The largest island of Europe, and forming, with Ireland and the adjacent
islands, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The union of
England and Ireland was effected January 1, 1800.
Area of the kingdom, 120,832 square miles. Pop., 35,241,482. The divisions
are: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Capital, London; pop.,
4,766,661. Thirty-five cities have over 75,000 population. Climate is
variable but healthful. Average temperature, 50deg. Rainfall, London, 25
inches; Glasgow, 21; and Dublin, 29.
Middle-class education is entirely unorganized; no complete, trustworthy
statistics are to be had. There were, in 1884, 69 universities and
colleges, with 23,823 students. In 1881, there were 1,855 schools of
science, with 66,000 students. Number of public libraries, 202. The library
of the British Museum has 32 miles of shelves, filled with books. Number of
daily papers, 169.
Productive area in England is 80 per cent.; in Ireland, 74 per cent.;
Scotland, 28.8 per cent.; Wales, 60 per cent. Leading crops in Great
Britain, wheat, barley and oats. Acreage, 1884: wheat, 2,676,477; barley,
2,159,485; oats, 2,892,576. In Ireland, oats and potatoes are most
important; acreage of former, 1,347,395; of latter, 798,942. Number of
acres of flax, 89,197. Orchards of Great Britain cover 180,000 acres, and
produce 85,000 tons of apples.
The most important minerals are coal and iron. In 1883, coal product was
163,737,327 tons; value, $230,270,715. Iron ore, 17,383,046 tons; value,
$25,611,905. In 1883, 1,724,251 tons of pig iron were used in the
manufacture of Bessemer steel, 1,097,174 tons of it being made into steel
rails. Over 800 tons of steel are annually consumed in the manufacture of
pens, Birmingham alone using 500 tons; the average yearly production is
800,000,000.
The annual value of the fisheries is $50,000,000. Herring fishery alone
$10,000,000; salmon, $4,000,000; oysters and shell-fish, $10,000,000. Value
of the Scotch fisheries alone in 1884 was $16,431,210, the herring fishery
alone being $10,267,755. Total value of imports, 1884, $1,948,872,745;
exports of home produce, $1,164,537,875; foreign and colonial produce,
$312,218,575. Value of corn and flour imported 1882, $338,111,835. Value of
cotton manufactures exported was $382,228,785.
There are 2,674 cotton factories, employing 482,903 persons. Total number
of all factories, 7,105; number of persons employed, 975,546, of whom
110,585 are children under 13 years of age. Men employed, 38 per cent.;
women, 62 per cent. Amount of cotton imported, 1883, 1,734,333,552 lbs.;
wool, 495,946,779 lbs.
Standing army in time of peace unlawful without the consent of Parliament;
annual appropriation of Commons for support of troops, based on "estimates"
made by the Cabinet. For 1884 and 1885, home and colonial effectives and
reserves, 644,753.
Previous to 1815 there was but little emigration from the United Kingdom;
in that year the number was 2,081; in 1830-34, 381,956; 1875, 173,809;
1882, 413,288; and in 1884, 304,074, of whom 203,539 came to the United
States.
First railway opened in 1825. In 1883, there were 18,681 miles of railway;
13,215 belonging to England and Wales, 2,964 to Scotland, and 2,502 to
Ireland. Number of postoffices, 1884, 15,951; and, in addition, 15,749 road
and pillar boxes. There are 27,604 miles of telegraph lines, and 140,498
miles of wire.
The colonies and dependencies of Great Britain have an estimated area of
8,000,000 square miles. Of this vast extent of territory, over 3,500,000
square miles are in America, over 250,000 in Africa, over 1,000,000 in
Asia, and 3,000,000 in Australasia.
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BELGIUM. Bel'je-[)u]m.
A kingdom of West Central Europe. Formerly united with Holland to form the
Netherlands. Independence achieved in 1830. Executive power is vested in a
King; legislative, in King, Senate and House of Representatives.
The most densely populated of the European countries, Belgium ranks
eighteenth in area, but ninth in population. Area, 11,373 square miles.
One-sixtieth of the territory artificially gained by means of dykes. Length
of canal and river system, 995 miles. Capital, Brussels. Population,
389,782.
Agriculture chief industry. Only about one-eighth of territory
uncultivated. In 1882, population, 5,655,197; average density, 497 per
square mile; 1,160,149 freeholders held 88 per cent. of land.
This country is very rich in minerals. Over 17,500,000 tons of coal are
produced annually. Belgium is noted for its flax. The chief products are
wheat, rye, oats, barley, flax, hemp, tobacco. In 1880 there were 46,210
horses, 411,551 oxen, and 90,100 sheep.
Imports, 1882, $570,320,000; exports, $512,780,000. Manufactures are
important. About 190,000 persons employed in flax, hemp, woolen and cotton
manufactories. The lace of Brussels and the fire-arms of Liege are among
the finest in the world. The value of pig and wrought iron alone, in 1882,
was $34,473,260. Product of iron foundries about $3,000,000 per annum; of
quarries, $8,459,400.
Roman Catholicism professed by nearly the entire population. Education is
zealously promoted by the government; total sum spent, 1881, $6,503,670.
Four universities in the kingdom.
Total peace strength of the army, 1885, 47,872 men, with 9,000 horses and
204 guns; war footing, 227,900 men, 13,800 horses, and 240 guns.
Of the 2,682 miles of railroad operated in 1883, 1,902 miles were owned and
managed by the government. Number miles telegraph in 1884, 3,713;
postoffices, 869.