A country is an area of land that has its own government and can be large or small.

An island is a piece of land, smaller than a continent, that is surrounded by water.

A coastline is the boundary between the land and the sea or ocean.

The English Channel is a narrow part of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the south coast of England from France.

The UK and its surrounding seas

Geography

The countries and capital cities of the UK

Geographical features in Scotland

Geographical features in England

Geographical features in Wales

Geographical features in Northern Ireland

This unit links to 'Life in a capital city: London/Cardiff', in which a capital city of the UK is explored as a significant place in our country.

The unit extends understanding about the local area and the characteristics and features of place explored in units 'Local area: Where do we go to school?', 'Local area: Where do we live?', 'Seasons: How does the weather change through the year?' and 'Local area: Routes and maps where we play' to a national scale.

This unit introduces the United Kingdom as a country made up of four nations. Pupils learn to name and locate the nations, capital cities and surrounding seas, and explore distinctive geographical features across the UK using maps and images.

The UK: what kind of place is it?

A city is a settlement that is usually larger than a town and has local government.

A capital city is the place in a country where the government ‘sits’ and has its centre of power.

Urban means something to do with a city or town.

Rural means something to do with the countryside.

A mountain is a natural raised part of Earth’s surface that is higher than a hill.

A lake is a large area of water surrounded by land.

A town is a settlement that is usually larger than a village but smaller than a city.

Moorland is found in hilly areas and has poor soils and few trees.

Farmland is land used for the growing and harvesting of crops or rearing animals for food or raw materials.

A coast is the boundary between the land and the sea or ocean.

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The UK: what kind of place is it?

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