UNITED KINGDOM
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UNITED KINGDOM
@United Kingdom:Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of
the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea, northwest of France
Map references: Europe
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UNITED KINGDOM - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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LONDON 6,678,000 51.30N, 0.10W 44-1 GMT
Birmingham 1,024,000 52.30N, 1.50W 44-21 GMT
Glasgow 765,000 55.52N, 4.14W 44-41 GMT
Liverpool 545,000 53.25N, 2.55W 44-51 GMT
Sheffield 477,000 53.23N, 1.30W 44-742 GMT
Leeds 452,000 53.50N, 1.35W 44-532 GMT
Manchester 449,000 53.30N, 2.15W 44-61 GMT
Edinburgh 420,000 55.57N, 3.12W 44-31 GMT
Bristol 420,000 51.27N, 2.35W 44-272 GMT
Belfast 354,000 54.35N, 5.56W 44-232 GMT
Leicester 329,000 52.38N, 1.05W 44-533 GMT
Kingston upon Hull 325,000 53.45N, 0.20W 44- GMT
Coventry 323,000 52.25N, 1.30W 44-203 GMT
Bradford 295,000 53.48N, 1.45W 44-274 GMT
Nottingham 277,000 52.58N, 1.10W 44-602 GMT
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Area:
total area: 244,820 sq km
land area: 241,590 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Land boundaries: total 360 km, Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Northern Ireland question with Ireland;
Gibraltar question with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands
(Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British
Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving
Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a
boundary agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in
Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the
North Atlantic Current; more than half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling
plains in east and southeast
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron
ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
Land use:
arable land: 29%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 48%
forest and woodland: 9%
other: 14%
Irrigated land: 1,570 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute
to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes and
coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at
sea
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Desertification
Note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France
and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily
indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
@United Kingdom:People
Population: 58,295,119 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (female 5,572,189; male 5,843,192)
15-64 years: 65% (female 18,723,583; male 18,935,931)
65 years and over: 16% (female 5,471,383; male 3,748,841) (July 1995
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.27% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 13.18 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 10.66 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77 years
male: 74.18 years
female: 79.95 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British
Ethnic divisions: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh
1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1
million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu
350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)
note: the UK does not include a question on religion in its census
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales),
Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.)
total population: 99%
Labor force: 28.048 million
by occupation: services 62.8%, manufacturing and construction 25.0%,
government 9.1%, energy 1.9%, agriculture 1.2% (June 1992)
@United Kingdom:Government
Names:
conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland
conventional short form: United Kingdom
Abbreviation: UK
Digraph: UK
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26
districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas
England: 39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford,
Berkshire, Buckingham, Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall,
Cumbria, Derby, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester,
Greater London*, Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and
Worcester, Hertford, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire,
Leicester, Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland,
North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South
Yorkshire*, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West
Midlands*, West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire
Northern Ireland: 26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena,
Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,
Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady,
Lisburn, Londonderry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,
Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
Scotland: 9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and
Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*,
Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*
Wales: 8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys,
South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Guernsey, Hong Kong (scheduled to become a Special Administrative
Region of China on 1 July 1997), Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence: 1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second
Saturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir
Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the Queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
House of Lords: consists of a 1,200-member body, four-fifths are
hereditary peers, 2 archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and
retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers
House of Commons: elections last held 9 April 1992 (next to be held by
NA April 1997); results - Conservative 41.9%, Labor 34.5%, Liberal
Democratic 17.9%, other 5.7%; seats - (651 total) Conservative 336,
Labor 271, Liberal Democratic 20, other 24
Judicial branch: House of Lords
Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party, John
MAJOR; Labor Party, Anthony (Tony) Blair; Liberal Democrats (LD),
Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN; Scottish National Party, Alex SALMOND; Welsh
National Party (Plaid Cymru), Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY; Ulster Unionist
Party (Northern Ireland), James MOLYNEAUX; Democratic Unionist Party
(Northern Ireland), Rev. Ian PAISLEY; Ulster Popular Unionist Party
(Northern Ireland); Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP, Northern
Ireland), John HUME; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry ADAMS
Other political or pressure groups: Trades Union Congress;
Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC,
CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC,
EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO,
NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Robin William RENWICK
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-1340
FAX: [1] (202) 898-4255
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco,
consulate(s): Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Adm. William W. CROWE
embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (71) 499-9000
FAX: [44] (71) 409-1637
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of
England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of
Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the
diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known
as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the
Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including
dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
Economy
Overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and
financial centers, and its economy ranks among the four largest in
Western Europe. The economy is essentially capitalistic; over the past
13 years the ruling Tories have greatly reduced public ownership and
contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is
intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,
producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The
UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves, and primary energy
production accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any
industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and
business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance, now employing only
25% of the work force and generating only 21% of GDP. The economy
registered 4.2% GDP growth in 1994, its fastest annual rate for six
years. Exports and manufacturing output are the primary engines of
growth. Unemployment is gradually falling. Inflation is at the lowest
level in 27 years, but British monetary authorities raised interest
rates to 6.25% in 1994 in a preemptive strike on emerging inflationary
pressures such as higher taxes and rising manufacturing costs. The
combination of a buoyant economy and fiscal tightening is projected to
trim the FY94/95 budget shortfall to about $50 billion - down from
about $75 billion in FY93/94. The major economic policy question for
Britain in the 1990s is the terms on which it participates in the
financial and economic integration of Europe.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.0452 trillion
(1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $17,980 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 9.3% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $325.5 billion
expenditures: $400.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $33
billion (FY93/94 est.)
Exports: $200 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals,
semifinished goods, transport equipment
partners: EU countries 56.7% (Germany 14.0%, France 11.1%, Netherlands
7.9%), US 10.9%
Imports: $215 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods
partners: EU countries 51.7% (Germany 14.9%, France 9.3%, Netherlands
8.4%), US 11.6%
External debt: $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (1994)
Electricity:
capacity: 65,360,000 kW
production: 303 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 5,123 kWh (1993)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric
power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment,
shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and
communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper
and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other
consumer goods
Agriculture: accounts for only 1.5% of GDP; wide variety of crops and
livestock products
Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the
European market; producer of synthetic drugs; transshipment point for
Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1992-93), $3.2 billion
Currency: 1 British pound (#) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds (#) per US$1 - 0.6350 (January 1995),
0.6529 (1994), 0.6033 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603
(1990)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 16,888 km; note - several additional small standard-gauge and
narrow-gauge lines are privately owned and operated
broad gauge: 330 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track)
standard gauge: 16,558 km 1.435-m gauge (4,950 km electrified; 12,591
km double or multiple track)
Highways:
total: 360,047 km (includes Northern Ireland)
paved: 360,047 km (includes Northern Ireland; Great Britain has 3,100
km limited access divided highway)
Inland waterways: 2,291 total; British Waterways Board, 606 km; Port
Authorities, 706 km; other, 979 km
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum
products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith,
Liverpool, London, Manchester, Medway, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine:
total: 155 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,249,823 GRT/3,978,336
DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 24, chemical tanker 2, container 23,
liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 56, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 1,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger
13, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total: 505
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 10
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 174
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 91
with paved runways under 914 m: 172
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 27
@United Kingdom:Communications
Telephone system: 30,200,000 telephones; technologically advanced
domestic and international system
local: NA
intercity: NA equal mix of buried cables, microwave and optical-fiber
systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; 10 INTELSAT (7 Atlantic
Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 INMARSAT, and 1 EUTELSAT earth satellite;
at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0
radios: 70 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 207 (repeaters 3,210)
televisions: 20 million
@United Kingdom:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 14,429,485; males fit for
military service 12,041,935 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $35.1 billion, 3.1%
of GDP (FY95/96)
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