Great Britain is situated on the British Isles lying off the northwest coast of Europe. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the northwest, nort and southwest, and is separated from the European continent by the North Sea, and the English Channel. On the west, the Irish sea and North Channel separate Great Britain from Ireland.

The country has a mild and rainy climate, determined by the warm current of the Gulf Stream. The prevailing winds are south-westerly. Rain is regularly distributed throughout the year. The coldest months are January and February. The average temperatures are about 16 degrees. June has the best record for sunshine. During summer the temperature occasionally rises above 27 degrees in the south; winter temperatures below -7 degrees are rare.

The population of Great Britain is more than 56 million people. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The largest cities of Great Britain are London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds and Edinbufgh.

Great Britain is an industrialized country. Major industries include iron and steel engineering (including motor vehicles and aircraft), textiles, plastics, cotton, chemicals, electronics, wool, shipbuilding and food products. Coal is Britain`s leading mineral resource and coal mining is the country`s most important extractive industry. Natural gas, large quantities of which have been discovered in the North sea, is another major mineral resource. The chief agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beet, milk, and meat.