London
London is the largest city in the UK. It is home to the Houses of Parliament at Westminster, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. It has hosted the Olympic Games three times: in 1908, 1948 and 2012.
Places
Cities, rivers and lakes, mountains, national parks and natural wonders.
Cities
The four capitals, and a city that helped start the Industrial Revolution.
Capital of England and the UK Capital of Scotland Edinburgh
Edinburgh is built around a castle on an old volcanic rock. The Scottish Parliament meets at Holyrood. Every August the city hosts a huge arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Capital of Wales Cardiff
Cardiff grew rich in the 1800s by shipping coal from the Welsh valleys. Today the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, meets in Cardiff Bay, and the Principality Stadium hosts big rugby matches.
Capital of Northern Ireland Belfast
Belfast was a centre of shipbuilding and linen. The Titanic was built in its Harland and Wolff shipyard. The Northern Ireland Assembly meets at Stormont, on the east side of the city.
North-west England Manchester
Manchester became a world centre of cotton mills during the Industrial Revolution. The Liverpool and Manchester Railway, opened in 1830, was one of the first passenger railways. Today the city is known for football, music and universities.
Rivers and lakes
The longest rivers and the largest lakes of the four nations.
Wales and England River Severn
At about 354 km, the Severn is the longest river in the UK. It rises in the mountains of mid-Wales and flows through Shrewsbury and Gloucester into the Bristol Channel. Its estuary has one of the biggest tides in the world.
Southern England River Thames
The Thames is about 346 km long and the longest river entirely in England. It flows through Oxford and London to the North Sea. For centuries it was London’s main route for trade.
Scottish Highlands Loch Ness
Loch Ness is long, narrow and very deep. It holds more fresh water than any other lake in Great Britain. It is famous for the legend of a monster called Nessie.
Northern Ireland Lough Neagh
Lough Neagh is the largest lake in the UK by area, at almost 400 square kilometres. Five of the six counties of Northern Ireland touch its shores, and it supplies much of the region’s drinking water.
Lake District, England Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England, about 18 km long. It lies in the Lake District National Park and has been a popular place for holidays since the railway arrived in the 1840s.
Mountains
The highest point of each of the four nations.
1,345 m, Scotland Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis, near Fort William, is the highest mountain in the UK. Thousands of people walk to its summit each year, but the weather at the top can change quickly and is often cold and cloudy.
1,085 m, Wales Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Yr Wyddfa is the highest mountain in Wales and the centre of Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park. A mountain railway, opened in 1896, carries visitors close to the summit.
978 m, England Scafell Pike
Scafell Pike, in the Lake District, is the highest mountain in England. Together with Ben Nevis and Yr Wyddfa it forms the National Three Peaks Challenge, often done for charity.
850 m, Northern Ireland Slieve Donard
Slieve Donard is the highest of the Mourne Mountains and of Northern Ireland. From the top, on a clear day, you can see across the sea to Scotland and the Isle of Man.
National parks
Protected landscapes that everyone can visit for walking and outdoor activities.
England, since 1951 Peak District
The Peak District was the first national park in the UK, created in 1951. It lies between Manchester and Sheffield and has moors, limestone valleys and caves. Millions of people live within an hour of it.
England, since 1951 Lake District
The Lake District is England’s largest national park, with lakes, fells and small stone villages. Its landscape inspired poets such as William Wordsworth. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.
Wales, since 1951 Eryri (Snowdonia)
Eryri is the largest national park in Wales and includes Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales. Many people in the area speak Welsh as their first language.
Scotland, since 2002 Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
This was Scotland’s first national park. It includes Loch Lomond, the largest lake in Great Britain by area, and hills and forests close to Glasgow.
Natural wonders
Coasts and rocks that took millions of years to form.
County Antrim, Northern Ireland Giant’s Causeway
About 40,000 stone columns, most with six sides, fit together like a pavement into the sea. They formed when lava cooled about 60 million years ago. A legend says a giant built it to walk to Scotland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dorset and East Devon, England Jurassic Coast
This 95-mile coast shows rocks from about 185 million years of the Earth’s history. Fossils of dinosaurs and sea creatures are often found on its beaches. It became England’s first natural World Heritage Site in 2001.
Kent, England White Cliffs of Dover
These chalk cliffs face France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. For travellers arriving by sea they have long been a symbol of home, especially during the Second World War.
Isle of Staffa, Scotland Fingal’s Cave
A sea cave made of the same kind of columns as the Giant’s Causeway. The sound of the waves inside inspired the composer Felix Mendelssohn to write The Hebrides overture in 1830.