 Where In The World?
Where in the World is Great Britain?
Its time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ships captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol . Get ready to travel the world!
 Happy 300th birthday to Great Britain! In 1707, 300 years ago, England and Scotland signed the Act of Union, which made the two nations one called Great Britain. (England has existed since the 10th century.) To locate the country on a globe, find longitude 2 West and latitude 54 North. Great Britain is located in western Europe. It is made up of islands,
including the northern tip of the island of Ireland, between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. This small island nation once had an empire that covered 1/4 of the earth. Now the United Kingdom is about the size of the U.S. state of Oregon. Great Britains formal name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain has a rainy climate. The land has hills and low mountains in the north, with level plains in the south. The country has a queen, but the government is run by a prime minister and Parliament. The current queen, Elizabeth II, has reigned since 1952. The capital is London.
Agriculture is very important to Great Britain. They use lots of machines in their farming. The nation grows wheat, barley, oats, sugar beets and potatoes. It also has the natural resources of coal, iron ore and zinc. Oil was found nearby in the North Sea, so much of the oil supply for the country comes from there.
Great Britain may be an island, but it is connected to Europe by the Euro Tunnel. This tunnel runs underneath the English Channel from Folkestone, England, to Sangatte, France. The trains of the tunnel travel over 100 miles per hour, and the trip lasts about 35 minutes.
Ashley Genova is a contributing writer from Fayetteville, NC. Sources: The World Factbook prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency; Encyclopedia Brittanica Online.
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