The British Isles are TINY in comparison with so many other countries in the world - and we're surrounded on all sides by ocean!
From Under the Raedar blog:
The UK covers an area of about 243,000 square km., which is quite big in some ways, but not so big in others (ask any Canadian). It's all a matter of perspective.
- Russia is 70 times larger than the UK
- Canada is about 41 times larger than the UK
- The USA and China are both approximately 40 times larger than the UK
- Brazil is 35 times bigger than the UK
- Australia is about 32 times bigger than the UK
- India is 13 times bigger
- Sudan is 10 times bigger
- Iran is 7 times bigger
- France is twice as big
To complete the picture, here's a handy online tool that you can use to compare countries and territories like-for-like. That should while away a few dull hours for you, dear reader.
You're welcome.
I originally read that as "dear hours for you dull reader." Dyslexic much? Anyhoo. I did not realize that the UK is about the size of Minnesota! Meaning travelling throughout must be a breeze and done in no time at all??? Is that possible. I always think of it as immense, a huge undertaking. My sense of geography is terrible, Muriel. How long does it take to get from London to Glasgow? And would you recommend flying into Ireland (as if had one had wings) or taxiing over via a ferry? I am now more than intrigued. My next trip (who knows when, thanks Covid) is to Paris (three-four days) and then London. I would love to say I also got to Scotland and Ireland. Possible to do in a matter of 5 days? Neophyte traveler, here. Sigh. I have no sense of proportion.
ReplyDeleteAs for having no sense of proportion, you should see my concept of what constitutes 'six' inches!
DeleteApparently Alaska, Texas, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California and Michigan are all bigger than the UK...
DeleteAs Ms Scarlet observes, however, although Yanks are used to covering vast distances by road, here in the UK, the motorways are nowhere near as far-reaching and extensive (nor in such straight lines) as US highways and freeways. The vast majority of Britain is a mass of ancient and Medieval trackways and lanes that have been widened over time but still adhere to some very convoluted twists and turns, depending on terrain and historic land ownership. Rail routes are not much better. Google says that London to Glasgow should take just over seven hours by car, but first you'd need to actually get out of the congestion of London and at the end, into the congestion of Glasgow. You might feasibly be able to do Paris, London, Glasgow and Dublin in five days, but I doubt you'd see much more of any city than hotels, railway stations, airports or roads...
Jx
PS "I've got six inches, but I don't use it as a rule."
Boom-tish.
We took the Chunnel from Paris to London and it was so much better than flying. You leave from the center of Paris and arrive in the center of London, avoiding the congestion Jon very sensibly points out. I'd say if you only have 5 days, stick with just London and Paris, they're plenty enough to fill up that time.
DeleteActually planning 4 days in Paris alone and then proceeding for another 4 or 5 and then do London, Scotland, Ireland... so we'd have a good four days to get about, though you are right... that really leaves 1.33 days per. Will rethink that... last time we did three weeks and four major cities... that worked well, might consider that again. Will read up on the chunnel... interesting. And I would still like to hear about your experiences with ferries (the boat kind). Thanks, loves.
DeleteA lot depends on the ferry, and from where to where, really... I've done Harwich to Hook van Holland (overnight), Holyhead to Dublin, Plymouth to Brittany and Ramsgate to Ostend. No idea whether any of them are still running, but they always take a lot, lot longer than you think. Jx
DeleteMeaning travelling throughout must be a breeze and done in no time at all???
ReplyDeleteYou've got to queue for the petrol for 5hrs before you can actually go anywhere though. And the roads are....congested, or being worked on.
Sx
Yes, indeed, the current petrol-panic-buying business must be a bit of a pain in the proverbials for anyone with a car! Even at the best of times however, it's a bit of a "pipe dream" to think that in the UK one can get anywhere as quickly and easily as one might like to. Jx
DeleteWell dear, I can't tell you how much better Ill sleep tonight knowing all these fun facts. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI take comfort in the fact that although we are out-gunned by several US states, the UK is twice the size of Pennsylvania.
Delete:-)
Jx
And with a population of 68 million means I can't do my expressive dancing in the back garden without some nosy parker looking in.
ReplyDeleteWhat I like to do when I have an idle hour to spare is visit Rightmove Overseas to see how much houses go for in other countries, I could buy a nice 3 bedroom detached house in Milwaukee for £25k! For £25k in York I could buy this
"Expressive dancing"? Are you turning into "Mad Lizzie" all of a sudden?
DeleteI think that "comfy and bijou residence" in York would be fine with a bit of corrugated PVC to replace the roof and a couple of fan-heaters. What kind of hovel is that £25k house in Milwaukee, I wonder, to be so cheap?
Jx
Isadora Duncan.
DeleteI've changed my mind about the 3 bedroom house in Milwaukee when I clicked on it I saw the house is made of sticks and not the Cotswold stone I had thought but this one looks nice for a grand and a half more.
Can't imagine how much that house would go for if it were in London! You could probably add a couple of zeros onto the end of that price. Jx
DeleteAnd yet, with the amount of time it takes to get anywhere in the UK, it seems like it is MUCH bigger than it actually is.
ReplyDeleteTravelling across Britain can be tortuous. It really is no wonder that Cross-Country (formerly Virgin Cross-Country) trains from Aberdeen arriving in Plymouth (where I used to live) had so many shit-faced passengers. They'd just spent eleven hours on board and, if they were heading for Cornwall, still had another two hours yet to go! Jx
DeleteI have only recently realized how small Australia is and that Russia is not the giant it seems on maps.
ReplyDeleteIf you follow the link to that site, you'll find that when Australia is superimposed over the USA it is actually a bit bigger, and if superimposed on Russia it spans from the Arctic coast to Mongolia.
DeleteIf you do the same with Russia, you'll find that in reality it is about the width of North Africa, Saudi Arabia and a bit of Iran.
In other words, yes - map projections give an exaggerated view of the size of land-masses the further North/South you go.
Jx
Oh dear it doesn't work for Wales and I thought that, that was the country used for scale.
ReplyDeleteNobody outside the UK even knows where Wales is... Jx
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