1. England

England is the largest of the four geographical regions making up the United Kingdom. It occupies the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by Scotland to the north and Wales to the west and it has coastlines along the Celtic, North and Irish Seas and the English Channel. Its total land area is 50,346 square miles (130,395 sq km) and a population of 51,446,000 people (2008 estimate).

The longest river entirely in England is the Thames, with 346 km (215 mi). It runs through London. The northern part of England is dominated by the Pennines, a low-rising mountain range, considered to be one of the most scenic areas in the United Kingdom. South of the Pennines are the English Lowlands which consists of rolling hills.

The capital and largest city of England (and the UK) is London. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, situated in South East London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian (Longitude 0°).

England is separated from continental Europe 21 mile (34 km) by the English Channel but they are connected by the undersea Channel Tunnel.

2. Scotland

Scotland is the second largest of the four regions making up the UK. It is located on the northern part of Great Britain and it borders England to the south and has coastlines along the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, North Channel and Irish Sea. Its area is 30,414 square miles (78,772 sq km) and it has a population of 5,194,000 (2009 estimate). Scotland's area also includes almost 800 offshore islands. The capital of Scotland is Edinburgh but the largest city is Glasgow.

The topography of Scotland is varied and its northern portions have high mountain ranges, while the central portion consists of lowlands and the south has gently rolling hills and uplands. Despite its latitude, the climate of Scotland is temperate because of the Gulf Stream.

The highest elevation in Britain is Ben Nevis 1,344 m (4,409 ft), located in the Grampian mountain range, one of the three major mountain ranges in the Scottish Highlands. The sparsely populated Highlands at the northern end of Great Britain island are one of two main historical regions in Scotland. Scotland is divided into three distinct geographical areas: 1. the mountainous Highlands, 2. the relatively low-lying Central plain (Central Belt), the area with the highest population because most of the major cities of Scotland are located there, and 3. the southernmost part in Scotland, the Southern Uplands, a mainly agricultural region with hills and valleys.

3. Wales

Wales is a region of the United Kingdom that is bordered by England to the east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to the west. It has an area of 8,022 square miles (20,779 sq km) and a population of 2,999,300 people (2009 estimate). The capital and largest city of Wales is Cardiff with a metropolitan population of 1,445,500 (2009 estimate). Wales has a coastline of 746 miles (1,200 km) which includes the coastlines of its many offshore islands. The largest of these is Anglesey in the Irish Sea.

Wales is generally a mountainous country, particularly in the north and central regions. Its highest mountain is Snowdon with 1,085 m (3,560 ft). Wales has a temperate, maritime climate and it is one of the wettest regions in Europe. Winters in Wales are mild and summers are warm.