I. Names and Position To the west and off the
European Continent , there are several thousands
of islands on the Continental shelf£¨¼Ü£©. They
are generally called the British Isles(µºÓì). Of
all these islands, the largest one is called Great
Britain. Still to the west of Great Britain is the
second largest island known as Ireland. The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
(U.K.) is made up of Great Britain, Northern
Ireland and a number of smaller islands around
them .The total area of the country is some
240 000 square kilometers with a population of
about 56 million. Great Britain runs nearly
1 000 kilometers from south to north and, at the
widest part, about 500 kilometers from west to
east. Its area is some 230 000 square kilometers. Great Britain is divided into
three parts or countries: England in the south, Scotland in the north, and Wales
in the southwest. Britain does not share land border(±ß½ç) with any other countries
except the Republic of Ireland (an independent country) . To the north of the
islands the seaway is open between the coasts of Iceland and Norway to the Arctic
Ocean .Britain faces Holland£¨ºÉÀ¼£© , Germany , Denmark£¨µ¤Âó£© and Norway£¨Å²Íþ£© across
the North Sea . To the southeast and across the English Channel is France. To
the south across the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Biscay(±È˹¿ªÍå) are Spain and
Portugal(ÆÏÌÑÑÀ), and America and Canada lie on the west side of the Atlantic Ocean
.