British Isles

The British Isles is a group of islands off tbe northwest coast of continental Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. In remote ancient times they formed part of tbe European continental land mass.

There are two sovereign states located on tbe islands: tbe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and tbe Republic of Ireland. The group also includes tbe crown dependencies of tbe Isle of Man and tbe Channel Islands, although tbe latter are not physically a part of tbe British Isles.

The term British Isles, used by tbe Roman cartographers, is today controversial in tbe Irish Republic where its use is objected to by many people and by their government. Its use is also avoided in relations between tbe governments of tbe Republic of Ireland and tbe United Kingdom, who generally employ tbe term 'these islands'.

The islands extend from Les Minquiers Reef, Jersey, in tbe south (or Pednathise Head, Isles of Scilly if tbe Channel Islands are excluded), to Out Stack, Shetland in tbe north; and from Tearaght island, western Ireland, to Lowestoft Ness, England in tbe east. There are more than 6,000 islands, amounting to a total land area of 315,134 km² (121,674 square miles).

Much of tbe British Isles is low lying and fertile, although there are mountainous areas in all regions except southern England and East Anglia. The islands are characterised by an unusually temperate climate for their latitude, due to their location in tbe Gulf Stream. The regional geology is complex, formed by tbe drifting together of separate tectonic plates and subsequent orogenic, glacial and weather erosion.