occupation ken mckinlay
The Hebrides ( Scottish Gaelic : " Innse Gall "; Old Norse : " Suðreyjar ") comprise a widespread and diverse archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland . There are two main groups : the Inner and Outer Hebrides . These islands have a long history of occupation dating back to the Mesolithic , and the culture of the residents has been affected by the successive influences of Celtic , Norse , and English - speaking peoples . This ___MASK32___ is reflected in the names given to the islands , which are derived from the languages that have been spoken there in historic and perhaps prehistoric times . The East Midlands is one of nine ___MASK66___ regions of England at the first level of NUTS for statistical purposes . The eastern part of the Midlands , it consists of Derbyshire , Leicestershire , Lincolnshire , Northamptonshire , Nottinghamshire and Rutland . The Isles of Scilly ( or "") are an archipelago off the south western tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain . It is the southernmost location in England and the ___MASK18___ , as well as the most westerly in England . A country is a region that is identified as a distinct national entity in political geography . A country may be an independent ___MASK13___ state or one that is occupied by another state , as a non - ___MASK13___ or formerly ___MASK13___ political division , or a geographic region associated with sets of previously independent or differently associated people with distinct political characteristics . Regardless of the physical geography , in the modern internationally accepted legal definition as defined by the League of Nations in 1937 and reaffirmed by the United Nations in 1945 , a resident of a country is subject to the independent exercise of legal jurisdiction . New Zealand is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean . The country geographically comprises two main landmasses  that of the North Island , or Te Ika - a - Mui , and the South Island , or Te Waipounamu  and numerous smaller islands . New Zealand is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia , Fiji , and Tonga . Because of its remoteness , it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans . During its long period of isolation , New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal , fungal and plant life . The country ' s varied topography and its sharp ___MASK11___ peaks , such as the Southern Alps , owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions . New Zealand ' s capital city is Wellington , while its most populous city is Auckland . The ___MASK18___ of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the ___MASK18___ ( UK ) or Britain , is a ___MASK13___ country in western Europe . Lying off the north - western coast of the European mainland , it includes the island of Great Britain ( the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part of the island of Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another ___MASK13___ statethe Republic of Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , 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 of , the UK is the 78th - largest ___MASK13___ 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 . Johnnie S . Hoskins MBE ( 1892 Waitara , New Zealand  1987 Kent , England ) is considered to have invented motorcycle speedway . Failing that , he certainly played the largest role in promoting speedway and Stock car racing in the ___MASK18___ . The River Soar is a ___MASK39___ tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands and is the principal river of Leicestershire . The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth . The river then flows north through Leicester , where it is joined by the Grand Union Canal . Continuing on through the Leicestershire Soar Valley , it passes Loughborough and Kegworth until it reaches the Trent at the county boundary . In the 18th century , the Soar was made navigable , initially between Loughborough and the Trent , and then through to Leicester . It was not until the early 19th century that it was linked by the Grand Union Canal to the wider network to the south and to London . John Robert Vickers ( Ken ) McKinlay ( 7 June 1928 Blantyre , Scotland -- 9 February 2003 Leicester , England ) was an international speedway rider , captaining Scotland , England , Great Britain and Europe teams . He also finished on the rostrum of the British Speedway Championship finals twice , second in 1964 and third in 1965 . His nickname Hurri - Ken was given to him by famous speedway promoter Johnnie Hoskins . Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing found mainly and most prominently in the United States and ___MASK31___ , with Australia and New Zealand also having forms of stock car auto racing . Traditionally , races are run on oval tracks measuring approximately . The world ' s largest governing body for stock car racing is the American NASCAR , and its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the premier top level series of professional stock car racing . Top level races typically range between in length . Motorcycle speedway , usually referred to as speedway , is a ___MASK83___ involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four anti - clockwise laps of an oval circuit . Speedway motorcycles use only one gear and have no brakes ; racing takes place on a flat oval track usually consisting of dirt , loosely packed shale , or dolomite ( mostly used in Australia and New Zealand ). Competitors use this surface to slide their machines sideways , powersliding or broadsiding into the bends . On the straight sections of the track the motorcycles reach speeds of up to . Peter Theodore Craven ( 21 June 1934  24 September 1963 ) was an English ___MASK27___ . He was a finalist in each FIM Speedway World Championship from 1954 to 1963 and he won the title twice ( in 1955 and 1962 ). He was British Champion in 1962 and 1963 . Wales is a country that is part of the ___MASK18___ and the island of 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 of 3 , 063 , 456 and has a total area of . Wales has over of 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 . Scotland ( Scots : ) is a country that is part of the ___MASK18___ and covers the northern third of the island of Great Britain . It shares a border with England to the south , and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean , 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 of more than 790 islands , including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides . Leicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England , and the county town of Leicestershire . The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest . The Celtic Sea (; ) is the area of the Atlantic Ocean off the south coast of Ireland bounded to the east by ___MASK26___ George ' s Channel ; other limits include the Bristol Channel , the English Channel , and the Bay of Biscay , as well as adjacent portions of Wales , Cornwall , Devon , and Brittany . The southern and western boundaries are delimited by the continental shelf , which drops away sharply . The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago of small islands in the sea . Borders are geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions , such as governments , ___MASK13___ 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 of buffer zones . A difference has also been established in academic scholarship between border and frontier , the latter denoting a state of mind rather than state boundaries . The Northern Isles is an archipelago comprising a chain of islands off the north coast of mainland Scotland . The climate is cool and temperate and much influenced by the surrounding seas . There are two main island groups : Shetland and Orkney . There are a total of 26 inhabited islands with landscapes of the fertile agricultural islands of Orkney contrasting with the more rugged Shetland islands to the north , where the economy is more dependent on fishing and the oil wealth of the surrounding seas . Both have a developing renewable energy industry . They also share a common Pictish and Norse history . Both island groups were absorbed into the Kingdom of Scotland in the 15th century and remained part of the country following the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 , and later the ___MASK18___ after 1801 . The islands played a significant naval role during the world wars of the 20th century . The British Speedway Championship . is an annual motorcycle speedway competition open to British national speedway riders . The winner of the event becomes the British Speedway Champion . It has been open in the past to riders from British dominions and was dominated in its early years by riders from New Zealand such as Barry Briggs and Ivan Mauger . In the first dozen finals , it was only won twice by a British born rider , both times by Peter Craven . England is a country that is part of the ___MASK18___ . It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west . The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest . England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south . The country covers five - eighths of the island of Great Britain ( which lies in the North Atlantic ) in its centre and south ; and includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly , and the Isle of Wight .