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Location:
Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the
island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates:
54 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 244,820 sq km
land: 241,590 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline:
12,429 km
boundaries
Climate:
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North
Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain:
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in
east and southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources:
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin,
limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate,
arable land
Land use:
arable land: 23.23%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 76.57% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,700 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
winter windstorms; floods
Environment - current issues:
continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto
Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends
to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal
of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to
reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of
in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and to recycle or compost
at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015;
between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household recycling increased from
8.8% to 10.3% © Images:
Nasa
World Wind 1.3 under
Nasa Open Source Agreement Version 1.3
© Texts:
World Factbook. See the
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