The UK is in north-west Europe. On the mainland, the two places furthest apart are John O'Groats, at the top of Scotland, and Land's End, at the far south-western tip of England. They are roughly 870 miles apart, or about 1,400 kilometres.
Strictly speaking, neither number is quite what it seems. The 870 miles is the distance by road; in a straight line the two places are only about 600 miles (around 970 km) apart. And John O'Groats isn't even the most northerly point of the mainland. That is Dunnet Head, about 18 km to the west, but John O'Groats is far better known, so people still treat it as the finishing line.
Most people live in a town or city, but large parts of Britain are still countryside. Lots of people head out of town on holiday or at weekends to go walking, camping or fishing.
Stars mark the four capitals and dots mark other main cities. The dotted line is the road route from Land's End to John O'Groats, about 870 miles.
The UK is made up of four countries, and each one has its own capital city:
London: the capital of England, and of the whole UK
Edinburgh: the capital of Scotland
Cardiff: the capital of Wales
Belfast: the capital of Northern Ireland
Each country also has other main cities. A test question might ask which city is in Scotland or which is in Wales, so it's worth knowing where each one is. Here they are in alphabetical order:
England
Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Norwich, Plymouth, Sheffield, Southampton
Wales
Cardiff, Newport, Swansea
Scotland
Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow
Northern Ireland
Belfast
The signpost at Land's End is one of the most photographed spots for visitors.
Photo: Gareth James / Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quiz
Which TWO of the following statements are correct?
Scotland's capital is Edinburgh, not Glasgow, even though Glasgow has more people. The capital of Wales is Cardiff; Swansea is just another Welsh city. The biggest city isn't always the capital, and the test likes to use this as a trap.
Quiz
Is the statement below TRUE or FALSE?
The journey from John O'Groats in the far north of Scotland to Land's End in the far south-west of England is roughly 870 miles.
True. It is about 870 miles, which is roughly 1,400 kilometres. Remember that this is the distance by road, not in a straight line.
Quiz
In which part of Europe is the United Kingdom located?
The UK is in north-west Europe. Spain and Portugal are in the south-west of Europe, and Finland and the Baltic states are in the north-east, so A and B are wrong.
