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Information AboutUk Coastline |
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The coastline of the UK is a remarkable area for a number of reasons. The first of these is that it is long in comparison to the coastline of other similar sized countries; it is also very accessible to the population of the UK and it is also very varied in terms of geography and habitats. The length of the UK coastline is around 12,500 kms or 7,760 miles, which is long compared to the coastline of Italy - 7,600 kms, Spain - 4964 kms or France - 3427 kms. The reason is that the UK is an nation covering more than 1000 islands, resulting in an extensive coastline. In comparison, Greece , which also has a large number of islands, has a coastline of around 13,600 kms, even longer than the UK's coastline. Note that the measurement of any coastline is subject to variation depending upon the scale of map used and should be taken as an approximation only. The smaller the map scale and the smaller the ruler will result in more detail being revealed and thus a greater length. A coastline is also a Fractal - which roughly means that it is self similar, the closer the observer looks, so more and more detailed is revealed leading to a greater overall length.) Living on islands as UK residents do, the coast is never very far away. Nowhere in the UK is more than 72 miles (116 kms) from the coast. It is estimated that around 3 million people (out of 59 million) live on the coast of the UK. The place that is furthest from the coast in the UK is reckoned to be Coton-in-the-Elms , Derbyshire - near Tamworth . The geography of the UK coastline consists of a great variety of natural features. These consist of numerous Islands , bays, Headlands and Peninsula e. Out of the more than 1000 islands within the UK, only 290 are permanently inhabited. Of the remaining islands some are used for farming and may be occupied occasionally, some are Nature Reserve s with restricted access and some are little more than sea swept rocks. The main occupied islands/island groups in the UK are as follows.
:(Note that the Channel Islands (including Jersey , Guernsey , Alderney and Sark ) and the Isle Of Man are not part of the UK. They are self governing Crown Dependencies . Their coastlines are not coastlines of the United Kingdom. Notable peninsulas around the UK coast occur at - Notable bays, Sea Lochs , ( Loughs ) and large Estuarie s occur at -
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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