Cornwall is located at . The highest point is
Brown Willy at 420 m (1,378 ft), part of the granite
Bodmin Moor, of which such intrusions are covered by rough grass, heather and bog flora. Woodland is prevented from growing on the granite uplands because of the poor soil and the height giving them the full force of the wind and climate. The rest of the inland contains pastureland and arable farmland. The coastline, at 697 km (422 mi), is mostly occupied by high cliffs, but also featuring islets, stacks, coves and bays. Lowland stretches are also to be found, particularly along the south coast, sometimes backed by large expanses of towans or dunes such as near
Par. The
Isles of Scilly are the largest archipelago in the British Isles outside Scotland. The largest other islands are off the south coast:
Looe Island and
St Michael's Mount. The sea to the north of Cornwall is the
Celtic Sea; before the usage of Celtic Sea it was part of the
Bristol Channel. On Joel Gascoyne's map of 1699 this part of the Atlantic Ocean was named "The North Sea or Severn Channel". Image:Land's End, Cornwall, England.jpg|
Land's End Image:Trebarwithstrand01.JPG|Rough seas off Trebarwith Strand on the north coast Image:TruroFalmouthAerial.jpg|An aerial view of
Carrick Roads File:Beach lifeguards and swimming-surfing areas at Harlyn Bay - geograph.org.uk - 54690.jpg|Harlyn Bay File:Bedruthen steps.jpg|Low tide at Bedruthan Steps Cornwall was one of the most important mining areas in Europe until the 20th century, due to its intrusions of granite into surrounding sedimentary rocks which resulted in
metamorphism and mineralisation.
Bodmin Moor and
Carn Brea are examples of such granite intrusion. The
Lizard peninsula is an example of an
ophiolite. The north coast is more exposed to the prevailing winds from the Atlantic Ocean than the south coast and is more rugged, with many sheer cliffs and steep valleys. The south coast is more sheltered and is interrupted by several
rias which provide deep water harbours such as
Carrick Roads. Cornwall has varied habitats including terrestrial and marine ecosystems. One of the
lower plant forms in decline locally is the
Reindeer lichen, which has been made a priority for protection under the national UK
Biodiversity Action Plan.
National character areas The
national character areas recognised by
Natural England that lie wholly or partially on Cornish soil are: •
The Culm – NCA 149 •
Cornish Killas – NCA 152 •
Bodmin Moor – NCA 153 •
Hensbarrow – NCA 154 •
Carnmenellis – NCA 155 •
West Penwith – NCA 156 •
The Lizard – NCA 157 •
Isles of Scilly – NCA 158 •
Lundy – NCA 159
Hills ==Human geography==