Geography of United Kingdom

United Kingdom is considered to be a large nation because of its total area. Its total land area is 243,610 km² (approx. 94,058 mi²). Continental shelf of United Kingdom is approximately 722,891 km² (around 279,108 mi²). United Kingdom is located in Europe. Europe is a continent whose borders date back to the period of antiquity. European countries include, but are not limited to, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Malta, and The Vatican. United Kingdom shares its borders with Ireland. United Kingdom is not a landlocked country. It means that is is bordered by at least one major body of water. The average elevation range of United Kingdom is 162 m (532 ft).

Neighbors

Total length of land borders of United Kingdom is 499 kilometers (~193 miles). United Kingdom has 1 unique land boundary with a neighbouring territory - Ireland. The length of said border is 360 km (224 mi).

Cities

The capital city of United Kingdom is London. The largest city in United Kingdom is London.

Elevation

The average elevation range of United Kingdom is 162 m (532 ft). The highest point of United Kingdom is Ben Nevis, with its official height being 1343 m (4,406 ft). The lowest point of United Kingdom is The Fens. It lies at -4 m (-13 ft), i.e. below the sea level. The elevation difference between the highest (Ben Nevis) and lowest (The Fens) points of United Kingdom is 1347 m (2 ft).

Area

The total land area of United Kingdom is 243,610 km² (approx. 94,058 mi²). and the total exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is 6,805,586 km² (~2,627,639 mi²). The continental shelf of United Kingdom is approximately 722,891 km² (around 279,108 mi²). Including land mass and EEZ, the total area of United Kingdom is approximately 7,049,196 km² (~2,721,697 mi²). United Kingdom is considered to be a large nation because of its total area.

Forest and arable land

28,650 km² of United Kingdom's territory is covered in forests, and forest land comprises 12% of all the land in the country. There are 56,121 km² of arable land in United Kingdom, and it comprises 23% of the country's total territory.

Read our section on climate to discover what parameters affect these and other biomes of the country.

Natural resources

The most notable natural resources found in United Kingdom are coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land.