England has coastlines on the English Channel, Irish Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. Its largest lake is Windermere and its economy centers around London as a financial hub. Wales has mountainous terrain from the last ice age including Snowdon, its highest peak. Its economy has shifted from agriculture to industry to services and tourism. Northern Ireland's largest lake is Lough Neagh and its economy was traditionally industrial but now focuses on services and tourism. Scotland has rugged coastlines and over 700 islands. Its economy was historically based on heavy industry but now also emphasizes petroleum and tourism.

1. Geographic and Economic
Particularities of the U.K.

2. News Article
• Spend 3 minutes reading the article.
• Note what is important about the article
– What is the author trying to say?
– Do you agree with what they say?
– Why do you disagree/agree?

3. England- Geographic Particularities
• England is closer to the European continent than
any other part of mainland Britain.
• It is separated from France by a 34-kilometre (21
mi) sea gap, though the two countries are
connected by the Channel Tunnel.
• England also has shores on the Irish Sea, North
Sea and Atlantic Ocean.
• There are many lakes in England; the largest is
Windermere.

4. Windermere Lake
River Thames

5. England- Economic Particularities
• England's economy is one of the largest in the
world, with an average GDP per capita of £22,907.
• The official currency in England is the pound
sterling=GBP
• The economy of England is the largest part of the
UK's economy.
• London, home to the London Stock Exchange, the
main stock exchange of Europe.
• London is the largest financial centre in Europe,
and as of 2009 is also the largest in the world.

6. Wales- Geo
• Wales is a generally mountainous country on the
western side of central southern Great Britain.
• Much of Wales' diverse landscape is
mountainous, particularly in the north and
central regions.
• The mountains were shaped during the last ice
age.
• The highest mountains in Wales are in
Snowdonia, of which five are over 1,000 m
– The highest of these is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), at 1,085
m (3,560 ft).

8. Wales- Economic
• Over the last 250 years, Wales has been
transformed first from a predominantly
agricultural country to an industrial, and now a
post-industrial economy.
• Since the Second World War, the service sector
has come to account for the majority of jobs.
• The Welsh landscape (protected by three national
parks) and 45 Blue Flag beaches, as well as the
unique culture of Wales, attract large numbers of
tourists, who play an especially vital role in the
economy of rural areas.
– Wales lacks a large metropolitan centre.

9. Northern Ireland- Geo
• The centrepiece of Northern Ireland's
geography is Lough Neagh, at 151 square
miles (391 km2) the largest freshwater lake
both on the island of Ireland and in the
British Isles.
• Most of NI is flat lands and it has large gold
deposits.

11. Northern Ireland- Economics
• The Northern Ireland economy is the smallest of
the four economies in the United Kingdom.
• Northern Ireland has traditionally had an
industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding,
rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy
industry has since been replaced by services,
primarily the public sector.
• Tourism also plays a big role in the local economy.
More recently the economy has benefited from
major investment by many large multi-national
corporations into high tech industry.

12. Scotland- GP
• The total area is 78,772 km, comparable to the size of the
Czech Republic.
• Scotland's only land border is with England, and runs for 96
kilometres between the basin of the River Tweed on the
east coast and the Solway Firth in the west.
• The Atlantic Ocean borders the west coast and the North
Sea is to the east.
• The Highlands and Islands lie to the north and west of the
Highland Boundary Fault, which runs from Arran to
Stonehaven.
• Scotland has over 790 islands, which are divided into four
main groups: Shetland, Orkney, and the Inner Hebrides and
Outer Hebrides.
• There are numerous bodies of freshwater including Loch
Lomond and Loch Ness.

14. Scotland- EP
• Traditionally, the Scottish economy has been
dominated by heavy industry underpinned by
the shipbuilding in Glasgow, coal mining and
steel industries.
• Petroleum related industries associated with the
extraction of North Sea oil have also been
important employers from the 1970s, especially
in the north east of Scotland.
• Tourism is widely recognised as a key
contributor to the Scottish economy.