Physical landscapes in the UK - glaciers, rivers and relief
The UK has a varied landscape as the relief of the land changes in different parts of the country.
Relief
The way that the landscape changes in height. refers to the way the landscape changes in height. Upland areas are high above sea level. They are often, but not always, mountainous. Lowland areas are not very high above sea level. They are often flat. The shape of the landscape is largely determined by:
- The build up of ice on the land during colder periods in time.
- rivers
Upland areas are mainly found in:
- Scotland - The Northwest Highlands, the Cairngorm Mountains, the Grampian Mountains and the Southern Uplands. Ben Nevis is the UK's highest peak and is found in the Grampian Mountains.
- England - The Pennines, Lake District, Dartmoor and Exmoor. Scafell Pike is the highest mountain in England and is found in the Lake District.
- Wales - Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons. Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales and is found in Snowdonia.
Lowland areas can be found in the following places:
- around The Wash (East Anglia and Lincolnshire)
- Lincolnshire
- the Fens in East Anglia - the lowest place in the UK
- the Midlands
- the London Basin
- the Vale of York
The role of glaciers in shaping the land
During the last A time when parts of the Earth's surface were covered with large ice sheets., ice covered a large part of the UK. This ice eroded the land producing some of the mountainous landscapes which exist today.
More guides on this topic
- Coastal processes - Edexcel
- Coastal landforms - erosional and depositional processes - Edexcel
- Human activities on coastal management - Edexcel
- River processes - Edexcel
- River landforms - Edexcel
- Human management of rivers - Edexcel
- How do glacial processes form the land? - Edexcel
- Human activities and glaciation - Edexcel