Britain is just under 1,000km long, from the south coast to the extreme north of Scotland, and just under 500km across at the widest point.

The biggest lake in Britain is Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland at 396 sq km.

Although Britain has a reputation for having a lot of rain, New York has more average annual rainfall than London.

The man who invented television, John Logie Baird, was Scottish. In 1915 he transmitted the world's first live TV pictures in London.

Britain is one of 15 member states of the European Union (EU).

The tallest mountain in Britain is Ben Nevis in Scotland at 1,343m.

The longest river in Britain is the Severn. It is 354 km long, and flows from central Wales through Shrewsbury, Worcester and Gloucester in England to the Bristol Channel.

In Wales, there are more sheep than people! Five years ago the population for Wales was 2,921,000 with approximately 5,000,000 sheep!

There are 17 World Heritage Sites in Britain, including Hadrian’s Wall, The Tower of London, Giant’s Causeway, and Edinburgh’s old and new towns.

Scotland has over half of Britain’s forest areas.

About 200 years ago, Britain was the most powerful country in the world, and the British Empire covered over a quarter of the earth’s surface.

About a quarter of Wales has been designated a National Park or an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Did you know that HP brown sauce is named because it was invented by a chef at the Houses of Parliament?

Cheddar cheese is named after the small village in Somerset, England where it was first made.

Cornish Pasties were first eaten by miners in Cornwall. The pastry was like a protective layer that kept the meat and vegetables inside clean and fresh while they were working in the mines.

'Big Ben' is normally used to refer to the famous clock on the Houses of Parliament in London, but is actually the name of the bell inside the tower.

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