Easy and Fun: British Isles Basic Facts!

The British Isles are made up of over 6,000 islands , all part of the continent of EUROPE!  Here are some facts to help avoid confusion!

LOTS OF NAMES for All the Islands

United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are two separate Sovereign States or countries.

United Kingdom is England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland (not separate countries). 

Republic of Ireland takes up the larger southern part of the island known as IRELAND.

The island comprised of Scotland, Wales and England is called GREAT BRITAIN. 

It would be hard to count the names of all the bodies of water around, in and between the islands. Most famous are the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea and the English Channel.  The English Channel is the body of water that is between the continent of EUROPE and these famous British Islands.

Linking England to the European continent!

The Channel Tunnel, also known as the “Chunnel” connects England and Europe: it allows trains to go under the water to France.  Although the idea was thought of as early as 1802, the construction for the tunnel did not start until 1988. It did not open until 1994 when completed.

At the English Terminal of Folkestone, a giant horse has been carved into the land of a hillside as an image that can been seen from the station!  Read more about it HERE!  This is a kind of public art that can be enjoyed by all, and reminds us of old cave carvings and paintings.

Red Squirrel of the British Isles

Unlike the grey squirrels we are familiar with in America, the Red Squirrel is found exclusively in Europe and Asia. Their reddish coats and furry ear tufts make their appearance unique.

These squirrels are found primarily in forests and woodlands and dine on seeds fungi, berries and nuts.  After gathering their food, excess is often stored away in caches. 

However, unlike the grey counterpart, the memory of the Red Squirrel is not so reliable and often some caches are never recovered. 

These squirrels don’t scurry along just land: they are also able to swim!

 Study Europe– the British Isles included!

When your students study CONTINENTS, especially the continent of EUROPE (see our hands-on map below), encourage them to learn the names of the countries.  Have them research some interesting landmarks in each that are related to geography (like the White Horse at the Chunnel station in Folkstone!)  Encourage them to write about an animal that can be found, one that might be unique to a country or its geographic region!  All of our maps are large– desktop size for easy labeling and fun coloring.

Use your classroom technology with our free offerings!

See some examples of the kinds of cross curricular activities are available for use with whiteboard in our CartoCraze! Expanded Map Workshops!  See the free files there for the SAHARA and for the MISSISSIPPI RIVER.  Take advantage of these free files to use them with your classroom technology!