The counties included in this area are Cornwall, Devon
and Somerset, together with North Somerset, Bath and North-east
Somerset, South Gloucestershire and the City of Bristol
in the north east, and the Isles of Scilly.
Much of the landscape of Devon and Cornwall consists
of plateaux at varying levels. The plateaux surfaces reach
the sea in cliffs, for which the area is famous, but with
a few areas of sand dunes as well. The plateaux are deeply
incised by rivers and many of the lower river valleys
have been submerged to form picturesque estuaries such
as the Dart and Tamar. The highland areas coincide with
the granite outcrops forming Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor
and reach 621 metres on Dartmoor.
The high ground of Exmoor, made up from gritstones and
slates, reaches 521 metres at its highest point. It lies
in the counties of Devon and Somerset. To the east of
Exmoor are the low lying Somerset Levels. This is an area
similar to the Fens, which lies just above sea level and
in the past was subject to flooding. To the south of Bristol
lie the Mendip Hills, which is an area of limestone rocks.
The porous nature of the limestone has lead to a lack
of surface streams, with most drainage underground. Extensive
underground caverns have been formed, perhaps the most
famous being at Cheddar.
The Isles of Scilly, which lie 40 km to the south-west
of Cornwall, total approximately 18 square kilometres.
St Mary's is the largest island and has a highest point
of 51 metres.
Map
of locations
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