British Isles (1948)

westward of the continent of Europe washed by the North Atlantic Ocean lie the British Isles homeland of one of the world's great nations the British Isles former region that is surrounded by the sea it is a thickly settled region of populous towns and cities that sprawl across a rolling countryside a picturesque and pleasant land of streams flowing through broad valleys of bleak Moors and rugged uplands it is a region - of teeny industrial centres of black mine tipples on the hillsides above all it is a region of harbours thronged with ships for Britain is a nation moated by its island position from the Straits of Dover separating Britain from France the Isles stretched northward and westward into the ocean largest of the islands is Great Britain with its lowland areas largely in the south and east and rising westward and northward into uplands and mountains across the narrow Irish Sea lies Ireland a LAN shaped something like a saucer with a marshy lowland plain in the center and a rim of uplands and mountains to the north and to the south the physical pattern of the islands has shaped their political pattern the island of Britain has England and Wales in the south and Scotland in the north these were the northern part of Ireland formed the United Kingdom under one government Southern Ireland has a government of its own some of the British people still live in quiet country towns centuries-old others live in the crowded mining towns but the large number live in the cities some in neighborhoods of neat suburban homes and some in bleak slum areas these are the people of Britain a people of a common mold but descendants of many migrant groups that came and mingled here in the islands long ago today they form a nation of more than 50 million people each symbol here represents a million people most of them live in England and Wales and about four out of five of them live in towns and cities there are seven cities of over a million people all of them in Britain and there are a large number of other cities of more than 100,000 people those are rich resources vast fields of coal an extensive deposits of iron ore here lie close together in many places these two resources have played a major part in the growth of one of the world's oldest and largest industrial regions coal is the backbone of Britain's industries here deep in the earth men dig the black fuel for Britain's furnaces coal and iron together makes steel and from the neighboring mines comes about half the iron ore that Britain uses for the rest of her iron ore Britain depends on supplies from overseas from Sweden from Spain from North Africa scrap iron as well as some iron ore comes from the United States these raw materials are needed for Britain's most important industry a great blast furnaces and steel works for centuries the furnaces of Britain have poured forth iron to be cast and forged and molded in British found raised from the furnaces of Britain tool comes some of the world's best steel to be worked in British Mills into beams rails plates and other steel products for Britain one of the biggest of the world's iron and steel makers much of her metal goes to nearby factories where it is made into the finest of machinery machine tools and cutlery steel also goes to build ships from Britain shipyards have come more ships than from any other country in the world ships for the fleet's of Britain and for the fleet's of other nations for another of Britain's industries clay pits provide the raw material clay from the soil of the islands is worked by skilled craftsmen into a variety of shapes tiles pottery and delicate China where English china is known the world over for its fine workmanship and unusual beauty the flocks of sheep that graze on Britain's grasslands yield wool for the making of cloth but most of our wool supply comes from countries abroad from Australia from New Zealand from Argentina and from South Africa the cotton for Britain's textiles comes from the United States and from Brazil from Egypt and the Sudan and much of it too from India the wool in the cotton go to supply the great textile mills of Lancashire and Yorkshire here they are spun into thread and woven into cloth the weavers of Britain long led the world in cloth making not still among the world's largest producers in parts of the Isles there are stretches of rich farm country here on the drier east coast farmers for the most part grow grains wheat barley and oats elsewhere potatoes are an important crop and other vegetables are grown on the warmer southern much of the land is in permanent grass here dairy herds are grazed and fine beef cattle are grown and brought to market in the country turns here two sheep are brought in from the rougher grasslands all to be sold as meat for British tables food for British tables also comes from the sea the fishing fleets bring in a plentiful catch and people in the British Isles eat almost as much fish as meat these products go chiefly to feed the people of Britain cities but they are not enough to fill her needs more than half of Britain's food has to come from abroad neighbouring Denmark and the Netherlands supply meat and dairy foods other foodstuffs needed by the British people come from far across the world grains and meats are shipped to Britain from Argentina and the United States grains meats and dairy products are sent from Canada and Australia and meats and dairy products from New Zealand depending for so much on overseas Commerce Britain is the world's greatest trader our harbors are thronged with ships many of them belonging to Britain's own large merchant fleet here along the dots is a busy Commerce as ships exchange their cargoes from ships to dockside come goods from countries overseas and from dockside two ships though British goods bound for markets abroad vital to Britain's trade are her many excellent harbours and her strategic location the British Isles lie directly across the main arteries of ocean traffic from Western Europe to other continents from Britain their stretches around the world and network of shipping routes over these sea lanes Britain carries on her trade laws a wall and and for foodstuffs as well as for oil for rubber and for timber in return Britain sends to the world and metals and machines a chemical goods our electrical products her ships a woolen and cotton cloth a pottery and China where these products go chiefly to markets in Western Europe the Americas the dominions and the Empire this far-flung trade is the life of Britain trade has made Britain one of the world's great nation a nation of Empire builders whose history is mirrored here in an ancient city on a river the City of London one of the largest cities in the world London is the capital of Britain and the Empire art of a nation whose people long led the world in the growth of Industry and the development of trade a nation whose people have fostered a spirit of freedom that has been an inspiration the world over