Find

• bordo

• brughiera

• costa

• fiume

• isola

• lago

• montagna

• scogliera

• spiaggia

• valle

1 rugged_scoscese

2 empties_sfocia

3 mountains ridges catene montuose

4 indented_frastagliata

5 heather-covered coperte di edera see map on the second cover

The river Thames in London.

Great Britain offers constant variations in the natural environment: arable lands, valleys, moors, post-glacial mountains, rugged1 cliffs and sandy beaches. The country is rich in lakes (mainly in Scotland and Northern England) and rivers, the longest of which is the Severn, but the most famous of the British rivers is the Thames which flows through London. Other rivers are the Tweed in Scotland, the Tyne, flowing through Newcastle, and the Mersey which flows westwards through Manchester and then empties2 into Liverpool Bay. Much of the north and west of Britain is covered by mountain ridges3 separated by deep valleys.

The Scottish Highlands (with Ben Nevis as the highest mountain) are the most remote and least populated part of the country. The indented4 west coast of Scotland is rich in lochs (the Scottish word for ‘lakes’), while the southern part, or Southern Uplands on the border with England, is a fertile

The climate is changeable and largely temperate, that is mild and damp for most of the year. Altitude modifies temperatures, so that much of Scotland and highland areas of Wales and England are cool in summer and cold in winter compared with most of England. Being on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean Great Britain is a wet country, with most rain falling in winter rather than in summer. In summer the temperature can get pretty high, with peaks of over 30 degrees.

1. the Scottish word for ‘lake’.

2. the river flowing into Liverpool Bay.

3. the hilly area separating Scotland from England.

4. how the climate in Great Britain is.