Coastline of the United Kingdom facts for kids

Bedruthan Steps, North Cornwall, a beautiful part of the UK coastline, looked after by the National Trust.

The coastline of the United Kingdom is made up of many natural features. These include islands, bays, headlands (points of land sticking out into the sea), and peninsulas (land almost surrounded by water). It includes the coast of Great Britain, the north-east coast of Ireland, and many smaller islands.

Most of the UK coastline is easy to reach and has different types of land and natural homes for animals. Many parts are special areas of natural beauty, like the Jurassic Coast and various heritage coast areas. These are very long and stretch along the mainland.

What Makes the UK Coastline Special?

How Long is the UK Coastline?

Measuring any coastline is tricky. It depends on how detailed your map is and how small a measuring unit you use. If you use a very detailed map and a tiny ruler, you'll find more twists and turns, making the coastline seem longer. This idea is called the coastline paradox.

Think of a coastline like a fractal – it looks similar no matter how much you zoom in. The closer you look, the more tiny details you find, which adds to the total length. So, there isn't one exact answer to "how long is the UK coastline?"

Different groups give different numbers. The CIA Factbook says it's about 12,429 kilometers (7,723 miles). The World Resources Institute says it's around 19,717 kilometers.

The Shape of the UK Coastline

The United Kingdom's coastline is very wiggly, more so than many other countries. Scientists use something called a "fractal dimension" to describe this wiggliness. The UK's coastline has a fractal dimension of 1.25, which is quite high. For example, Australia's is 1.13, and South Africa's is 1.02.

Because it's so wiggly and has many islands, the UK's coastline is longer than those of countries of similar size. This also means that no one in the UK is very far from the sea. The furthest you can be from the coast in the UK is about 113 kilometers (70 miles). Around 3 million people in the UK live right on the coast.

Cool Features of the UK Coastline

Islands

The UK has over 1,000 islands! About 130 of these had people living on them all the time in 2001. Some other islands are used for farming, some are nature reserves, and some are just rocks in the sea.

Here are some of the main inhabited islands and island groups in the UK:

It's important to know that the Channel Islands (like Jersey and Guernsey) and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK. They are self-governing Crown dependencies, so their coastlines are not included in the UK's total.

Peninsulas

Here are some of the peninsulas (pieces of land almost surrounded by water) found along the UK coast:

Bays and Estuaries

The UK coastline also has many bays (inlets of the sea), sea lochs (like narrow lakes connected to the sea), and large estuaries (where a river meets the sea). Some examples include:

Fun Things to Do Along the Coast

The UK coastline offers many chances for fun activities! You can visit seaside resorts or walk along special coastal paths.

Some famous coastal paths include:

• England Coast Path
• Scottish Coastal Way
• Wales Coast Path

See also

• Coastline of the North Sea
  • North Sea Trail
• Coastline of Wales
• Geography of the United Kingdom
  • Geography of England § Coastline
  • Geography of Scotland § Coastline
• Geography of Ireland § Coastline
• Inshore coastal areas of the United Kingdom
• List of coastal weather stations in the British Isles
• List of headlands of the United Kingdom
• List of spits of the United Kingdom
• Sea wall (British politics)