Thank you for your favorable comments on the geography and economy of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an island country in Western Europe. With a total area of about 245,000 square kilometers, the territory consists of England, Scotland and Wales on the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland and its surrounding islands, which occupy one-sixth of the land in northeast Ireland. [1] The mainland lies between 49 N and 59 N north latitude (shetland islands is near 61N) and east longitude11W and 2 E. Greenwich Observatory in southeast London is the standard of prime meridian.
Britain is located between the North Atlantic and the North Sea, facing France across the English Channel (also known as the Lamanche Strait) in the south [2], and Northern Ireland has a 360-kilometer border with Ireland and the United States. [2]。 The Dover Strait in the southwest is only 34 kilometers (265,438+0 miles) wide, and it is connected to Calais, France through the Anglo-French cross-harbour tunnel.
The total area of Britain is about 245,000 square kilometers, including the island of Great Britain, one-sixth of the northeastern Ireland (Northern Ireland) and many smaller islands (such as the Channel Islands) [3], in which England is the largest part of Britain, with an area of 1304 10 square kilometers, which is more than half of the total area of Britain; Scotland is the second largest part of Britain, with an area of 78,772 square kilometers, accounting for about one third of the total area of Britain. The areas of Wales and Northern Ireland are much smaller, accounting for 20,758 square kilometers and 14 160 square kilometers respectively.
The geographical environment in Britain is very different. Most parts of England are lowlands, except for some mountains in the northwest. These include Lake District, Peak District, Exmoor District and Dartmoor's pennines and some limestone mountains. The Scottish terrain is caused by the highland boundary fault, which starts from Allen Island in the west and ends in the small town of Si Tong in Aberdeen in the east. [12] The fault caused two different areas: the Scottish Highlands in the northwest and the Scottish Lowlands in the southeast. Wales is mainly composed of mountains, only South Wales has fewer mountains. Ireland covers Maune Mountains and 388 square kilometers (150 square miles) of Lake Erie, which is the largest lake in Britain and Ireland. [ 13]
Britain is located in the middle latitude and is controlled by the westerlies all the year round. The north Atlantic warm current flows through the north, which is mild and rainy all year round and belongs to a temperate maritime climate. The temperature in four seasons is seldom lower than-1 1C but higher than 35C. Most winds blow from the northwest, which brings wet weather to the Atlantic Ocean. [2] The east is located in the leeward area of the west wind, so the east is drier than the west. The hottest summer is in the south of England because of its low regional dimension and strong urban heat island effect, while the colder summer is in the north of Scotland because of its high dimension. In plateau areas, there will be heavy snow in winter and early spring.
British economy
As an important trading entity, economic power and financial center, the British economy is the fourth largest economic system in the world, and it is also one of the richest, most developed and highest living standards countries in the world. In the past three decades, the government has drastically reduced state-owned assets and slowed down the development of social welfare projects. Agriculture in Britain is highly centralized and mechanized, and the benefits are very high: 1% of the working population can meet about 60% of the food demand. Britain has a large number of coal, natural gas and oil reserves; Britain's main energy output accounts for about 10% of the total GDP, which is very high among industrialized countries. Service industry, especially banking, finance, shipping, insurance and business services, accounts for the largest proportion of GDP and is in a leading position in the world. London, the capital, is one of the best financial, shipping and service centers in the world. Although Britain is still the largest producer of weapons, petroleum products, computers, televisions and mobile phones in Europe, the importance of industry is declining.
Britain is a world leader in education and academic research. Internationally renowned universities such as Cambridge University, Oxford University, London Imperial College London, London School of Economics and Political Science are all located in Britain, and they are the most important educational hubs outside the United States. Every year, Britain attracts many international students from all over the world to study, which not only brings rich foreign exchange to the country, but also attracts many talents for this country with a knowledge economy system.
Tourism in Britain is also very important: there are more than 27 million tourists every year, ranking seventh in the world, lower than Canada (33 million) and higher than Austria (1965438+ million).
In terms of exchange rate, Britain is the fourth largest economy in the world; In terms of purchasing power parity, Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world. Her economy is second only to Germany in Europe.
Britain is one of the globalized countries. According to the latest survey, Britain ranks fourth in the globalization index. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, is one of the two major international financial centers in the world, with the same name as new york.
The British economy is widely described as Anglo-Saxon economy. Her constituencies are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in descending order. Britain has been a member of the European Union since 1973.
During the1980s, under Margaret Thatcher's government, most of the state-owned enterprises in industry and service industries that were nationalized during the1940s were privatized again. The British government now owns only a few businesses, and Royal Mail is one of them.
In recent years, the British economy is experiencing the longest sustained growth period in more than 50 years, and it has been growing every quarter since 1992. Inflation, interest rate and unemployment rate are all kept at a low level, which also makes Britain one of the strongest economies in the EU. Therefore, according to the statistics of the International Monetary Fund, Britain's per capita GDP (purchasing power parity) ranks 12 among EU countries. However, like other English-speaking countries, its income imbalance level is higher than that of many European countries. Despite the high oil revenue, Britain's current account deficit still ranks third in the world.
Although Britain's "per capita labor productivity" has greatly improved in the past 20 years and surpassed Germany, it still lags behind the level of French workers working 35 hours a week by about 20%. [15] The average hourly labor productivity in Britain is currently at the average level in "old" Europe (15 countries). [ 16]
Geography of the Netherlands
The Netherlands is located in the northwest of Europe and belongs to western European countries. The north and west are bordered by the North Sea, and the south and west are bordered by Belgium and Germany respectively. Most of the land in the Netherlands is reclaimed from the sea. Half of its land area is below sea level 1 m, and 26% is even below sea level [1]. The Dutch build dams to protect lowlands, so the Netherlands is also called a lowland country. The Netherlands is located at the mouth of the Rhine River, and the Rhine, the Val River and the Maas River divide the Netherlands in two. The total area of the Netherlands is 465,438+0,526 square kilometers, of which the water area is 7,643 square kilometers. The population of the Netherlands is extremely dense, * * * exceeding1650,000, with a population density of 396 /km2, ranking 15 in the world, and ranking fourth among countries with a population of100,000. The Netherlands is also a highly urbanized country, and its second largest city, Rotterdam, has long been the largest port in Europe.
Geographically, the Netherlands can be roughly divided into two parts:
The western and northern parts of the lower level are mostly reclaimed land in the sea and river delta, and half of its area is below the altitude 1 m, even below the sea level. Therefore, the Netherlands has built seawalls or coastal dunes along rivers and coasts to prevent flooding. Zuidplaspolder is only -7 meters above sea level, which is the lowest point in Holland.
Although the hills and low mountains in the southeast are higher than those in the northwest, they are still flat, among which Fort Worth in the Ardennes is the highest point in the Netherlands, with an altitude of 322.7 meters.
Region [edit]
Region [edit]
The total area of the Netherlands is 465,438+0,526 square kilometers, including 33,883 square kilometers of land and 7,643 square kilometers of water. Exclusive fishing zone, the Netherlands, is 200 nautical miles (370.4 kilometers) and its territorial sea is 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers).
Border line [edit]
The Netherlands * * * border line1027km, including 450km with Belgium and 577km with Germany. The coastline is 45 1 km long.
Land use [edit]
Cultivated land: 25%
Long-term crops: 3%
Permanent pasture: 25%
Forests and woodlands: 8%
Others: 39%
Irrigated land: 6000 square kilometers
Dutch economy
The Dutch economy is prosperous and open, and it relies heavily on foreign trade. The Dutch economy is famous for its stable labor relations, moderate unemployment rate and inflation rate, huge current account surplus and its important role as a transportation hub in Europe. Industries are mainly food processing, chemical industry, petroleum processing and electronic manufacturing. Highly mechanized agriculture provides a huge surplus for food processing industry and export, employing less than 2% of the labor force. The Netherlands and its 1 1 EU partner countries began to circulate the euro in 2002. The Netherlands is one of the most important European countries to attract foreign direct investment.
The Netherlands is the largest economy in the world today. (See the list of gross domestic product (international exchange rate) of various countries) 1998 By 2000, the average economic growth (GDP) was about 4%. Higher than the EU average. As part of the global economic recession in 20001-05, the economic growth was quite slow, but in the second quarter of 2006, according to the figures provided by Statistics Netherlands, it increased by 2.8%. In 2006 and 2007, it will probably exceed 3%. Inflation 1.3% is expected to be lower than 1.5% in the coming year. According to Eurostat standards, the unemployment rate accounts for 5.5% of the social labor force. In the Netherlands, the unemployment rate is 3.8%, which is the lowest among EU countries. (All figures: June 2006)
Jan Peter Balkenende's strict fiscal policy (often confirmed by Finance Minister Garrett zalm) reduced the fiscal deficit from 2. 1% of GDP in 2004 to only 0.3% in 2005. It is predicted that the fiscal deficit will increase slightly by 0.5% in 2006, and a surplus will be achieved in 2007. In 2006, public debt was equivalent to 565,438+0% of GDP. In 2007, this proportion will be less than 50%, which is the first time in 25 years. In the 1990s. This ratio is 80%.
The Netherlands is a member of the European Union, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Trade Organization.
Geography of Portugal
Portugal is located in Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe, bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the west and Spain in the east. The territory covers an area of 92,090 square kilometers (35,560 square miles), including land area of 965,438+0,470 square kilometers (35,320 square miles) and water area of 620 square kilometers (240 square miles).
Portugal's exclusive marine economic zone
Portugal borders the Atlantic Ocean in the west and south, with a coastline of 943 kilometers. Portugal's marine exclusive economic zone ranks third in the EU and 1 1 in the world.
Portugal's topography is high in the north and low in the south, and the mountains and hills are widely distributed. The northern part is the Meseta Plateau; The central part is mountainous, with an average elevation of 800 ~1000 m; The south and west are hills and coastal plains respectively. The main peak is Esh trela (elevation 199 1m).
The main rivers are ru river, Douro River and Montego River.
Portuguese economy
Portugal's economy is a part of the economies of EU member states. Although it is a member of developed countries, its development level is only in the middle and lower reaches. Its agriculture accounts for a high proportion, its industrial base is weak, and people's living standards are low. 1983, Portugal's foreign debt reached13.6 billion US dollars, the inflation rate reached 25%, the unemployment rate exceeded 10%, and the per capita GNP was the lowest in Western Europe. However, since 1986 joined the European Union, Portugal has obtained a lot of funds and its national income has increased. From 65438 to 0986-90, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 4.7%. But by 1995-96, the economic growth rate was only 2.2%.