The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is located in the British Isles. It is the largest archipelago in Europe. It includes two large islands- Great Britain and Ireland, separated by the Irish Sea, and another 5 thousand small islands, among which three groups of islands in the north stand out: Hybrid, Orkney and Scottish. The territory of the country is 244.1 thousand square meters. km, this is half the size of the largest states in Western Europe- France and Spain.
Great Britain has a complex administrative division. It includes 4 historical and geographical areas: England (45 counties and a special administrative unit - Greater London); Wales (8 counties); Northern Ireland (26 counties); Scotland (12 regions); independent administrative units - the Isle of Maine and the Channel Islands.
To a certain extent, fast economic development Great Britain was promoted by an advantageous geographical position. This sea power, in the past "great sea power", is located on the continental shelf. The British archipelago is separated by the shallow North Sea from the developed countries of Western and Northern Europe (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the Federal Republic of Germany), by narrow English Channel (20 km) and Pas-de-Calais (33 km) from France. A railway tunnel running along the bottom of the English Channel connects the UK and France, it ends the country's maritime isolation.
The role of the country in the international arena is great. Great Britain - a member of the UN since 1945, a permanent member of the Security Council, the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) since 1949, a member of the European Union since 1973, the Western European Union since 1954 Chapter British Commonwealth, created in 1931 and includes 50 states, former British dominions and colonies, maintaining close economic and political ties with Great Britain. Great Britain has been a member of the military-political organization NATO since 1949 and has nuclear missiles. Plays an important role in such international economic organizations, like the "Paris Club" and "London Club", regulating the monetary and financial problems of the West and determining in many respects the policy of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Natural conditions and resources. The natural resource factor had a great influence on the formation territorial structure farms.
Great Britain has a variety of landforms: mountainous relief prevails in the north and west, and flat - in the east. Highest point country - Mount Ben Nevis (1343 m) is located in mountainous Scotland. The Penninsky Ridge, stretching from north to south, has the greatest length. A vast rolling plain occupies the southeast and center of the country, and the flattest lowland, Fenland, surrounds Wash Bay. In Scotland, the Lowlands stretches between the North and South Highlands.
The climate of Great Britain is temperate, oceanic, very humid with mild winters and cool summers. The British Isles are characterized by frequent fogs and strong winds... The temperate oceanic climate and the influence of the warm North Atlantic Current create favorable conditions for the development of agriculture (in the southwest, plants grow throughout the year). High soil cultivation is important factor increasing the productivity of agricultural crops.
Rivers in the British climate are full of water. The largest are - Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey.
Of great importance are the estuaries of rivers that protrude far into the land, as well as the general large indentedness of the coastline. This allowed the creation of many ports. Rivers as a source of energy are used only in the highlands of Scotland and North Wales.
In general, the country does not have significant reserves of minerals, with the exception of fuel and energy. Stocks coal are estimated at 190-200 billion tons. Total and recoverable reserves are about 50 billion tons (first place in Western Europe). The main deposits are located in the Mid-Scotland Lowlands.
In the 60s, oil fields were discovered on the North Sea shelf, the explored reserves are estimated at 2.4 billion tons, which is approximately 35% of the oil reserves of the entire North Sea shelf (2% of world reserves). About 50 deposits have been found, the largest among them - Brent and Fortis together account for 33% of the total production volume.
Large deposits of natural gas were discovered in the western part of the North Sea in 1959. In 1965, 70 km. commercial gas production began to the east of Clintorpes. Its total reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion. cub. m. Currently, 37 out of 60 natural gas fields are being developed.
Great Britain also has other minerals. Iron ores, mostly phosphorous, of low quality
The UK has minor reserves of tin in Cornwall, lead-zinc ores in Wales and uranium ores in Scotland.
Kaolin is mined in Cornwall; rock salt in Cheshire and Durham; potassium salts - in Yorkshire.
Population of Great Britain. The main productive force society is the population. In 2000, the total population of the UK was 58.6 million, natural growth population - 0.1% per year.
The dominant and most numerous nation of Great Britain is the British; they make up 80% of the population (about 46.9 million people). They inhabit England proper, most of Wales and form compact settlements in some areas in the south of Scotland. English language belongs to the northwestern group of Germanic languages. English is also spoken by the majority of the country's population of Celtic origin - Scots and Welsh.
Of the Celtic peoples of Great Britain, the most numerous are Scots, whose number exceeds 5.1 million people (10%). They inhabit mainly the northwestern regions of the island of Great Britain and the Scottish, Orkney and Hebrides islands adjacent to their coast.
The Scottish language is based on one of the northern dialects of the Anglo-Saxon language. The Scottish language included many words from the Gaelic that it supplanted, in addition, the influence of the Scandinavian languages was noticeable on it.
From the XIV to the XVII century. he was the state language Scottish state. With the loss of Scotland's independence, the Scottish language is gradually being replaced by English.
V last years in Scotland large scale acquired a national movement. The nationalist ideas of this movement are developed by the Scottish National Party, created in 1928, which is fighting for a democratic solution to the social and national problems of Scotland.
The historical fate and ethnic development of the Welsh (about 2.1 million people, less than 4% of the total population) were different from that of the Scots.
Wales was conquered early by the British; its population was more assimilated than the Scots.
For many years, there has been a fierce struggle in Northern Ireland, annexed to British state in 1922, while the rest of Ireland achieved independence. The United Kingdom then included six counties from the nine Irish provinces of Ulster. The ethnic composition of the population of this region is heterogeneous. It is home to about 500 thousand indigenous inhabitants of the island (these are Irish Catholics) and more than 1 million Anglo-Irish and Scotch-Irish. Such a composition of the population developed here in the 17th - 18th centuries. during the period of intensified colonization of Ireland by the British government.
Unlike the rest of Ireland, where land was distributed to large English owners - landlords, in Ulster, plots of land were allocated to small and medium-sized tenants, the British and Scots from the southern part of Scotland.
Thus, in Ulster, historically, there were three groups of the population, differing among themselves in religion and culture, and wary, and sometimes even hostile, related to each other. Eastern regions Northern Ireland was occupied by immigrants from Scotland - Presbyterians, the central and northern provinces were settled by the British, belonging to the English Church, in the extreme western and border areas with Ireland lived the remnants of the indigenous population - Irish, Catholics in their religion.
Over time, there was a rapprochement between the English and Scottish settlers on the basis of common interests, and now they are already opposing the indigenous Irish Catholics with a united front. Power in Northern Ireland is concentrated in the hands of this Protestant majority, and Irish Catholics are discriminated against in a wide variety of areas. Very often this is presented in the media as a simple religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. In fact, the reasons for the struggle in Northern Ireland are a complex knot of national, socio-economic and regional contradictions, the roots of which go back centuries.
A fairly large group of the population (about 500 thousand people) in Great Britain are Jews, who live mainly in London and other large cities.
After the Second World War, in connection with the large-scale reconstruction work and the development of productivity, the influx of workers from European countries to England increased. Now in the UK there are 1 million immigrants from various European countries, and the total number foreign citizens in the UK is over 2.5 million people, or less than 5% of the total population of the country. In addition, from 50 to 60 thousand temporary workers from Europe arrive in the country every year (most of all from Italy, and now from of Eastern Europe). Since the 1950s, the flow of immigrants from the Commonwealth countries, from the West Indies, India and Pakistan has increased dramatically. The position of this category of citizens is very difficult. Most of them are employed in unskilled jobs, in the service sector, etc.
The rise in the number of immigrants from the former English colonies gave rise to the question of racial relations. The government, in its special acts, is attempting to restrict immigration from its former colonies.
The UK is one of the most populous and highly urbanized countries in the world.
On average, 1 sq. km accounted for in 2000, 246.3 people. However, the population is distributed very unevenly across the country. The bulk of the UK population is concentrated in England, which has the most advantageous geographical location and favorable natural conditions... Here the average density per 1 sq. km exceeds 356 people. Half of the UK population lives in the London-Liverpool belt. The most sparsely populated areas are in Scotland, with its harsh natural conditions compared to other parts of the country. The population density here is less than 90 people per 1 sq. km, with the population concentrated mainly on the coasts, river valleys and lowlands (especially around Glasgow and Edinburgh).
In 2000, 89.4% of the population lived in cities. The growth rate of the urban population is 0.4% per year. The so-called English metropolis is being formed, uniting the metropolitan areas of London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and other cities, in total there are 30 urban agglomerations. The total area of the metropolis is 50 thousand square meters. km, population - 30–35 million people.
The average life expectancy is high, for men - 75 years, for women - 80.5 years.
Total number labor resources is about 30 million people. A positive trend in the economy is that the number of people employed in manual and low-skilled labor has decreased, and, on the contrary, the number of people employed in jobs requiring high qualifications has increased.
In 2000, the unemployment rate was 6.3% (1,812 thousand people).
The share of the population living below the poverty line, according to UN experts, is 10.6%; living below the average income - 50%, 13.1% - have an income of $ 14.4 per day.
Political system. Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. The country does not have a constitution in the form of a single basic law. Legislative acts adopted by parliament and judicial precedents have constitutional significance.
The head of state - Queen Elizabeth II (from 6.02.1952), who belongs to the Hanoverian dynasty of English monarchs, is the 40th British monarch since the Norman conquest of England (1066). The queen is considered the supreme bearer of the executive branch, the head judicial system, the supreme commander of the armed forces, the secular head of the Church of England, has the formal right to convene parliament in session, dissolve the House of Commons, authorize bills passed by parliament, and ratify international treaties. In practice, however, all major royal prerogatives are exercised by the cabinet and parliament.
The state legislature is the parliament, which consists of two chambers. The House of Lords includes about 1,200 hereditary and lifelong peers, lords - judges of appeal and "spiritual lords" (two archbishops and 24 bishops, of the Church of England) and the highest court of appeal. The House of Commons is an elected body of 649 deputies, elected for five years by a plurality majority system, by direct and secret ballot on the basis of universal suffrage.
In the absence of a constitution and according to the provision of "parliamentary sovereignty", the parliament is not bound by previously adopted decisions and can annul acts of constitutional significance. British courts are deprived of the right to revise or repeal acts of parliament and are obliged to apply not the provisions arising from the international legal obligations of Great Britain, but the norms of parliamentary status.
The general elections in May 1997 gave the Labor Party an absolute majority in the House of Commons (418 seats). The Conservatives have 165 seats, the Liberal Democrats 46, the Ulster Unionist Party 10, the Scottish National Party 6 and the Welsh National Party 4.
The government is formed by the leader of the party that won the majority of seats in the House of Commons. In 1997, Tony Blair became prime minister. The Laborites replaced the Conservatives who had been in power for 18 years.
Political parties. The Conservative Party took its organizational form in 1867 (about 1.5 million members). Domestically, the party pursued a course of broad social and economic reforms, including decentralization and privatization of the economy. In foreign policy, conservatives are characterized by a NATO-wide approach to solving international problems. The party shares the concept of "nuclear deterrence", stands for the preservation of "special relations" with the United States, for the modernization of Britain's nuclear potential, for the continuation of the country's membership in NATO and the EU. Differences remain in the ranks of the Conservatives on the issue of European integration, which made it difficult for the Maastricht Agreements to pass through parliament, which are regarded by the majority in the party leadership as a worthy compromise that takes into account British national interests.
The Labor Party of Great Britain (LP) was formed in 1890 and has 6.4 million collective and individual members. As an ideological basis, he puts forward the principles of "democratic socialism", in economic policy he adheres to the concept of a mixed economy.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was formed in 1988 through the merger of the liberal and social democratic parties, which since 1981 acted in the political arena in the alliance, unites about
60 thousand people. The LDP's political platform is centrist, largely a compromise (between the two main parties) and vague. Its main components: the need to preserve the UK nuclear weapons and the country's membership in NATO. In internal matters, the LDP also follows an intermediate line, advocates the fight against unemployment, the priority solution of social problems, the termination of further denationalization, but in general it relies on a market economy and the development of competition.
The country is located in the British Isles in northwestern Europe. Consider the EGL of Great Britain - first its geographic aspect. Great Britain is made up of four large provinces: England, Wales, and Scotland. The EGP of Great Britain is largely determined by its insular position. The British Isles are the largest archipelago in Europe. It consists of two large islands(Ireland and Great Britain) and more than five thousand small ones. The southern part of the island of Great Britain is located at latitude fiftieth, and the northern part of the archipelago (Scottish Islands) is at sixtieth degrees north latitude. Distance from the most north point the islands of Great Britain to its very south point is equal to 966 kilometers, and its greatest width is 508 kilometers. The geographical position of Great Britain is such that it is washed by the waters of the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, and southern part its coast is located only thirty-five kilometers from north coast France. They are separated by the English Channel. is equal to 243,810 square kilometers.
Areas of England located on the plains are of great importance for agriculture. A little later, the mountainous terrain began to be mastered. An important incentive for this was served first by pastures, and then by mineral resources... Historically, in the course of geological evolution, various minerals began to form in the bowels of the British Isles. On the territory of the country there are almost all known minerals, only diamonds are missing.
In the central part and in the north of England are the Pienine Mountains, which are composed of coal rocks. In their northern part, karst deposits are widespread. The foothills of these mountains are rich in coal deposits. On the basis of these deposits, large mining and industrial centers of the Yorkshire, Lankshire and other coal basins were formed, the estimated reserves of which are more than four billion tons.
Throughout most of England, alternating flat plains and hilly cuesta ridges. Cuestas are most often composed of limestone or writing chalk, and the plains are represented by looser rocks: sand, clay, marl. All of these sedimentary rocks have accumulated in ancient marine basins.
Small elevations in the Midland plains are associated with deposits iron ore and coal. Here is one of the most large deposits iron ore - 60% of all its reserves are concentrated in the East Midlands.
Consider now the economic side of the UK EGL .
The country's agriculture is characterized by a very high intensity. It is well equipped and produces 60% of the food the UK needs with just 2% of its human resources. The leading ones are chemical and petrochemical, and oil, oil refining, mechanical engineering, ferrous metallurgy.
Per capita is $ 36,600 per year. The 13th place in the world in terms of living standards is occupied by Great Britain. The country's economy is one of the most developed in the world. The country has a developed mechanical engineering, which is focused mainly on the production of non-standard equipment, as well as different types and types of machines.
The country has well-developed electronic and electrical engineering, large-scale automobile manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing, shipbuilding, and machine tool manufacturing. The chemical and petrochemical industries, the production of lifting and transport equipment and industrial equipment, as well as the oil refining and pharmaceutical industries, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy are widely represented. Great Britain is one of the first places in the world for the export and production of dyes and plastics, detergents, chemical and mineral fertilizers.
Thus, we have presented in the article information that reflects the EGP of the UK.
; 1 ° 46` east longitude and 8 ° 00` west longitude.
Great Britain - Island state; consists of the island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland (they are separated by the narrow North Strait), as well as smaller islands (the most significant of them are Anglesey, White, Orkney, Hebrides, Shetland). The UK includes the inland autonomous Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands, located in the English Channel off the coast of France. (as they usually call and) are washed by the waters of the North Sea. They are separated from mainland Europe only by the narrow straits of the Pas-de-Calais (in Great Britain - the Strait of Dover) and the English Channel (English Channel). Great Britain is connected with a tunnel 48 km long, of which 37 km runs under. Coastline- 12 429 km - heavily indented, abounds in bays and bays - convenient anchorages for sea vessels. The largest bays are Bristol, Cardigan, Solway Firth, Firth of Clyde, Moray Firth, Firth of Forth, Wash. Great Britain shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; its length is 360 km.
Most of the UK is rugged terrain. In the north and west prevails. In the northern part of the island, mountains rise from 840 to 1300 m above sea level (the most high peak- Ben Nevis - 1340 m). The Scottish Highlands are separated from the South Scottish Highlands by the Mid-Scottish Plains less than 100 km wide. Mountain ranges cover almost all western part islands, especially Wales and Cornwall. Middle part Northern England occupy the Pennine Mountains, which separate the Lancashire Lowlands in the west from the Yorkshire Lowlands in the east. The southern half of Great Britain is a plain divided by hills and uplands.
Great Britain has significant reserves. Among them are oil, natural gas, coal, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, copper, silica. The reserves of offshore oil fields are estimated at 1,430 million tons; most are located in, east and northeast of and east of the Shetland and Orkney Islands; the largest offshore fields are Fortis and Brent, on the mainland - Witchpharm in Dorset. The reserves reach 1,710 billion m3, the main fields are located in the North Sea off the east coast of England. The main (significantly depleted) - Yorkshire - Derby - Nottinghamshire Basin in the East Midland, Northumberland - Durham Basin in the north-east of England.
The soil cover in Great Britain is quite diverse. Brown forest, podzolic soils prevail. Calcareous, alluvial, acidic soils and peat bogs are widespread.
The climate of Great Britain is temperate, humid, oceanic. Thanks to the North Atlantic Current and warm winds blowing from the Atlantic Ocean, the UK generally enjoys mild winters. But this also explains cloudy weather, frequent rains, etc. The average temperature in January is 3-7 ° C, in July 11 - 17 ° C, the amount of precipitation falling annually is 550-800 mm in the southeast, 3000 mm in the mountainous western and northern regions. Most precipitation falls from October to January, less - in February-March.
Great Britain has a large number of rivers and lakes. The most - Severn (328 km) - originates in the mountains of Wales and flows into the Bay of Bristol ( West Coast). The Lancashire Lowland is crossed by the Mersey, which flows into the Liverpool Bay. The main river on the east coast - the Thames (336 km) - flows through the most densely populated areas of southeast England. The Lowlands of Scotland are also rich in rivers. The longest of them is the Clyde (157 km), which originates in the South Scottish Highlands and flows into the Firth of Clyde (west coast), and the Fort, which flows into the Firth of Forth ( East Coast). There are many lakes in the north of the country. The largest is Lough Nih in Northern Ireland - 396 km2. The deepest is Loch Morir in the Scottish Highlands (310 m).
The flora of Great Britain is diverse - 9% of the territory. Deciduous forests predominate - oak, beech, birch. There are many coniferous forests in Scotland - spruce and larch. Moorlands are widespread. Evergreen plant species are found in the south of the country. Plants grow all year round.
In Great Britain there are about 30 thousand species of animals. Among them are foxes, hares, red squirrels, otters, black rats, minks, reptiles and amphibians. Of the 200 bird species, the most common are sparrows, finches, starlings, crows, kingfishers, robins, and tits. In rivers, and coastal sea waters numerous species of fish are found - cod, haddock, whiting, herring, salmon, trout.
Great Britain (the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) is an island state in Western Europe (Fig. 1.1), the form of government is a constitutional monarchy. The capital is London.
Rice. 1.1
State in northwestern Europe, in the British Isles (the island of Great Britain and the northeastern part of the island of Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands), washed by Atlantic Ocean and its seas. The area is 241 thousand km 2.
In the north and west of Great Britain, mountainous relief prevails - the Scottish Highlands (up to 1344 m), the Pennines and Cambrian mountains; in the south and southeast there are hilly plains. The climate is moderately oceanic, humid. In January average temperature air is from 3 to 7 ° C, in July - about 11-17 ° C; precipitation up to 3000 mm per year in the west and 600-750 mm in the southeast. Major rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey, Clyde. Forests (mainly beech, oak, birch) occupy about 9% of the UK.
Great Britain consists of four administrative and political parts (historical provinces): England (it includes 39 counties, 6 metropolitan counties and Greater London), Wales (it includes 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 city-counties), Scotland ( consists of 32 regions) and Northern Ireland (includes 26 districts). Economic and Social Geography of the Near Abroad Countries: Ed. M.P. Ratanova. - M: Bustard. 2004 .-- 576 p.
The population of Great Britain over the last century is represented by the following census results:
- - 1900 - 35 405 900 people.
- - 1949 - 50.3 million people
- - 1959 - 51.9 million people.
- - 1976 - 55.9 million people.
- - 1998 - 59.1 million people
- - 2004 - 59,834,900 people. Simagin Yu.A. Territorial organization population: Tutorial... - M .: Dashkov and K. - 2005 .-- 236 p.
The population dynamics can be represented on the graph (Figure 1.2).
Rice. 1.2
The ethnic composition of the UK population is as follows:
- - The British - 81.5%.
- - Scots - 12.4%.
- - Irish - 2.4%.
- - Welsh (or Welsh) - 1.9%.
- - Ulsterians - 1.8%. A.A. Shepetilov Economy of the countries of Western Europe. - TO.: graduate School... - 2003 .-- 262 p.
The rest of the ethnic groups make up a very low percentage in the UK. In addition, these ethnic groups are relatively constant and their share in the UK population is also always approximately the same. The rest of the ethnic groups are fickle and difficult to count.
For a more visual perception, we will present the data on the diagram ethnic composition population of Great Britain (fig. 1.3).
Political structure. Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy led by a queen.
The legislature is a bicameral parliament, consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The government is headed by the prime minister.
Rice. 1.3
A distinctive feature of the British Constitution is the absence of any single document that could be called the country's fundamental law; moreover, there is not even an exact list of documents that would relate to the Constitution. Sinitsyn O.I. Modern economics. Public training course. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2005 .-- 608s.
Economy. Great Britain is a highly developed industrial country, a major supplier of ready-made industrial products to the world market and major exporter capital (mainly in developed countries). GNP per capita is $ 16,070 per year. Extraction of oil and natural gas (mainly on the shelf of the North Sea), coal. The most developed are mechanical engineering (focused on the production of non-standard products, as well as various types and types of machines), including electrical and electronic, transport (including large aircraft, automobile and shipbuilding), machine-tool building, agricultural, industrial equipment production, lifting and transport engineering, etc., chemical and petrochemical (Great Britain occupies one of the leading places in the world in the production and export of synthetic fibers and dyes, plastics, detergents, fertilizers, etc.), pharmaceutical, oil refining industry, black (high-quality steel) and non-ferrous ( tin, aluminum) metallurgy. The oldest branch of the British industry, the textile industry, has lost its former importance. Large-scale food flavoring (traditional production of whiskey, beer; processing of imported agricultural raw materials) industry; production of footwear, knitwear; famous for English porcelain. Agriculture is dominated by dairy and meat and dairy cattle breeding and bacon pig breeding; meat and wool sheep breeding. Mainly they grow barley, wheat, sugar beets, oats, and potatoes. Vegetable growing and fruit growing (large greenhouse and greenhouse farm), floriculture (daffodils, tulips).
Monetary unit - pound sterling = 100 pence. Runova T.G. Economical geography with the basics of regional studies: Textbook (3rd ed., p.). - M .: MGIU. - 2007 .-- 184 p.
British Armed Forces. British Armed Forces The Commander-in-Chief of the British Armed Forces is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The British Armed Forces are administered by the Defense Council of the Department of Defense. The main mission of the British Armed Forces is to protect the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, advance the security interests of the UK and support international peacekeeping efforts. Also, the British Armed Forces are active and permanent participants in NATO and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. Kuskov A.S. Economic geography in questions and answers: Textbook. - M .: League. - 2004 .-- 224 p.
The position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is often called This is a rather complex and multifaceted category. She will be discussed in this article. What are the characteristics of the economic and geographical position of the leading states of Eurasia - Japan, Great Britain, France? And how profitable is it?
Country position in relation to neighboring countries
The countries of our planet differ significantly from each other. And not only in terms of size, population or cultural background. There are other factors that largely determine the welfare of the state. So, some countries have extensive access to the ocean, while others are closed inside the continent. Some states are located at the intersection of important transcontinental transport routes, which gives them huge benefits in the form of profit from the transit of goods by other actors in the world economy. All these factors can be attributed to the concept discussed in this article.
So, the position of the country in relation to neighboring countries is called the economic and geographical position of the state (abbreviated as EGP). However, this is a very narrow interpretation of the concept. EGP is a very complex and multifaceted geographical category. In a broad sense, EGP is the position of a country (as well as a city or region) relative to those geographic objects that can have an impact (positive or negative) on its economic development.
EGP can be central, peripheral, deep or marginal. It can be assessed globally or regionally.
At characteristics of EGP a particular state should take into account many factors. This:
- availability of an outlet to the sea (the World Ocean);
- number of neighboring countries;
- sales opportunities for their products;
- the presence of large fuel and raw material bases;
- position in relation to important transport routes, etc.
Interestingly, some countries successfully take advantage of their geographic location. Other states have not yet learned this art. The Soviet geographer Nikolai Baransky was the first to seriously study the theoretical aspects of the concept of EGP.
The position in relation to neighboring countries is often also called. However, in this case, it is exclusively about political factors, the nature of the relationship of a particular state with its neighbors, and the like.
EGP characteristics of France
France is one of largest countries in Europe. It includes Corsica, as well as a number of small islands in the Mediterranean. In addition, France owns overseas departments and territories almost all over the world.
France's position in relation to neighboring countries can be described as advantageous. It borders on eight states. France maintains good-neighborly and close relations with each of them.
The country is located in Western Europe and has access to Mediterranean in the south and towards the Atlantic in the west and northwest. The coastline within the state is cut by numerous bays, convenient for the entry of large international ships.
EGP characteristics of Japan
Japan is an archipelago country in East Asia, which consists of six thousand islands of various sizes. From the east, the territory of the state is washed By the Pacific Ocean, from the west - by the waters of the three seas that separate it from the "mainland".
The position of Japan in relation to neighboring countries in general can be considered advantageous. Due to its location at the junction of the largest continent and the largest ocean on the planet, the country has received many opportunities for establishing international contacts and marketing its products.
Japan is frankly unlucky with natural resources and relief. About 80% of its territory is not suitable for the development of the economy and the construction of residential buildings (due to mountainous landscapes). In addition, there are practically no minerals in the country.
EGP Assessment UK
Great Britain resembles in many ways This country is also located on, however, not on the eastern, but on the western outskirts of Eurasia.
Great Britain is washed by the waters of the Atlantic and two seas - the North and the Irish. It is separated from the mainland by the 35-kilometer English Channel. It has a common land border with only one country - Ireland.
Thanks to its geographic location England received the unspoken status of "the sea queen of Europe" several centuries ago. The relief and natural and climatic conditions also contribute to the development of the country's economy.
Conclusion
The term EGP refers to the position of a country in relation to neighboring countries. It can be central, deep or marginal, advantageous or disadvantageous. In addition, not all states make effective use of their geographic location.
