Maps of Britain

Frequently heard of, Outer Hebrides is located on the northwestern part of Scotland. It is made up of six major islands: Lewis, Harris, Northern and Southern Uist, Barra, and Benbecula. There are other eleven islets that complete the territories of Outer Hebrides. Do not confuse it with the former New Hebrides (Vanuatu) as they are completely different and they belong to different continents.

Typically, Outer Hebrides experiences fair weather although the wind blowing to it originates from the Atlantic Ocean. The geographical structure of Outer Hebrides is dominated by structures formed by geological changes and remains of its history. On the other hand, the main source of livelihood here is fishing, crofting, farming, tweeds and woolens manufacturing, sheep farming, slate quarrying, and tourism. The scenic view of the natural beauty preserved in Outer Hebrides invites thousands of tourists annually.

The original peoples of Outer Hebrides are Celtics. They were baptized as Christians in 6th century. Later, they were overthrown by Norway. For centuries, Hebrideans and Norse people share rulership over the islands. After a long time, Scotland defeated their forces. Since then, Outer Hebrides became a part of Britain. When Britain conquered the islands, the monarchs were regarded as Lord of Isles, that is why Prince Charles bears the distinction.

The archipelago of Orkney consists of seventy islands, and according to demographics, twenty of those islands are inhabited. If I am not mistaken, by the look of the location of the archipelago on the map, it was shaped by the displacement of glaciers. If my guess is right, the fifty other islands of Orkney are made of solid ice. That explains the literal meaning of its name which is "islands of seal". Maybe there are about hundred of this species on Orkney.

Orkney is situated near Scotland and lies on the Atlantic Ocean. Its central city is Kirkwall, which is in between the Mainlands that houses 85 percent of the populace. The main sources of income in Orkney are cow farming which occupies approximately 280 square kilometers of grazing lands. Some 468 square kilometers are allotted to growing grass, while the remaining 48 square kilometers of the 1025 square kilometers land area of Orkney is dedicated to crops. Orkney is a small archipelago, but it manufactures textiles, furniture, and jewelries.

The bodies of water surrounding Orkney are said to be rich in aquatic life with the abundance of plankton that invite seabirds on summer. The uninhabited lands of Orkney are composed of ice, flagstones, and sandstones - perfect building materials. I wonder if they are exported to the English capital London where massive structures are constructed.

As far as I am concerned, my frequent travels have already equipped me with enough experience. By the way, I have already learned jet lag prevention and taking care of my luggage as well. However, aside from the aforementioned lessons, any seasoned traveler would definitely advise me to learn as much as I could about the place where I am heading. But, unfortunately, the information we could get on the Internet are only about the frequently visited tourist spots. On the other hand, although there are insufficient data, I am still able to, at least, get a glimpse of my target travel destinations.

For the meantime, I am confident of going to Birmingham. Yeah, it is an industrial town in England, and I will expect nothing but hotels, museums, cafes, and shopping malls. But, I do not have that kind of attitude towards Birmingham. Apparently, it is a modern city, but I am looking for something else. I just want to feel Birmingham. The ambiance of the town would be enough proof that Birmingham is unique in its own ways.

Birmingham, as I have mentioned before, is a busy town. It lies in the heart of United Kingdom. As a large city, I am sure to expect a lot of people in there. If I am not mistaken, it already has a populace of 1,000,000. Also, since it is a business town, the people are wearing suits and the dress code is probably strict. Formality, as we all know, is very important to Brits. On the other hand, I have heard before that weather is unpredictable in Birmingham. So, I guess a long walk would be very risky, especially when the afternoon approaches.

According to an ADT survey, Brits are the most misbehaved people in Europe. I can prove you that, but I dare you visit England. Seriously, you have to mingle with society, and only by then will you be able to discover the real comportment of Brits. But, I do not mean to degrade the Brits; I just find the studies quite amusing.

Anyway, what I really want to talk about is the city, the English city. If you happen to see a film shot on this location, and you see on the background lush vegetation or lavish gardens, then I suggest that you believe your eyes. I also thought that such landscapes were only found in fairy tale lands, but they really exist in England. I wonder how the people were able to maintain those astounding sceneries.

England is a very industrialized city. It houses 7 million people. Apparently, it is also a newsmaker. However, different parts of the city offer diverse cultural backgrounds. For instance, the southern part represents the moors, the southeast represents agriculture, and the west represents religion and the Stonehenge. Also, England is the seat of some of the famous universities. These features alone will make a tourist want to stay longer in England.

It is quite amazing that the independent islands, I mean the pieces of land that are detached from the main lands are already given the recognition and are actually given the freedom to choose where to belong. Just take for example the case of the exotic Kiribati islands. However, the same problem occurs in some European islands, just like the Channel Islands.

Strictly speaking, the Channel is located between England and France, but the former took the responsibility for including Channel in its kingdom. The most inhabited island is Jersey. According to statistics it houses 15,000 residents and the most visited part of Channel. It is a showcase of art collections. Next to it is Guernsey where tourists go if they prefer a relaxing travel. Unlike the other islands, Guernsey is independent to the point that even its currency is locked to sterling. The other islands are Herm, Sark, and Alderney.

If I were to visit Channel Islands, I would definitely go for a walk at Guernsey. They say that the island is still unspoiled and we could breath fresh air. That would be nice especially for our health. Also, the weather is quite fine. Actually, records say that Channel experiences 250 long hours of sunlight. I wonder if it has the intriguing sunshine recorder.

You know what, I actually went to Manchester just to witness the 'most beautiful sunset' in England. My friend told me of this fascinating sight. Hey, my aesthetic inclination has already brought me to different parts of the world, and in each city I visit, I try to find distinguishing characteristics that I will associate with it. In this case, it is the sunset that sets Manchester apart from all English cities.

You might as well climb to the roof and wait for sunset, have you got a camcorder with you and record the magnificent phenomena of the sky turning from white to orange. Well, the scenario is different with Manchester. Here, the sky turns blue to lead. The clouds seem to dance and form spires in the skies. This spectacular one-of-a-kind maneuver could only be sighted during high tides.

The geography of Manchester is dominated by hills and clear rivers. The hills are known as Pennines, while the famous rivers are Irwell and Mersey. The hills serve as boundary for Manchester. They are mostly made of sediments of rocks and sands, but a small part of it is forestland. On the lower part of Pennines, sandstones and coal could be found, which in turn, provides the major industry in the town.

The elevation of Manchester causes a very cold rainy winter. All of its 85 square kilometers of land area is filled with thin layer of ice all throughout the year. Although the cold weather prevails, the rivers do not freeze, thus the aquatic life in Manchester remains abundant and available every day.

A trade-dependent city, Ireland must have been the favorite among other British cities. For a short period of time, the local government succeeded in cutting the unemployment rate of Ireland in half. But, behind the economic growth of the city, the agricultural resources has been sacrificed for modern industry infrastructures. The beautiful landscapes of Ireland have already lost their places in the central city. Well, the Great Britain empire might have shrugged over these improvements, but Ireland, nevertheless, benefited from this scheme.

The city lies beside the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the western part of United Kingdom. Before the industrialization of Ireland, half of the city is dedicated to pastures wherein milk-cows and horses used to feed. Ever since the roads in the city have been improved, business establishments sprang all over the area. This only gave more job opportunities for the roughly 3 million people and contributed in the growing Irish economy.

There are no significant tourist spots in Ireland, and although the fertile pastures were replaced by business buildings, Ireland was able to maintain its bogs, hills, plateaus and mountains. Basically, these places are inhabited by the natives. Here, the dramatic weather changes are more noticeable. The humid and cool summer stays long in the city, while the winter is tolerable and the sun seldom shine its brightest.

Whom are you reminded of if I speak to you about Wales? Yeah, none else, but the royal family with whom the beautiful Princess Diana belongs. Actually, the place has long been known for the presence of the monarchs there, but unknown to many, there is more in Wales than meets the eye. Hey, I have not been there yet, but I took the time to explore this royal city via my Internet browser.

First, if you care to look at the map, Wales is located in the western part of England. Constructively, it occupies a mere 7,722 square miles. Secondly, Wales is a city of contrasting geographical structures. This fact is not new to me since many other European countries possess these characteristics. Anyway, Wales has, in the southern part, plains that lead to the valleys whose waters flow to the ranges of alps in the northern part. Mind you, the valleys here are outstandingly clean with no trace of chemical impurities from the central capital. Meanwhile, Wales is highly dedicated to pastures, and agriculture which includes livestock and crops. These serve as major industry for the 3 million Wales inhabitants. Also, while Wales has the biggest ranges of snow-peaked mountains, it also has, on the other side, the most beautiful beaches and cliffs.

Before looking at the big picture, allow me to introduce you to the cities that make-up the royal country Britain. To start, I have chosen Scotland. You might ask why I picked Scotland. Well, I received a post card from a cousin who is working as food chain crew there. I was lucky enough to have been given this picture of the panoramic view of the standing huge stones in Scotland. This alone invited me to delve on searching for more information about this Scottish city.

I found out that Scotland is composed of three ares: south, central, and mountain ranges. Highlands prevail in the city. Most of the Scots are farmers, since a vast area is dedicated to crops. On the other hand my cousin lives in the Central region. That is the business district of Scotland. Also, a relatively large number of the 6,000,000 Scots reside in this area. The most popular cities are Aberdeen and Glasgow. I wonder if the mountains in Scotland are perfect hiking sites. I heard that it is freezing cold in there. It made me think if the Mountain Everest hikers practiced climbing the Ben Navis in Scotland. Although it stands merely 4400 feet, it is very dangerous to climb. By the way, Scotland holds the record for having some of the ancient rocks in history.