. Their findings, described as â€Å"highly significant† and â€Å"robust† in statistical terms, showed that the â€Å"thinkers† were far less active during th e week than their â€Å"non-thinker† counterparts. The weekends, strangely, were about the same.It may actually be beneficial, then, to spend an extra hour or two in bed thinking through tasks and schedules, revisiting and reimagining your goals. Your daydreaming might be twice as generative as a non-thinker’s doing.There’s a danger, of course, to less active people- no matter how brainy- and that is the danger of the sedentary lifestyle. So if you think you might be a â€Å"thinker,† and relishing those quiet moments lost in thought, you might also want to make a point of exercising enough. Just to make sure you stay healthy and nourish your body- not just your brain.In addition to this, you should also consider finding a job that is compatible with your personality. The sooner you find a job that you enjoy, the happier you will be, regardless of how intelligent or lazy you are.

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligentâ€According to Science

Being Lazy Means You’re Intelligent- According to Science According to a new study, brainy people tend to spend more time being chill than their less-intelligent, but more active counterparts- mostly because they have a higher IQ, get bored less and are thus more likely to be comfortable getting lost in thought. Active people, on the other hand, need constant activity to keep themselves stimulated, as they are more easily bored. Florida Gulf University gave a test to a group of students, asking them to rate how strongly they agreed with statements about engagement with tasks and problems, and from this, were able to select 30 â€Å"thinkers† and 30 â€Å"non-thinkers† from their pool.The 60 subjects then wore a movement/activity tracking device on their wrists for the next week, giving researchers a constant stream of data about their physical habits. Their findings, described as â€Å"highly significant† and â€Å"robust† in statistical terms, showed that the â€Å"thinkers† were far less active during th e week than their â€Å"non-thinker† counterparts. The weekends, strangely, were about the same.It may actually be beneficial, then, to spend an extra hour or two in bed thinking through tasks and schedules, revisiting and reimagining your goals. Your daydreaming might be twice as generative as a non-thinker’s doing.There’s a danger, of course, to less active people- no matter how brainy- and that is the danger of the sedentary lifestyle. So if you think you might be a â€Å"thinker,† and relishing those quiet moments lost in thought, you might also want to make a point of exercising enough. Just to make sure you stay healthy and nourish your body- not just your brain.In addition to this, you should also consider finding a job that is compatible with your personality. The sooner you find a job that you enjoy, the happier you will be, regardless of how intelligent or lazy you are.