Great Britain: nature, climate. Vegetation and fauna of Great Britain

In this article we want to talk about the UK. This distant country is often associated with fogs and frequent rains. But I wonder what are the nature and climate of Great Britain?

Climatic conditions

The country is relatively small, almost all regions are affected by the warm sea and western winds, and so there are no contrasting temperature differences. The climate of the UK is moderate.

Of course, the temperature is affected by the height above the sea - in the mountains and hills is much cooler than in the valleys. Therefore, the hilly terrain of Wales, as well as in most of Scotland, is much colder in winter and less hot in summer than in other regions of England.

In summer the temperature rarely reaches + 32 ° C, and in winter it does not fall below -10 ° C. And nevertheless, there is a significant difference between the south and the north. Thus, in the Scottish Islands, the average monthly temperature ranges from + 3 ° C in winter to + 11 ° C in summer.

The nature of Great Britain is similar in many respects to the countries of Western Europe. And this is quite logical, since the British Isles have separated relatively recently. The climate of the described region is greatly influenced by the proximity of the North Atlantic Current. That's why moderate temperatures prevail here, high humidity and a lot of surface water.

Features of geographical location

The climate, of course, affects the ocean and the Gulf Stream. For the English, the usual weather is rain and everyday dampness. The most severe weather conditions in Northern Scotland, its mountainous part and in Wales.

The influence of the ocean on the weather is evidenced by the prevalence of unstable weather with dense fogs and strong gusty winds. Winters here, by the way, are extremely soft, but at the same time wet.

The sea south-west air raises the temperature in the cold season, but at the same time brings rainy and overcast weather with storms and winds. When cold air from the north-east invades, it becomes quite frosty. All this makes the nature of Great Britain especially noticeable.

Snow cover the entire territory of the country. In the winter, they are particularly abundant in Scotland. And in the south of England, they tend to rarely happen - here, even the grass is green all year round.

Great Britain: nature

The territory of Great Britain in terms of relief is divided into two regions:

1. High Britain (together with Northern Ireland), which is located in the west and north of the country and is a strongly separated from each other uplands and lowlands.
2. Low Britain, located in the east and south, which is characterized by hilly terrain with small hills.

The peculiarity of the nature of Great Britain is also affected by the fact that the conditional border between the two regions is not always noticeable - in some places it is smoothed out. The named boundary from Newcastle in the south-west direction is stretching.

Forests of Great Britain

Traveling around the country, you notice clearly how quickly each landscape is changing. In general, Great Britain, whose nature is very diverse, boasts a rich vegetation.

Its features Conditioned by climatic conditions and landscape. For example, High Britain is an extremely foggy, windy and rainy region, which, of course, affects the vegetation of the region. And Wales is a mountainous region, adorned with herbage and heathland, where sheep graze.

In prehistoric times, the wild nature of Great Britain was a very dense forest of lime, oak, birch, beech. Local people considered sacred many plants, and especially revered oaks. This was due to their ancient beliefs. However, centuries have gone by and much has changed.

By the end of the twentieth century, the forests of Great Britain were largely destroyed, thanks to the economic activities of man. People cut down mighty trees, drained swamps, which led to serious changes in the species composition of the flora and fauna. In the country were imported and planted exotic trees, which were not previously there (fir, spruce, larch).

Currently, forests in the country occupy only 10% of the total area. Most of them survived on mountain slopes, in river valleys and in the south of the region. At present, the characteristic plants of Great Britain are beech, ash, hornbeam, elm, oak. But in the Grampian Mountains spruce-pine forests grow with oak groves.

Green country

Despite the fact that there are no longer large forests in the country, there is still the impression that this is a green area. Great Britain, the nature of which has been seriously damaged by human hands, is engaged in the artificial planting of forest belts between fields, protective hedges from cold winds, and creates reserves.

In addition to forests, the country is rich in windmills, without which this description of nature would not be complete. Great Britain is also rich in herbaceous wastelands, which have been preserved on the untapped parts of the earth.

Species thickets are surrounded by sphagnum bogs, which occupy the most raw places. There are willow thickets here.

Separately, we should mention the beautiful herbage of the central part of the country. On natural meadows and fields there grow wild white and yellow daffodils, primrose, lilies, yartish, etc.

Animal world

Awesome country Great Britain. Nature and the animal world is so rich and diverse that it is difficult to list everything. We will tell only about the main representatives of its fauna.

So, in southern Britain, deer, hares, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, otters, ermines, caresses and foxes are common. And from the rodents there are proteins, mice, rats. Reptiles here are represented by only three species of snakes, and they are completely absent in Northern Ireland.

In the forests of the country even now roe deer, fallow deer, martens, rabbits are found. And rivers and lakes can boast of salmon and trout. Coastal waters, washing the coastline, are saturated with cod, herring and haddock.

Birds of Great Britain

Great Britain has become home to many birds, there are more than two hundred varieties. About half of them visit the territory of the country, flying from other parts. Human activities have had an impact on birds. The number of some species has decreased so much that it is on the verge of extinction, while the populations of others have, on the contrary, increased.

After a massive drainage of the marshes, the number of waterfowl decreased. And the development of lands led to the destruction of some species of plants, which, in turn, affected the birds. But pigeons and sparrows have got accustomed to great cities, increasing their population every year.

To restore the number of endangered species in the state, protected areas are created with an environmental regime. There are a lot of them in the UK. I must say, the British do not spare money for the maintenance of natural parks, which they call the edge of wild wild birds.

The fact is that their numerous feathered inhabitants are not at all afraid of people. And swans in the country generally enjoy popular love. Their appearance here in distant times is associated with one very beautiful legend. And now these beautiful birds enjoy a special status. Every year they are labeled, the hindquarters keep records of their quantity.

Heraldic animals

Great Britain is an amazing country with a long history. Its inhabitants have long been reverent and respectful of many plants, endowing them with mythical properties and opportunities. No less contribution was made by animals that became symbols of entire royal dynasties for many centuries. Therefore, speaking about the nature of England, it is impossible not to mention heraldry.

For the first time, symbolic images of animals were introduced by King Richard the Lionheart. It was on his coat of arms that three golden lions appeared as a symbol of courage.

Later, lions became heraldic symbols of many noble families. In addition to them, there are also completely mythical creatures, such as dragons, griffins, unicorns. By the way, till now in the Tower lives five ravens which are considered as a symbol of inaccessibility of a fortress, such tradition leaves the roots in a long history.