Everything about U K totally explained
|population_estimate_rank = 22nd
|population_census = 58,789,194
(External Link
)
|population_census_year = 2001
|population_density_km2 = 246
|population_density_sq_mi = 637
|population_density_rank = 48th
|GDP_PPP_year = 2006
|GDP_PPP = US$2.270
trillion
|GDP_PPP_rank = 6th
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = US$37,328
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 13th
|GDP_nominal = $2.772
trillion
|GDP_nominal_rank = 5th
|GDP_nominal_year = 2007
|GDP_nominal_per_capita = US$45,845
|GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 9th
|HDI_year = 2005
|HDI = 0.946
|HDI_rank = 16th
|HDI_category =
high
|Gini = 34
|Gini_year = 2005
|currency =
Pound sterling (£)
|currency_code = GBP
|country_code = GBR
|time_zone =
GMT
|utc_offset = +0
|time_zone_DST =
BST
|utc_offset_DST = +1
|cctld =
.uk
|calling_code = 44
|footnotes = In the United Kingdom and Dependencies,
other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate
autochthonous (regional) languages under the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, the UK's official name is as follows:
; ; ; ; .
This is the royal motto. In Scotland, the royal motto is the
Latin phrase ("No-one provokes me with impunity"). There is a variant form of the coat-of-arms for use in Scotland; see
Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
See
#Symbols below. It serves as the
Royal anthem.
English is established by
de facto usage. In
Wales, the
Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg is tasked with ensuring that, "in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice, the English and
Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality".
Bòrd na Gàidhlig is tasked with "securing the status of the
Gaelic language as an
official language of
Scotland commanding equal respect to the English language".
Under the
European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages the Welsh, Scottish Gaelic,
Cornish,
Irish,
Ulster Scots and
Scots languages are officially recognised as
Regional or
Minority languages by the
UK Government. See also
Languages in the United Kingdom.
CIA Factbook. Official estimate provided by the UK
Office for National Statistics.
ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 is
GB, but
.gb is practically unused. The
.eu domain is shared with other
European Union member states.
}}
The
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the
United Kingdom, the
UK, or
Britain,
is a
sovereign island country located off the northwestern coast of
mainland Europe.
The UK includes the island of
Great Britain, the northeast part of the island of
Ireland and many small islands.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the
Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean, the
North Sea, the
English Channel and the
Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to
France by the
Channel Tunnel.
The United Kingdom is a
union of four
constituent countries:
England,
Northern Ireland,
Scotland and
Wales. The United Kingdom is a
parliamentary democracy with its
seat of government in
London, the
capital, and a
constitutional monarchy with
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as the
head of state. The
Crown Dependencies of the
Channel Islands and the
Isle of Man, formally possessions of
the Crown, are not part of the UK but form a
federacy with it. The UK has fourteen
overseas territories, all remnants of the
British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, making it the
largest empire in history. As a direct result of the empire, British influence can be observed in the language and culture of states such as
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
India,
Pakistan,
South Africa, and the
United States of America, and other less globally influential independent states. HM Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the
Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of the
Commonwealth realms.
The UK is a
developed country, with the
fifth (nominal GDP) or
sixth (PPP) largest
economy in the world. It was the world's foremost
power during the 19th and early 20th century, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains strong economic, cultural, military and political influence and is a
nuclear power, with the
second or third (depending on method of calculation) highest defence spending in the world. It holds a permanent seat on the
United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the
G8,
NATO,
WTO, the
European Union and the
Commonwealth of Nations.
History
The
Treaty of Union, put into effect by the
Acts of Union passed by the Parliaments of
England and
Scotland in 1707, created a
political union in the form of a united
Kingdom of Great Britain. Almost a century later, the
Act of Union 1800 united the
Kingdom of Ireland with the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to 1707, England and Scotland had existed as separate sovereign and independent states with their own
monarchs and political structures from the 9th century. Though the Scottish King,
James VI, became King of England as well in 1603, creating a
personal union between the kingdoms, the countries had remained separate. The once independent
Principality of Wales, on the other hand, was brought into the union in 1707 as it had been annexed to England under the
Laws in Wales Acts of
1535 and
1542, having fallen under the control of English monarchs from the
Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. Ireland had been gradually brought under English control between 1541 and
1691, but only joined to form the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.
In its first century, the United Kingdom played an important role in developing
Western ideas of
parliamentary democracy as well as making significant contributions to
literature, the
arts and
science. The UK-led
Industrial Revolution transformed the country and fuelled the
British Empire. During this time, like other
Great Powers, the UK was involved in colonial exploitation, including the
slave trade, though the passing of the 1807
Slave Trade Act made the UK the first country to prohibit trade in slaves.
After the defeat of
Napoleon in the
Napoleonic Wars, the UK became the principal naval power of the 19th century. Though it lost its industrial leadership towards the end of the
Victorian era, the United Kingdom remained an eminent power and its empire expanded to its maximum size by 1921, gaining the
League of Nations mandate over former German and Ottoman colonies after
World War I.
Long simmering tensions in Ireland led to the
partition of the island in 1920, followed by independence for the
Irish Free State in 1922. Six of the nine
counties of the
province of
Ulster remained within the UK, which then
changed to the current name in 1927 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
After
World War I, the world's first large-scale international broadcasting network, the
BBC, was created. Britain fought
Nazi Germany in
World War II, with its
Commonwealth allies including
Canada,
Australia,
New Zealand,
South Africa and
India, later to be joined by further
allies such as the United States. Wartime leader
Winston Churchill and his peacetime successor
Clement Atlee helped plan the post-war world as part of the "Big Three". World War II left the United Kingdom financially damaged.
Loans taken out during and after World War II from both Canada and the United States were economically costly but, along with post-war
Marshall aid, the UK began the road to recovery.
The immediate post-war years saw the establishment of the British
Welfare State, including one of the world's first and most comprehensive public
health services, while the demands of a recovering economy brought people from all over the
Commonwealth to create a
multiethnic Britain. Although the new post-war limits of Britain's
political role were confirmed by the
Suez Crisis of 1956, the international spread of the
language meant the continuing impact of its literature and
culture, while at the same time from the 1960s its
popular culture found influence abroad. Following a period of global economic slowdown and industrial strife in the 1970s, the 1980s saw the inflow of substantial
oil revenues and economic growth. The premiership of
Margaret Thatcher marked a significant change of direction from the post-war political and economic consensus; a path that wasn't reversed by the
New Labour government of
Tony Blair in 1997.
The United Kingdom was one of the 12 founding members of the
European Union at its launch in 1992 with the signing of the
Treaty on European Union. Prior to that, it had been a member of the EU's forerunner, the
European Economic Community (EEC), from 1973. The attitude of the present
Labour government towards further integration with this organisation is mixed, with the
Conservative Party favouring a return of some powers and competencies to the state, and the
Liberal Democrats supportive of current engagement.
The end of the 20th century witnessed a major change to the government of the United Kingdom with
devolution to
Scotland and
Wales taking effect in 1999. The creation of the devolved
Scottish parliament in particular, with powers to legislate over a wide range of issues, is beginning to add to differences between the
constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It has brought to the fore the so-called
West Lothian question which is a complaint that devolution for Scotland and Wales but not England has created a situation where MPs in the UK parliament can vote on matters affecting England alone but on those same matters Scotland and Wales can make their own decisions. In 2007, the
Scottish National Party (SNP) won the
Scottish parliament elections and formed a
minority government. New
First Minister,
Alex Salmond, hopes to hold a referendum on whether "to negotiate with the Government of the United Kingdom to achieve
independence for Scotland" before 2011. If a referendum is held, an opinion poll in April 2008 suggested the result could be close as support for independence had reached 41% with just 40% supporting retention of the Union. The response of the unionist parties has been to call for the establishment of a Commission to examine further devolution of powers, a position that has the support of the Prime Minister.
Government and politics
The United Kingdom is a
constitutional monarchy with
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as head of state; the
monarch of the UK serves as head of state of
fifteen other Commonwealth countries, putting the UK in a
personal union with those other states. The
Crown has sovereignty over the
Isle of Man and the
Bailiwicks of
Jersey and
Guernsey. Collectively, these three territories are known as the
Crown dependencies, lands owned by the
British monarch but not part of the United Kingdom. They are not part of the
European Union. However, the Parliament of the United Kingdom has the authority to legislate for the dependencies, and the British government manages their foreign affairs and defence.
The UK has fourteen
overseas territories around the world, the last remaining territories of the
British Empire. The overseas territories are not considered part of the UK, but in most cases, the local populations have British citizenship and the right of abode in the UK. This has been the case since 2002.
The UK has a
parliamentary government based on strong democratic traditions: the
Westminster system has been emulated around the world — a legacy of the
British Empire.
The UK's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists mostly of written sources, including
statutes, judge made
case law, and international treaties. As there's no technical difference between ordinary statutes and
law considered to be "constitutional law," the
British Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing
Acts of Parliament and thus has the
power to change or abolish almost any written or unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments can't change. The United Kingdom is one of the three countries in the world today that doesn't have a codified
constitution (the other two being
New Zealand and
Israel).
The position of
Prime Minister, the UK's
head of government, belongs to the
current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the
House of Commons. The Prime Minister and their Cabinet are formally appointed by the Monarch to form
Her Majesty's Government. However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, HM The Queen respects the Prime Minister's choices. The
Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, and mostly from the House of Commons, to which
they are responsible. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet, all of whom are sworn into
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and become
Ministers of the Crown.
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, leader of the
Labour Party, has been Prime Minister,
First Lord of the Treasury and
Minister for the Civil Service since
27 June 2007.
The
Parliament of the United Kingdom that meets in the
Palace of Westminster, is the ultimate legislative authority in the United Kingdom. A devolved parliament in
Scotland and devolved assemblies in
Northern Ireland, and
Wales were established following public approval as expressed in
referenda, but these are not sovereign bodies and could be abolished by the UK parliament. The UK parliament is made up of two houses: an elected
House of Commons and an appointed
House of Lords, and any Bill passed requires the
assent of HM The Queen to become law. For elections to the House of Commons, the UK is divided into
646 constituencies, with 529 in England, 18 in Northern Ireland,
59 in Scotland and 40 in Wales. Each constituency elects one Member of Parliament by
simple plurality. General Elections are called by the Monarch when the Prime Minister so advises. Though there's no minimum term for a Parliament, a new election must be called within five years of the previous general election.
Questions over sovereignty have been brought forward due to the UK's membership of the
European Union.
The UK's three
major political parties are the
Labour Party, the
Conservative Party, and the
Liberal Democrats, winning between them 616 out of the 646 seats available in the House of Commons at the
2005 General Election. Most of the remaining seats were won by parties that only contest elections in one part of the UK such as the
Scottish National Party (Scotland only),
Plaid Cymru (Wales only), and the
Democratic Unionist Party,
Social Democratic and Labour Party,
Ulster Unionist Party, and
Sinn Féin (Northern Ireland only, though Sinn Féin also contests elections in
Ireland). In accordance with party policy, no elected Sinn Féin Member of Parliament has ever attended the House of Commons to speak in the House on behalf of their constituents as Members of Parliament are required to take an oath of allegiance to the Monarch. However, the current five
Sinn Féin MPs have since 2002 made use of the offices and other facilities available at Westminster.
Devolved national administrations
Northern Ireland,
Scotland and
Wales each has a
devolved,
unicameral legislature and its own
government or Executive, led by a
First Minister. England, despite being the largest country of the United Kingdom, has no devolved executive or legislature and is ruled and legislated for directly by the UK government and parliament. This situation has given rise to the so-called
West Lothian question which concerns the fact that MPs from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales help decide the laws that apply to England alone.
The
Scottish Parliament has wide ranging legislative powers over any matter that hasn't been specifically '
reserved' to the UK parliament, including
education,
healthcare,
Scots law and
local government. Following the
2007 elections,
Alex Salmond, leader of the
Scottish National Party, became
First Minister of Scotland as head of a minority
SNP government. The pro-union parties responded to the electoral success of the SNP by creating a commission to examine the case for devolving additional powers while excluding
Scottish independence as an option, though the leader of the Scottish Labour Party, Wendy Alexander, has now indicated that Labour will support calls for independence to be placed before the people in a referendum in the hope that a vote to reject independence would settle the constitutional debate for a generation.
The
National Assembly for Wales has more limited devolved powers than those devolved to Scotland though it may move towards additional powers in the near future. The
Northern Ireland Assembly has powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland.
Local government
Each country of the United Kingdom has its own system of local government, with power over local government in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland being devolved. For more ceremonial purposes, HM The Queen appoints a
Lord-Lieutenant as her personal representative in lieutenancy areas across the UK.
City status, which is governed by
Royal Charter, can also be conferred separate from local government arrangements. Though there are sixty-six cities in the UK - fifty in England; six in Scotland; five in Wales; and five in Northern Ireland - a number of these don't form separate local government units.
The upper-tier
subdivisions of England are the nine intermediate-level
Government Office Regions. Each region is made up of
counties and
unitary authority areas, apart from
London, which consists of 32
London boroughs. London voted in favour of having a directly elected assembly in 1998 and it was intended that other regions would also be given their own elected
regional assemblies, but a rejection by a
referendum in 2004 of a proposed assembly in the
North East region stopped this idea in its tracks. Below the region level and excluding London, England either has
county councils and district councils or
unitary authorities.
Northern Ireland is presently divided into 26 districts for local government purposes though these councils don't carry out the same range of functions as would be the case in the rest of the United Kingdom. However, on 13 March 2008, the Executive agreed on proposals to create 11 new councils to replace the present system.
Scotland is divided into
32 council areas with wide variation in both size and population. The cities of
Glasgow,
Edinburgh,
Aberdeen and
Dundee are separate council areas as also is
Highland Council which includes a third of Scotland's area but just over 200,000 people. The power invested in local authorities is administered by elected councillors, of which there are currently 1,222 who are each paid a part-time salary. Elections are conducted by
Single Transferable Vote in multi-member wards that elect either three or four councillors. Each council elects a
Provost or
Convenor to chair meetings of the council and to act as a figurehead for the area.
Local government in Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities, including the cities of
Cardiff,
Swansea and
Newport which are separate unitary authorities in their own right.
Foreign relations and armed forces
United Nations Security Council, a member of the
G8 and
NATO, and a member state of the
European Union. The UK has a "
Special Relationship" with the
United States. Apart from the US and
Europe, Britain's close allies include
Commonwealth nations,
Ireland and other
English speaking countries. Britain's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations and its armed forces, which maintain approximately eighty military installations and other deployments around the globe.
The
Army,
Navy and
Air Force are collectively known as the British Armed Forces (or Her Majesty's Armed Forces) and officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. The
commander-in-chief is the monarch, HM
Queen Elizabeth II and they're managed by the
Ministry of Defence. The armed forces are controlled by the
Defence Council, chaired by the
Chief of the Defence Staff.
The United Kingdom fields one of the most technologically advanced and best trained armed forces in the world. According to various sources, including the
Ministry of Defence, the UK has the second highest
military expenditure in the world, despite only having the 27th largest military in terms of
manpower. Total defence spending currently accounts for 2.2% of total national
GDP, compared to 4.4% at the end of the
Cold War. It is the second largest spender on military science, engineering and technology. The Royal Navy is considered to be the only other
blue-water navy along with those of
France and the
United States. The British Armed Forces are equipped with advanced weapons systems, including the
Challenger 2 tank and the
Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighter. The Ministry of Defence confirmed the acquisition of two new
super carrier sized
aircraft carriers on
25 July 2007.
The United Kingdom is one of the
five recognised countries possessing nuclear weapons, utilising the
Vanguard class submarine-based
Trident II ballistic missile system.
The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its
overseas territories, promoting the United Kingdom's global security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They are active and regular participants in
NATO, including the
Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, as well as the
Five Power Defence Arrangements and other worldwide coalition operations. Overseas garrisons and facilities are maintained at
Ascension Island,
Belize,
Brunei,
Canada,
Diego Garcia, the
Falkland Islands,
Germany,
Gibraltar,
Kenya, and
Cyprus.
The
British Army had a reported strength of 102,440 in 2005, the
Royal Air Force a strength of 49,210 and the 36,320-strong
Royal Navy, which includes the
Royal Marines, who provide
commando units specialising in
amphibious warfare.
The
United Kingdom Special Forces, provide troops trained for quick, mobile, military responses in
counter-terrorism, land, maritime and
amphibious operations, often where secrecy or covert tactics are required.
There are reserve forces supporting the regular military. These include the
Territorial Army, the
Royal Naval Reserve,
Royal Marines Reserve and the
Royal Auxiliary Air Force. This puts total active and reserve duty military personnel at approximately 429,500, deployed in over eighty countries.
Despite the United Kingdom's military capabilities, recent pragmatic defence policy has a stated assumption that "the most demanding operations" would be undertaken as part of a coalition. Setting aside the
intervention in Sierra Leone, operations in
Bosnia,
Kosovo,
Afghanistan and
Iraq may all be taken as precedent. Indeed the last war in which the British military fought alone was the
Falklands War of 1982, in which they were victorious.
Law
The United Kingdom doesn't have a single legal system due to it being created by the political union of previously independent countries and the terms of the
Treaty of Union guaranteeing the continued existence of Scotland's separate legal system. Today the UK has three distinct
systems of law:
English law and
Northern Ireland law are based on
common-law principles whereas
Scots law is a hybrid system based on both common-law and
civil-law principles. The Appellate Committee of the
House of Lords (usually just referred to as "The House of Lords") is presently the highest court for both criminal and civil cases in
England,
Wales, and
Northern Ireland, and for civil cases under Scots law. Recent constitutional changes will see the powers of the House of Lords transfer to a new
Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. The
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, (comprising the same members as the Appellate Committee of the
House of Lords), is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies.
English law applies in
England and Wales. The essence of English common law is that it's made by
judges sitting in
courts, applying their common sense and knowledge of
legal precedent (
stare decisis) to the facts before them. The
court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales, consisting of the
Court of Appeal, the
High Court of Justice (for civil cases) and the
Crown Court (for criminal cases). The Appellate Committee of the
House of Lords (usually just referred to, as "The House of Lords") is presently the highest court in the land for both criminal and civil cases in
England,
Wales, and
Northern Ireland. A decision of the highest
appeal court in England and Wales, the
House of Lords, is binding on every other court in
the hierarchy, and that'll follow its directions.
Scots law applies in
Scotland. The chief courts are the
Court of Session, for civil cases, and the
High Court of Justiciary, for criminal cases, while the
sheriff court undertakes almost all the functions of the English County Court but also conducts criminal
trials with a jury (Sheriff solemn Court) or with a Sheriff and no jury (Sheriff summary Court). The Appellate Committee of the
House of Lords (usually just referred to as "The House of Lords") presently serves as the highest court of appeal for civil cases under Scots law. The Scots legal system is unique in having three possible
verdicts for a criminal trial: "
guilty", "
not guilty" and "
not proven". Both "not guilty" and "not proven" result in an
acquittal with no possibility of
retrial.
Geography
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland comprises the island of Great Britain (most of England, Scotland and Wales) and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with smaller islands. The mainland lies between latitudes 49° and 59° N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61° N), and longitudes 8° W to 2° E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the defining point of the
Prime Meridian. The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within of the northwest coast of France, from which it's separated by the
English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a land boundary with
Ireland. The Channel Tunnel ("Chunnel") now links the UK with France beneath the English Channel. The greatest distance between two points on the UK mainland of Great Britain is between
Land's End in
Cornwall (near
Penzance) and
John O'Groats in
Caithness (near
Thurso), a two day journey by car. When measured directly north-south it's a little over in length and is a fraction under at its widest. The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately .
The United Kingdom has a temperate
climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons but seldom drops below or rises above . The prevailing wind is from the southwest, bearing frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern parts are most sheltered from this wind and are therefore the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the
Gulf Stream, bring mild winters, especially in the west, where winters are wet, especially over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it rarely settles to great depth away from high ground.
England accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK, covering . Most of the country consists of lowland terrain, and mountainous terrain north-west of the
Tees-Exe line. Mountain chains are found in the north-west (
Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District), north (the upland moors of the
Pennines and
limestone hills of the
Peak District) and south-west (
Exmoor and
Dartmoor). Lower ranges include the
limestone hills of the
Isle of Purbeck,
Cotswolds and
Lincolnshire Wolds, and the
chalk downs of the
Southern England Chalk Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are the
Thames,
Severn and the
Humber Estuary. England's highest mountain is
Scafell Pike, which is in the
Lake District . England has a number of large towns and cities and, in terms of
Larger Urban Zones, has six of the top 50 Zones in the European Union.
Scotland accounts for about a third of the total area of the UK, covering . The topography of Scotland is distinguished by the
Highland Boundary Fault a
geological rock fracture which traverses the Scottish mainland from
Helensburgh to
Stonehaven. The faultline separates two distinctively different regions; namely the
Highlands to the north and west and the
lowlands to the south and east. The more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous terrain, including the highest peak,
Ben Nevis, at . Lowland areas, in the southern part of Scotland, are flatter and home to most of the population, especially the narrow waist of land between the
Firth of Clyde and the
Firth of Forth known as the
Central Belt.
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, although
Edinburgh is the
capital and political centre of the country. Scotland also has nearly eight hundred
islands, mainly west and north of the mainland, notably the
Hebrides,
Orkney Islands and
Shetland Islands.
Wales accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK, covering just . Wales is mostly mountainous though
South Wales is less mountainous than North and Mid Wales. The main population and industrial areas are in
South Wales, consisting of the cities of
Cardiff,
Swansea and
Newport and surrounding
South Wales Valleys. The highest mountains in Wales are in
Snowdonia, and include
Snowdon (
Yr Wyddfa in Welsh), which, at 1,085 m (3,560 ft) is the highest peak in Wales. The 14 (or possibly 15) Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high are known collectively as the
Welsh 3000s. Wales borders England to the east and the sea in the other three directions: the
Bristol Channel to the south,
St George's Channel to the west, and the
Irish Sea to the north. Wales has over 1,200 km (750 miles) of coastline. There are several
islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being
Anglesey (
Ynys Môn) in the northwest.
Northern Ireland accounts for just and is mostly hilly. It includes
Lough Neagh, at, the largest body of water in the UK and
Ireland. The highest peak is
Slieve Donard at in the province's
Mourne Mountains.
Cities and conurbations
The capitals of the individual countries of the UK are:
Belfast (Northern Ireland),
Cardiff (Wales),
Edinburgh (Scotland) and
London (England), which is also the capital of the UK as a whole.
The largest conurbations are as follows:
Demography
Population, migration and ethnicity
At the April
2001 UK Census, the total population of the United Kingdom was 58,789,194, the third largest in the
European Union (behind
Germany and
France), the fifth largest in the
Commonwealth and the twenty-first largest in the world. By mid-2006, this had been estimated to have increased to 60,587,300 with England's population estimated to be 50,762,900, Scotland at 5,116,900, Wales at 2,965,900 and Northern Ireland at 1,741,600.
Much of this increase was due to net
immigration but was also due to a rising
birth rate and increasing life expectancy.
Though the UK's overall
population density is one of the highest in the world, this masks differences between the countries of the UK: In 2003, England was the most densely populated with 383 people resident per square kilometre, whereas the corresponding figures were 142 people for Wales, 125 for Northern Ireland and 65 for Scotland. About a quarter of the UK population lives in England's prosperous south-east and is predominantly urban and suburban, with an estimated 7,517,700 in the capital of London.
In 2006, the average
total fertility rate (TFR) across the UK was 1.84 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1 but higher than the 2001 record low of 1.63. Within the UK, England and Wales, at 1.86, were both close to the UK average, but Scotland was lower at only 1.67. The UK's TFR was considerably higher during the 1960s 'baby boom', peaking at 2.95 children per woman in 1964.
The present day population of the UK is descended from varied ethnic stocks though mainly:
pre-Celtic,
Celtic, Roman,
Anglo-Saxon, and the
Normans. Since 1945, international ties forged by the
British Empire have contributed to substantial immigration, especially from
Africa,
Caribbean and
South Asia. Since EU citizens are free to live and work in other EU member states, the accession of new to the EU of new member states from
Central and
Eastern Europe in 2004 has resulted in rising immigration from these countries. As of
2001, 7.9%
of the UK population identified themselves as an
ethnic minority. As of 2007, 22% of primary school children and 17.7% of children at secondary school in England were from ethnic minority families.
Ethnic diversity varies significantly across the UK. 30.4 per cent of London's population and 37.4 per cent of
Leicester's was estimated to be non-white as of June 2005, whereas less than 5 per cent of the populations of
North East England, Wales and the
South West were from ethnic minorities according to the 2001 census.
In contrast with some other European countries, high
foreign-born immigration is contributing to a rising population, accounting for about half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001. The latest official figures (2006) show net immigration to the UK of 191,000 (591,000 immigrants and 400,000 emigrants) up from 185,000 in 2005 (overall, there was a loss of 126,000 Britons and a gain of 316,000 foreign citizens). One in six were from
Eastern European countries, with larger numbers coming from
New Commonwealth countries. Immigration from the
Indian subcontinent, mainly fuelled by family reunion, accounted for two-thirds of net immigration. By contrast, at least 5.5 million British-born people are living abroad. The most popular emigrant destinations were
Australia,
Spain,
France,
New Zealand and the
U.S.
A study by a city forecaster, however, contends that the above immigration figures are unreliable and that net immigration for 2005 was
circa 400,000. Nonetheless, the proportion of foreign-born people in the UK population remains slightly below that of some other European countries.
In 2004, the number of people who became British citizens rose to a record 140,795 - a rise of 12% on the previous year. This number had risen dramatically since 2000. The overwhelming majority of new citizens come from
Africa (32%) and
Asia (40%), the largest three groups being people from
Pakistan,
India and
Somalia. In 2006, there were 149,035 applications for British citizenship, 32% fewer than in 2005. The number of people granted citizenship during 2006 was 154,095, 5% fewer than in 2005. The largest groups of people granted British citizenship were from India, Pakistan, Somalia and the Philippines. 21.9% of babies born in England and Wales in 2006 were born to mothers who were born outside the UK, (146,956 out of 669,601), according to official statistics released in 2007 that also show the highest
birth rates for 26 years. As in the rest of the European Union, however, the birth rate remains
below the replacement rate.
When the EU enlarged further east in
2004 and again in
2007, this gave the right for nationals from countries like
Poland,
Slovakia,
Lithuania, and more recently
Romania and
Bulgaria to live in the UK. Figures published in August 2007 indicated that 682,940 people applied to the
Worker Registration Scheme (for nationals of the central and eastern European states that joined the EU in May 2004) between
1 May 2004 and
31 June 2007, of whom 656,395 were accepted. Self-employed workers and people who are not working (including students) are not required to register under the scheme so this figure represents a lower limit on immigration inflow. These figures don't indicate the number of immigrants who have since returned home, but 56% of applicants in the 12 months ending 30 June 2007 reported planning to stay for a maximum of three months, with net migration in 2005 from the new EU states standing at 64,000.
National Insurance Number data suggests that 2.5 million foreign workers moved to the UK to work (including those moving for short periods), the majority from EU countries, between 2002 and 2007.
The UK government is currently introducing a new
points-based immigration system to replace the existing schemes for immigration from outside of the
European Economic Area.
Languages
Though the UK doesn't
de jure have an official language, the predominant
spoken language is
English, a
West Germanic language descended from
Old English featuring a large number of borrowings from
Old Norse,
Norman French and
Latin. The English language has spread across the world (largely due to the British Empire) and has thus become
the business language of the world. Worldwide, it's
taught as a second language more than any other.
The other indigenous languages of the UK are
Scots (which is closely related to English) and four
Celtic languages. The latter fall into two groups: two P-Celtic languages (
Welsh and
Cornish); and two Q-Celtic languages (
Irish and
Scottish Gaelic). Celtic dialectal influences from
Cumbric persisted in Northern England for centuries, most famously in a unique set of numbers used for counting sheep (see
Yan Tan Tethera). According to the 2001 census, just above 20% of the population of Wales claim to be able to speak Welsh which represents a slight increase on 1991. In addition, it's estimated that about 200,000 Welsh speakers live in England. Welsh and Scottish Gaelic are also spoken by small groups around the globe with some
Gaelic still spoken in
Nova Scotia,
Canada, and Welsh in
Patagonia,
Argentina.
Immigrant languages constitute for up to 10% of the UK's population,
French is spoken by 2.3% of the country's population, 1.0% of Britons speak
Polish reflecting the recent mass migration to the UK. 0.9% of the UK's population speak
German and 0.8%
Spanish. The majority of other foreign languages spoken in the UK originate from
Europe,
Asia and
Africa. A large percentage of the immigrants to the UK come from
Anglophone countries (such as
Nigeria,
Jamaica,
Hong Kong and the
Philippines), which is why there isn't a great deal of diversity between some of the country's ethnic minority communities.
Religion
While the United Kingdom has a long tradition of
Christianity and a link between
church and state still remains in England, in practice the UK is a predominantly
secular society with only 38% proclaiming a belief in a
God. People identify themselves with
religion in the UK for both cultural and religious reasons and this is reflected by the disparity between the figures for those proclaiming a belief in a
God and those identifying themselves with a particular religion. Christianity has the largest number of adherents followed by Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism.
Christianity
Christianity is the major religion with many Christian
churches,
denominations, and
groups. The
Tearfund Survey in 2007 revealed 53% identified themselves as Christian. The report compared this to the 2004 British Social Attitudes Survey in which the results were very similar, and to the 2001 UK Census in which 71.6% said that Christianity was their religion, although noting that the latter used "a softer question".
The Church of England, which split from
Rome in 1534 (see
English Reformation) is, today, the '
established' Church in England and the senior branch of the worldwide
Anglican Communion. The
British monarch is required to be a member of the Church of England under the
Act of Settlement 1701 and is its
Supreme Governor. The
Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop of the Church. The direct influence of the
Church of England has been on the decline for years, but the church retains a
representation in the
UK Parliament and the right to draft legislative measures (usually related to religious administration), through the
General Synod, that can be passed into law, but not amended by Parliament.
The
Church of Scotland (known informally as the
Kirk), which broke with Rome in 1560 (see
Calvinism and
Scottish Reformation) is a
Presbyterian church, recognised as the
national church of Scotland, and not subject to state control. The British monarch is an ordinary member, and is required to swear an oath to "defend the security" of the Church at the coronation. The
Scottish Episcopal Church, which is now part of the Anglican Communion, dates from the final establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland in 1690, when it split from the Church of Scotland, and isn't a 'daughter church' of the Church of England. Further splits in the Church of Scotland, especially in the nineteenth century, led to the creation of various other Presbyterian churches in Scotland, including the
Free Church of Scotland.
In the 1920s, the
Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and became '
disestablished'. The Church in Wales remains in the
Anglican Communion.
Methodism and other independent churches are traditionally strong in Wales.
The Anglican
Church of Ireland was disestablished in the nineteenth century. It covers the entire island of
Ireland (both
Northern Ireland and
Ireland). In Northern Ireland the
Catholic Church in Ireland is the largest single denomination, although
Protestants are in the majority overall. The
Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the largest Protestant denomination and is in terms of theology and history closely linked to the Church of Scotland
The
Roman Catholic Church is the second largest denomination of Christianity in the UK. After the
Protestant Reformation, strict laws were passed against Catholics; these were removed by the
Catholic Emancipation laws in 1829. There are separate Catholic hierarchies for
England and Wales,
Scotland and
Ireland.
Other large Christian groups include the
Methodists (founded by
John Wesley in London) and the
Baptists. There are also growing
Evangelical and
Pentecostal churches, many of which have flourished with
immigration from around the
Commonwealth and beyond. Pentecostal churches are now third after the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church in terms of church attendance.
Other religions
Muslims in the United Kingdom are believed to number 1.8 million.
Mosques are present in most regions: The biggest groups are of
Pakistani,
Indian and
Bangladeshi origin. More recently,
refugees from
Somalia,
Northern Cyprus, the
Balkans and
Arab countries have increased Britain's Muslim population. The 2006 controversy over the
burqa, brought up in comments by politician
Jack Straw, reflects a split between some Britons
questioning Muslim integration with British society, and others who believe that wearing the veil is compatible with it, in Britain.
Religions of Indian origin, such as
Hinduism,
Sikhism,
Buddhism and
Jainism are followed in Britain. As of the 2001 census, there are about 560,000 Hindus and 340,000 Sikhs.
Buddhism is practised by about 150,000 people. It is likely that these figures have increased since 2001. One
non-governmental organisation estimates that there are 800,000 Hindus in the UK.
Leicester houses one of the world's few
Jain temples that are outside of India.
There are approximately 270,000
Jews in Britain, according to the 2001 census.
The United Kingdom has a large and growing
atheist and
agnostic population with 13,626,000 (23.2% of the UK population) either claiming
no religion or not answering the question on religion at the 2001 census.
Economy
The UK economy is made up (in descending order of size) of the economies of
England,
Scotland,
Wales and
Northern Ireland. The British started the
Industrial Revolution, and, like most industrialising countries at the time, initially concentrated on heavy industries such as
shipbuilding,
coal mining,
steel production, and
textiles. The empire created an overseas market for British products, allowing the United Kingdom to dominate international trade in the 19th century. However, as other nations industrialised, coupled with economic decline after two world wars, the United Kingdom began to lose its competitive advantage and heavy industry declined, by degrees, throughout the 20th century. The British service sector, however, has grown substantially, and now makes up about 73% of GDP.
The service sector of the United Kingdom is dominated by
financial services, especially in banking and insurance. London is the world's largest financial centre with the
London Stock Exchange, the
London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, and the
Lloyd's of London insurance market all based in the
City of London. It has the largest concentration of foreign bank branches in the world. In the past decade, a rival financial centre in London has grown in the
Docklands area, with
HSBC and
Barclays Bank relocating their head offices there. Many multinational companies that are not primarily UK-based have chosen to site their European or rest-of-world headquarters in London: an example is the US financial services firm
Citigroup. The Scottish capital,
Edinburgh, has one of the large financial centres of
Europe.
London is a major centre for
international business and commerce and is the leader of the three "command centres" for
the global economy (along with
New York City and
Tokyo). In recent years, the UK economy has been managed in accordance with principles of market liberalisation and low taxation and regulation. Based on
market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is the fifth largest economy in the world, and the second largest in Europe after
Germany.
Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 million tourists a year, the United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world.
The British manufacturing sector, however, has greatly diminished, relative to the economy as a whole, since World War II. It is still a significant part of the economy, but only accounted for one-sixth of national output in 2003. The
British motor industry is a significant part of this sector, although it has diminished with the collapse of
MG Rover and most of the industry is foreign owned. Civil and defence aircraft production is led by the United Kingdom's largest aerospace firm,
BAE Systems, and the continental European firm
EADS, the owner of
Airbus.
Rolls-Royce holds a major share of the global aerospace engines market. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is strong in the UK, with the world's second and sixth largest pharmaceutical firms (
GlaxoSmithKline and
AstraZeneca, respectively) being based in the UK.
The
creative industries accounted for 7.3% GVA in 2004 and grew at an average of 5% per annum between 1997 and 2004.
The United Kingdom's agriculture sector accounts for only 0.9% of the country's GDP.
The UK has a small
coal reserve along with significant
natural gas, and
oil reserves.
Government involvement throughout the economy is exercised by the
Chancellor of the Exchequer (currently
Alistair Darling) who heads
HM Treasury, but the
Prime Minister (currently
The Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP), is
First Lord of the Treasury; the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Second Lord of the Treasury. However since 1997, the
Bank of England, headed by the
Governor of the Bank of England, has control of interest rates and other monetary policy.
As of 2007, United Kingdom's
