Great Britain

==Geography==
{{Further|Geography of England|Geography of Scotland|Geography of Wales}}
{{See also|Geography of the United Kingdom}}
[[File:France manche vue dover.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.35|View of Britain's coast from [[Cap Gris-Nez]] in northern France]]
Great Britain lies on the European continental shelf, part of the [[Eurasian Plate]] and off the north-west coast of [[continental Europe]], separated from this European mainland by the [[North Sea]] and by the [[English Channel]], which narrows to {{convert|34|km|nmi mi|abbr=on}} at the [[Straits of Dover]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eosnap.com/?tag=strait-of-dover |title=accessed 14 November 2009 |publisher=Eosnap.com |access-date=24 February 2012 |archive-date=30 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530092024/http://www.eosnap.com/tag/strait-of-dover/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It stretches over about ten degrees of [[latitude]] on its longer, north–south axis and covers {{convert|209,331|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, excluding the much smaller surrounding islands.<ref name="unep">United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Island Directory Tables "Islands By Land Area". Retrieved from http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180220003634/http://islands.unep.ch/Tiarea.htm |date=20 February 2018 }} on 13 August 2009</ref> The [[North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland)|North Channel]], [[Irish Sea]], [[St George's Channel]] and [[Celtic Sea]] separate the island from the island of [[Ireland]] to its west.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://iho.int/uploads/user/pubs/standards/s-23/S-23_Ed3_1953_EN.pdf|title=Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition + corrections|year=1971|publisher=International Hydrographic Organization|access-date=28 December 2020|page=42 [corrections to page 13]}}</ref> The island is since 1993 joined, via one structure, with continental Europe: the [[Channel Tunnel]], the longest undersea rail tunnel in the world. The island is marked by low, rolling countryside in the east and south, while hills and mountains predominate in the western and northern regions. It is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller [[islands]] and [[islets]]. The greatest distance between two points is {{convert|601+1/2|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} (between [[Land's End]], [[Cornwall]] and [[John o' Groats]], [[Caithness]]), {{convert|838|mi}} by road.

The [[English Channel]] is thought to have been created between 450,000 and 180,000&nbsp;years ago by two catastrophic [[glacial lake outburst flood]]s caused by the breaching of the [[Weald-Artois Anticline]], a ridge that held back a large [[proglacial lake]], now submerged under the North Sea.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Gupta |first1=Sanjeev |first2=Jenny S. |last2=Collier |first3=Andy |last3=Palmer-Felgate |first4=Graeme |last4=Potter |year=2007 |title=Catastrophic flooding origin of shelf valley systems in the English Channel |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=448 |issue=7151 |pages=342–5 |doi=10.1038/nature06018 |pmid=17637667 |bibcode=2007Natur.448..342G|s2cid=4408290}}
*{{cite news |author=Dave Mosher |date=18 July 2007 |title=Why the rift between Britain and France? |work=[[NBC News]] |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19833064}}</ref> Around 10,000&nbsp;years ago, during the [[Last glacial period#Named local glaciations|Devensian glaciation]] with its lower [[sea level]], Great Britain was not an island, but an upland region of continental north-western Europe, lying partially underneath the Eurasian ice sheet. The sea level was about {{convert|120|m}} lower than today, and the bed of the North Sea was dry and acted as a land bridge, now known as [[Doggerland]], to the Continent. It is generally thought that as sea levels gradually rose after the end of the last glacial period of the current ice age, Doggerland reflooded cutting off what was the British peninsula from the European mainland by around 6500&nbsp;BC.<ref name=gaffney>{{cite web|url=http://livebettermagazine.com/eng/magazine/pdf_docs/2008_01/Global_Warming_Gaffney.pdf |title=Vincent Gaffney, "Global Warming and the Lost European Country" |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310094351/http://livebettermagazine.com/eng/magazine/pdf_docs/2008_01/Global_Warming_Gaffney.pdf |archive-date=10 March 2012 }}</ref>

===Geology===
{{Main|Geology of Great Britain}}
Great Britain has been subject to a variety of [[plate tectonic]] processes over a very extended period of time. Changing latitude and sea levels have been important factors in the nature of sedimentary sequences, whilst successive continental collisions have affected [[Geological structure of Great Britain|its geological structure]] with major faulting and folding being a legacy of each [[orogeny]] (mountain-building period), often associated with [[volcanism|volcanic]] activity and the metamorphism of existing rock sequences. As a result of this eventful geological history, the island shows a rich variety of [[landscape]]s.

The oldest rocks in Great Britain are the [[Lewisian gneiss]]es, metamorphic rocks found in the far north west of the island and in the [[Hebrides]] (with a few small outcrops elsewhere), which date from at least 2,700&nbsp;{{Abbreviation|My|million years}} ago. South of the gneisses are a complex mixture of rocks forming the North West [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]] and [[Grampian]] Highlands in Scotland. These are essentially the remains of folded [[sedimentary rock]]s that were deposited between 1,000&nbsp;My and 670&nbsp;My ago over the gneiss on what was then the floor of the [[Iapetus Ocean]].

In the current era the north of the island is rising [[glacial rebound|as a result of]] the weight of Devensian ice being lifted. Counterbalanced, the south and east is sinking, generally estimated at 1&nbsp;mm ({{frac|1|25}}&nbsp;inch) per year, with the London area sinking at double this partly due to the continuing [[Compaction (geology)|compaction]] of the recent clay deposits.

===Fauna===
{{Main|Fauna of Great Britain}}
[[File:Robin, Leighton Moss January 2009.jpg|right|thumb|alt=European robin on a branch facing left, tan plumage with orange face and throat|The [[European robin|robin]] is popularly known as "Britain's favourite bird".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Robin – Britain's Favourite Bird|url=http://www.britishbirdlovers.co.uk/articles/the-robin-britains-favourite-bird.html|publisher=BritishBirdLovers.co.uk|access-date=15 August 2011}}</ref>]]
Animal [[Biodiversity|diversity]] is modest, as a result of factors including the island's small land area, the relatively recent age of the habitats developed since the [[last glacial period]] and the island's physical separation from [[continental Europe]], and the effects of seasonal variability.<ref>{{cite web|title=Decaying Wood: An Overview of Its Status and Ecology in the United Kingdom and Europe|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/documents/gtr-181/004_Butler.pdf|publisher=FS.fed.us|access-date=15 August 2011}} Retrieved on 1 February 2009.</ref> Great Britain also experienced early [[industrialisation]] and is subject to continuing [[urbanisation]], which have contributed towards the overall loss of species.<ref name="animals">{{cite web|title=A Short History of the British Mammal Fauna |url=http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/history.shtml |publisher=ABDN.ac.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060211110344/http://www.abdn.ac.uk/mammal/history.shtml |archive-date=11 February 2006 |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 1 February 2009.</ref> A [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]] (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) study from 2006 suggested that 100 species have become extinct in the UK during the 20th century, about 100 times the [[background extinction rate]].<!--<ref>[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]], 2006</ref> False reference.--> However, some species, such as the [[brown rat]], [[red fox]], and introduced [[eastern gray squirrel|grey squirrel]], are well adapted to urban areas.

[[Rodents]] make up 40% of the [[List of mammals of Great Britain|mammal species]].{{Citation needed|reason=data source?|date=January 2017}} These include [[squirrel]]s, [[mice]], [[vole]]s, [[rat]]s and the recently reintroduced [[European beaver]].<ref name="animals" /> There is also an abundance of [[European rabbit]], [[European hare]], [[shrews]], [[European mole]] and several species of [[bat]].<ref name="animals" /> Carnivorous mammals include the [[red fox]], [[Eurasian badger]], [[Eurasian otter]], [[weasel]], [[stoat]] and elusive [[Scottish wildcat]].<ref name="else">Else, ''Great Britain'', 85.</ref> Various species of [[pinniped|seal]], [[whale]] and [[dolphin]] are found on or around British shores and coastlines. The largest land-based wild animals today are [[deer]]. The [[red deer]] is the largest species, with [[roe deer]] and [[fallow deer]] also prominent; the latter was introduced by the [[Normans]].<ref name="else" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/plants_fallow.php |title=The Fallow Deer Project, University of Nottingham |publisher=Nottingham.ac.uk |access-date=24 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080315225356/http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/archaeology/research/plants_fallow.php |archive-date=15 March 2008 }}</ref> [[Sika deer]] and two more species of smaller deer, [[muntjac]] and [[Chinese water deer]], have been introduced, muntjac becoming widespread in England and parts of Wales while Chinese water deer are restricted mainly to East Anglia. Habitat loss has affected many species. [[List of extinct animals of Britain|Extinct large mammals]] include the [[brown bear]], [[grey wolf]] and [[wild boar]]; the latter has had a limited reintroduction in recent times.<ref name="animals" />

There is a wealth of [[List of birds of Great Britain|birdlife]], with 628 species recorded,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McInerny |first1=Christopher |title=The British List: A Checklist of Birds of Britain (10th edition) |journal=Ibis |year=2022 |volume=164 |issue=3 |pages=860–910 |publisher=British Ornithologist's Union|doi=10.1111/ibi.13065 |doi-access=free }}</ref> of which 258 breed on the island or remain during winter.<ref>{{cite web|title= Birds of Britain|date= 16 July 2010 |url= http://www.bto.org/birdfacts/ |publisher=BTO.org}} Retrieved on 16 February 2009.</ref> Because of its mild winters for its latitude, Great Britain hosts important numbers of many wintering species, particularly [[wader]]s, [[duck]]s, [[goose|geese]] and [[swan]]s.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Balmer |first1=Dawn |title=Bird Atlas 2007-2011: The Breeding and Wintering Birds of Britain and Ireland. |date=2013 |publisher=BTO Books |location=Thetford}}</ref> Other well known bird species include the [[golden eagle]], [[grey heron]], [[common kingfisher]], [[common wood pigeon]], [[house sparrow]], [[European robin]], [[grey partridge]], and various species of [[crow]], [[finch]], [[gull]], [[auk]], [[grouse]], [[owl]] and [[falcon]].<ref name="birds">{{cite web|title=Birds |url=http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodiversity/birdindex.html |publisher=NatureGrid.org.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090630083140/http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/biodiversity/birdindex.html |archive-date=30 June 2009 }} Retrieved on 16 February 2009.</ref> There are six species of [[List of reptiles of Great Britain|reptile]] on the island; three [[snakes]] and three [[lizards]] including the legless [[slowworm]]. One snake, the [[Vipera berus|adder]], is venomous but rarely deadly.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Adder's Byte|url=http://www.countrysideinfo.co.uk/the1.htm|publisher=CountySideInfo.co.uk}} Retrieved on 1 February 2009.</ref> [[List of amphibians of Great Britain|Amphibians]] present are [[common frog|frogs]], [[common toad|toads]] and [[Smooth newt|newts]].<ref name="animals" /> There are also several introduced species of reptile and amphibian.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.herpetofauna.co.uk/identification.asp|title = Species Identification|website = Reptiles & Amphibians of the UK}}</ref>

===Flora===
{{See also|List of the vascular plants of Britain and Ireland}}
[[File:Heather (Highlands).jpg|right|thumb|alt=purple heather in meadow showing flower spikes|[[Calluna vulgaris|Heather]] growing wild in the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]] at [[Dornoch]]]]
In a similar sense to fauna, and for similar reasons, the flora consists of fewer species compared to much larger continental Europe.<ref name="floraa">{{cite web|title=Plants of the Pacific Northwest in Western Europe|url=http://www.ou.edu/cas/botany-micro/ben/ben195.html|publisher=Botanical Electric News}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref> The flora comprises 3,354 [[vascular plant]] species, of which 2,297 are native and 1,057 have been introduced.<ref name="frodin">Frodin, ''Guide to Standard Floras of the World'', 599.</ref> The island has a wide variety of [[trees of Britain and Ireland|trees]], including native species of [[birch]], [[beech]], [[fraxinus|ash]], [[Crataegus|hawthorn]], [[elm]], [[oak]], [[Common yew|yew]], [[pine]], [[cherry tree|cherry]] and [[apple tree|apple]].<ref name="tree">{{cite web|title=Checklist of British Plants|url=http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/plants-fungi/postcode-plants/checklist-british-plants.html|publisher=Natural History Museum}} Retrieved on 2 March 2009.</ref> Other trees have been naturalised, introduced especially from other parts of Europe (particularly Norway) and North America. Introduced trees include several varieties of pine, [[Sweet chestnut|chestnut]], [[Acer platanoides|maple]], [[Norway spruce|spruce]], [[Acer pseudoplatanus|sycamore]] and [[fir]], as well as [[Prunus cerasifera|cherry plum]] and [[European Pear|pear trees]].<ref name="tree" /> The tallest species are the [[Douglas fir]]s; two specimens have been recorded measuring 65 metres or 212 feet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Facts About Britain's Trees |url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/facts_about_britains_trees |publisher=WildAboutBritain.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429191609/http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/facts_about_britains_trees |archive-date=29 April 2009 |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 2 March 2009.</ref> The [[Fortingall Yew]] in [[Perthshire]] is the oldest tree in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fortingall Yew | date=27 June 2016 |url=http://www.perthshirebigtreecountry.co.uk/index.asp?pg=26|publisher=PerthshireBigTreeCountry.co.uk}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref>

There are at least 1,500 different species of [[wildflower]].<ref name="flowepow">{{cite web|title=Facts and Figures about Wildflowers |url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/facts_and_figures_about_wildflowers |publisher=WildAboutFlowers.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080226093303/http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/facts_and_figures_about_wildflowers |archive-date=26 February 2008 |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref> Some 107 species are particularly rare or vulnerable and are protected by the [[Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981]]. It is illegal to uproot any wildflowers without the landowner's permission.<ref name="flowepow" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Endangered British Wild Flowers|url=http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/hort/edgrflwr.htm|publisher=CountryLovers.co.uk|access-date=23 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016231754/http://www.countrylovers.co.uk/hort/edgrflwr.htm|archive-date=16 October 2008|url-status=dead}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref>
A vote in 2002 nominated various wildflowers to represent specific counties.<ref>{{cite web|title=County Flowers of Great Britain |url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/county_flowers_great_britain |publisher=WildAboutFlowers.co.uk |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090427194140/http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/county_flowers_great_britain |archive-date=27 April 2009 |url-status=dead }} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref> These include [[Common poppy|red poppies]], [[Common bluebell|bluebells]], [[Bellis perennis|daisies]], [[Narcissus (genus)|daffodils]], [[Bog rosemary|rosemary]], [[gorse]], [[iris (plant)|iris]], [[ivy]], [[Mentha|mint]], [[orchid]]s, [[bramble]]s, [[thistle]]s, [[buttercup]]s, [[primula vulgaris|primrose]], [[thyme]], [[tulips]], [[viola (plant)|violets]], [[Primula veris|cowslip]], [[Calluna vulgaris|heather]] and many more.<ref name="flora">{{cite web|title=People and Plants: Mapping the UK's wild flora |url=http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/assets/saving-species/saving-species-publications/People-and-plants-mapping-the-UKs-flora.pdf |publisher=PlantLife.org.uk |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107065620/http://www.plantlife.org.uk//uk/assets/saving-species/saving-species-publications/People-and-plants-mapping-the-UKs-flora.pdf |archive-date=7 November 2007 }} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=British Wildflower Images|url=http://www.map-reading.co.uk/wildflowers/|publisher=Map-Reading.co.uk|access-date=23 August 2009|archive-date=28 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100428135945/http://www.map-reading.co.uk/wildflowers/|url-status=dead}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |title=List of British Wildlfowers by Common Name
 |url=http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/wildflower/common-names
 |publisher=WildAboutBritain.co.uk
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090429191609/http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/facts_about_britains_trees
 |archive-date=29 April 2009
|url-status=dead
}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=British Plants and algae|url=http://www.arkive.org/british-species/plants-and-algae/|publisher=Arkive.org|access-date=23 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090812214546/http://www.arkive.org/british-species/plants-and-algae/|archive-date=12 August 2009|url-status=dead}} Retrieved on 23 February 2009.</ref>
<br />There is also more than 1000 species of [[bryophyte]] including [[algae]] and [[mosses]] across the island. The currently known species include 767 mosses, 298 [[liverworts]] and 4 [[hornwort]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 June 2022 |title=New atlas reveals spread of British bryophytes in response to cleaner air |url=https://www.ceh.ac.uk/news-and-media/news/new-atlas-reveals-spread-british-bryophytes-response-cleaner-air#:~:text=The%20British%20Isles%20support%20a,and%20767%20mosses)%20currently%20known. |access-date=18 June 2022 |website=[[UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology]]}}</ref>

===Fungi===
There are many species of [[fungi]] including [[lichen]]-forming species, and the mycobiota is less poorly known than in many other parts of the world. The most recent checklist of Basidiomycota (bracket fungi, jelly fungi, mushrooms and toadstools, puffballs, rusts and smuts), published in 2005, accepts over 3600 species.<ref name="legon & henrici">Legon & Henrici, ''Checklist of the British & Irish Basidiomycota''</ref> The most recent checklist of Ascomycota (cup fungi and their allies, including most lichen-forming fungi), published in 1985, accepts another 5100 species.<ref name="cannon, hawskworth & sherwood-pike">Cannon, Hawksworth & Sherwood-Pike, ''The British Ascomycotina. An Annotated Checklist''</ref> These two lists did not include [[conidium|conidial]] fungi (fungi mostly with affinities in the Ascomycota but known only in their asexual state) or any of the other main fungal groups (Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota). The number of fungal species known very probably exceeds 10,000. There is widespread agreement among mycologists that many others are yet to be discovered.