British Isles

British Isles

The oldest rocks in the group are in the north west of and Ireland and are 2,700 During the period the north-western regions with the south-east, which had been part of a separate continental landmass. The topography of the islands is modest in scale by global standards. rises to an of only 1,344 metres (4,409 ft) and, which is notably larger than other lakes on the isles, covers only 381 square kilometres (147 sq mi). The climate is, with mild winters and warm wet summers. The brings significant moisture and raises temperatures 11 °C (52 °F) above the global average for the latitude. This led to a landscape which was long dominated by, although human activity has since cleared the vast majority of forest cover. The region was re-inhabited after the of, by 12,000 BC in Great Britain and 8000 BC in Ireland. At that time, Great Britain was a from which Ireland had become separated to form an island.

The British Isles are a group of off the northwest coast of that include the islands of and and over six thousand smaller islands. There are two located on the islands: the (commonly known as the United Kingdom) and also described as the Republic of Ireland) The Br, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group The term British Isles in Ireland, where there are objections to its usage due to the association of the word British with Ireland The does not use the ter and its embassy in London discourages its use As a result, Britain and Ireland is becoming a preferred description, and Atlantic Archipelago is increasingly favoured in academia, although British Isles is still commonly employed.