The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The first three make up Great Britain, which is an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the West, the North Sea along the east coast, and the English Channel to the South. The UK is connected to France by a tunnel under the English Channel.

There are mountainous areas in northern Scotland, Wales and parts of northern England. Much of the countryside is suitable for either arable or animal farming. Popular areas for walking and exploring include the Lake District, the Pembroke Coast, the Cornish Riviera, the 560 miles of the Ulster Way, and the West Coast of Scotland. Some people claim that that they have seen a giant dinosaur-like creature living in Loch Ness in Scotland. Nessie as she is known is now a popular tourist attraction, but her existence has never been proved.

The UK has plentiful resources of coal, oil, and natural gas but only limited supplies of other minerals. It is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centres. Its capitalist economy ranks among the four largest in Western Europe. Agriculture is intensive and highly mechanised, and produces about 60 per cent of food needs using only about one per cent of the labour force. Crops grown include wheat, barley, rape, and potatoes.

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