place_of_birth jonathan smith 
The ___MASK13___ is a marginal sea ___MASK53___ the ___MASK76___ located between Great Britain , Scandinavia , Germany , the Netherlands , Belgium , and France . An epeiric ( or " shelf ") sea on the European continental shelf , it connects to the ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Sea in the north . It is more than long and wide , with an area ___MASK53___ around . ___MASK22___ ( Scots : ) is a country that is part ___MASK53___ the United Kingdom and covers the northern third ___MASK53___ the island ___MASK53___ Great Britain . It shares a border with England to the south , and is otherwise surrounded by the ___MASK76___ , with the North Sea to the east and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the south - west . In addition to the mainland , the country is made up ___MASK53___ more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . The Isles ___MASK53___ Scilly ( or "") are an archipelago off the south western tip ___MASK53___ the Cornish peninsula ___MASK53___ Great Britain . It is the southernmost location in England and the United Kingdom , as well as the most westerly in England . ___MASK51___ is a country that is part ___MASK53___ the United Kingdom . It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west . The Irish Sea lies northwest ___MASK53___ ___MASK51___ and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest . ___MASK51___ is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five - eighths ___MASK53___ the island ___MASK53___ Great Britain ( which lies in the North Atlantic ) in its centre and south ; and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles ___MASK53___ Scilly , and the Isle ___MASK53___ Wight . A country is a region that is identified as a distinct national entity in political geography . A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state , as a non - sovereign or formerly sovereign political division , or a geographic region associated with sets ___MASK53___ previously independent or differently associated people with distinct political characteristics . Regardless ___MASK53___ the physical geography , in the modern internationally accepted legal definition as defined by the League ___MASK53___ Nations in 1937 and reaffirmed by the United Nations in 1945 , a resident ___MASK53___ a country is subject to the independent exercise ___MASK53___ legal jurisdiction . The Celtic Sea (; ) is the area ___MASK53___ the ___MASK76___ off the south coast ___MASK53___ Ireland bounded to the east by Saint George ' s Channel ; other limits include the Bristol Channel , the English Channel , and the Bay ___MASK53___ Biscay , as well as adjacent portions ___MASK53___ Wales , Cornwall , ___MASK42___ , and Brittany . The southern and western boundaries are delimited by the continental shelf , which drops away sharply . The Isles ___MASK53___ Scilly are an archipelago ___MASK53___ small islands in the sea . The Irish Sea (, , , ___MASK60___ - Scots : " Airish Sea "), separates the islands ___MASK53___ Ireland and Great Britain . It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George ' s Channel , and to the Inner Seas off the West Coast ___MASK53___ Scotland in the north by the North Channel . Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea , followed by the Isle ___MASK53___ Man . The sea is occasionally , but rarely , referred to as the Manx Sea . Borders are geographic boundaries ___MASK53___ political entities or legal jurisdictions , such as governments , sovereign states , federated states , and other subnational entities . Some borders  such as a state ' s internal administrative border , or inter - state borders within the Schengen Area  are often open and completely unguarded . Other borders are partially or fully controlled , and may be crossed legally only at designated border checkpoints and border zones may be controlled . Mostly contentious , borders may even foster the setting up ___MASK53___ buffer zones . A difference has also been established in academic scholarship between border and frontier , the latter denoting a state ___MASK53___ mind rather than state boundaries . The ___MASK15___ ___MASK53___ Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the ___MASK15___ ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western Europe . Lying off the north - western coast ___MASK53___ the European mainland , it includes the island ___MASK53___ Great Britain ( the name ___MASK53___ which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part ___MASK53___ the island ___MASK53___ Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part ___MASK53___ the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic ___MASK53___ Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by the ___MASK76___ , with the North Sea to its east , the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south - south - west , giving it the 12th - longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area ___MASK53___ , the UK is the 78th - largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th - largest in Europe . It is also the 21st - most populous country , with an estimated 65 . 1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the European Union . The English Channel (" the Sleeve " [ hence ] " Sea ___MASK53___ Brittany " " British Sea "), also called simply the Channel , is the body ___MASK53___ water that separates southern England from northern France , and joins the southern part ___MASK53___ the North Sea to the rest ___MASK53___ the ___MASK76___ . Felt is a textile that is produced by matting , condensing and pressing fibers together . Felt can be ___MASK5___ ___MASK53___ natural fibers such as wool , or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum - based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp - based rayon . Blended fibers are also common . The Isle ___MASK53___ Wight is a county and the largest and second - most populous island in England . It is located in the English Channel , about 4 miles ( 6 km ) off the coast ___MASK53___ Hampshire , separated by the Solent . The island has resorts that have been holiday destinations since Victorian times , and is known for its mild climate , coastal scenery , and verdant landscape ___MASK53___ fields , downland and chines . ___MASK6___ , also known as Britain , is a large island in the north ___MASK76___ off the northwest coast of continental Europe . With an area of , ___MASK6___ is the largest European island and the ninth - largest in the world . In 2011 the island had a population of about 61 million people , making it the world ' s third - most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan . The island of Ireland is situated to the west of it , and together these islands , along with over 1 , 000 smaller surrounding islands , comprise the British Isles archipelago . Continental Europe , also referred to as mainland Europe , or , by Europeans , simply the Continent , is the continuous continent ___MASK53___ Europe , excluding surrounding islands . Jonathan Smith ( born January 29 , 1955 ) is a former professional tennis player . He was born in Exeter , ___MASK51___ . Smith enjoyed most ___MASK53___ his tennis success while playing doubles . During his career he won 2 doubles titles . He achieved a career - high doubles ranking ___MASK53___ World No . 98 in 1983 . Tennis is a racket sport that can be played individually against a single opponent ( singles ) or between two teams ___MASK53___ two players each ( doubles ). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over or around a net and into the opponent ' s court . The object ___MASK53___ the game is to play the ball in such a way that the opponent is not able to play a valid return . The player who is unable to return the ball will not gain a point , while the opposite player will . ___MASK3___ is a country that is part ___MASK53___ the United Kingdom and the island ___MASK53___ Great Britain . It is bordered by England to the east , the Irish Sea to the north and west , and the Bristol Channel to the south . It had a population in 2011 ___MASK53___ 3 , 063 , 456 and has a total area ___MASK53___ . ___MASK3___ has over ___MASK53___ coastline and is largely mountainous , with its higher peaks in the north and central areas , including Snowdon , its highest summit . The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable , maritime climate .