1　Land

The United Kingdom，with a total territory of 244，000 square kilometers，is situated on the British Isles off the Northwest coast of Europe.The two main islands of the British Isles are Great Britain and Ireland.Great Britain，with a total area of about 223，000 square kilometers，makes up more than 90 percent of the country’s territory，which is the main reason why United Kingdom is also commonly referred to as Great Britain.The island of Ireland is divided into two parts：the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.The Republic of Ireland is an independent country，while Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

According to archeologists，Great Britain was part of the European continent about 9，000 years ago.At that time，the English Channel did not exist and the Rhine River in today’s Western Europe was connected to the River Thames.Later，the land connecting today’s Great Britain to the continent was submerged by sea water，causing Great Britain to become an Island.

River Thames