Geographical Regions of Europe: The Insular Realms

The islands of Great Britain and Ireland are occupied by two states—the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (Eire). Despite their similarity of location, climate, vegetation, and soils, the two islands differ markedly in bedrock and hence in mineral endowment. Ireland, which is almost totally lacking in coal, was primarily agricultural until the late 20th century and remains relatively sparsely populated. Britain, on the other hand, is one of the nations of the world most richly endowed with coal and, thanks to its North Sea deposits of oil and gas, ranks as western Europe's major petroleum producer.

The cradle of the Industrial Revolution, Britain is one of the most urbanized countries in the world and one of the most densely populated. London is the largest conurbation in western Europe, and the Birmingham agglomeration also has more than 2 million inhabitants.

Owing to their location, the islands are the most maritime parts of Europe. For example, because of maritime influences, winters are so mild in southwestern Ireland that palm trees grow along the coast. On the other hand, summers are so cool that at higher elevations of only 2,000 feet (600 meters) tundralike conditions prevail. Precipitation is abundant in all seasons. On both islands the native broadleaf deciduous forests have been all but cleared to make room for farms and to provide timber for shipbuilding and charcoal for industry. The soils are chiefly of the gray-brown podzol variety and rather heavily leached.

Ireland produces a surplus of livestock products including meat and butter, which finds a ready market in Britain. The latter, despite its intense and scientific farming practices, can produce little more than half of the food it requires. To pay for this, as well as for the many raw materials it must have for its factories, Britain exports a wide variety of manufactured goods, ranging from textiles and chemicals to automobiles and jet aircraft.

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