British Isles
The British Isles are an archipeligo of Islands in north-western Europe. The island range includes Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Mann, the Hebrides, and over six thousand smaller islands.
There are two soveriegn states in the Islands, the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland). The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown Dependancy, sharing a head of state with the UK, but with it's own political and legal system.
The islands have been inhabited since at least 12,000 BCE, when it was still part of the European Mainland. Rising sea levels submerged the area known as Doggerland around 5,600 BCE, leaving only the highest points above water, now cut of from Europe by the English Channel.
Due to the North Atlantic Drift, the islands are around 11°C warmer than the global average for that latitude. This lead to the landscape being dominated by temperate rainforest, although much of the forrest has been cleared by human activity.
Alternative Name(s)
Britain and Ireland | Atlantic Archipelago
Type
Archipelago
Included Locations
Included Organizations