slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline:
12,429 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries
Climate:
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North
Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain:
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in
east and southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources:
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin,
limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate,
arable land
Land use:
arable land: 23.23%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 76.57% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
160.6 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%)
per capita: 197 cu m/yr (1994)
Natural hazards:
winter windstorms; floods
Environment - current issues:
continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol
target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the
legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut
in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government reduced the amount of
industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85%
of 1998 levels and recycled or composted at least 25% of household
waste, increasing to 33% by 2015
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and
linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily
indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
People ::United Kingdom
Population:
62,348,447 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.7% (male 5,233,756/female 4,986,131)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,774,192/female 20,246,519)
65 years and over: 16.2% (male 4,259,654/female 5,612,953) (2010
est.)
Median age:
total: 39.8 years
male: 38.6 years
female: 40.9 years (2010 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.563% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 151
Birth rate:
12.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
Death rate:
9.33 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 66
Net migration rate:
2.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 32
Urbanization:
urban population: 90% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.052 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.69 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 191
male: 5.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.92 years
country comparison to the world: 28
male: 77.84 years
female: 82.11 years (2010 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.92 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
77,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90
Nationality:
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British
Ethnic groups:
white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern
Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed
1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%,
Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001
census)
Languages:
English
note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about
30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 in
Scotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish
(about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some
2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of
schooling
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2008)
Education expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2007)
country comparison to the world: 43
Government ::United Kingdom
Country name:
conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK
Government type:
constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: London
geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas
dependencies or territories
Administrative divisions:
England: 27 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of
London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 56 unitary
authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*)
two-tier counties: Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria,
Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire,
Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire,
Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire,
Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk,
Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire
London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and
Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing,
Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,
Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and
Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London,
Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton,
Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford,
Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees,
Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North
Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton,
Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport,
Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral,
Wolverhampton
unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with
Darwen, Bedford, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton
and Hove, City of Bristol, Central Bedfordshire, Cheshire East,
Cheshire West and Chester, Cornwall, Darlington, Derby, Durham
County*, East Riding of Yorkshire, Halton, Hartlepool,
Herefordshire*, Isle of Wight*, Isles of Scilly*, City of Kingston
upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes,
North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset,
Northumberland*, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole,
Portsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Shropshire,
Slough, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea,
Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford and Wrekin,
Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Windsor and
Maidenhead, Wokingham, York
Northern Ireland: 26 district council areas
district council areas: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney,
Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,
Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne,
Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,
Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
Scotland: 32 council areas
council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute,
Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire,
East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of
Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City,
Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North
Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire,
Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The
Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian
Wales: 22 unitary authorities
unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff;
Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire;
Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port
Talbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff;
Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham
Dependent areas:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich
Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence:
12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes
current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland); notable earlier dates: 927 (minor English kingdoms
united); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting
England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England
and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England and
Scotland as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally
unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes
partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom
as Northern Ireland)
National holiday:
the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system:
based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of
Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; 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 David CAMERON (since 11 May 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition usually the prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (741 seats;
consisting of approximately 625 life peers, 91 hereditary peers, and
25 clergy - as of 15 December 2010) and House of Commons (650 seats
since 2010 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as
provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House
of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain
there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary
peerage arise); House of Commons - last held on 6 May 2010 (next to
be held by June 2015)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Conservative 36.1%, Labor 29%, Liberal Democrats 23%, other 11.9%;
seats by party - Conservative 305, Labor 258, Liberal Democrat 57,
other 30
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly
(because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer
of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of
1999 and has been suspended four times, the latest occurring in
October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the
first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the
most recent of which were held in May 2007
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of the UK (established in October 2009 taking over
appellate jurisdiction formerly vested in the House of Lords);
Senior Courts of England and Wales (comprising the Court of Appeal,
the High Court of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Court of
Judicature (Northern Ireland); Scotland's Court of Session and High
Court of the Justiciary
Political parties and leaders:
Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party or DUP
(Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Ed MILIBAND];
Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (Plaid
Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex
SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social
Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Margaret
RICHIE]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Tom ELLIOTT]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry;
National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council
(observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10,
IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW,
OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN
Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS,
UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Orlando
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Louis B. SUSMAN
embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000
FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description:
blue field 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);
properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union
Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been
the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth
countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British
overseas territories
National anthem:
name: "God Save the Queen"
lyrics/music: unknown
note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the
national and royal anthem of the United Kingdom; it is known as
either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the
gender of the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem
of many Commonwealth nations
Economy ::United Kingdom
Economy - overview:
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is the third
largest economy in Europe after Germany and France. Over the past
two decades, the government has 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 less than 2% of the labor
force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil resources, but
its oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became a
net importer of energy in 2005. Services, particularly banking,
insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest
proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance.
After emerging from recession in 1992, Britain's economy enjoyed the
longest period of expansion on record during which time growth
outpaced most of Western Europe. In 2008, however, the global
financial crisis hit the economy particularly hard, due to the
importance of its financial sector. Sharply declining home prices,
high consumer debt, and the global economic slowdown compounded
Britain's economic problems, pushing the economy into recession in
the latter half of 2008 and prompting the then BROWN government to
implement a number of measures to stimulate the economy and
stabilize the financial markets; these include nationalizing parts
of the banking system, cutting taxes, suspending public sector
borrowing rules, and moving forward public spending on capital
projects. Facing burgeoning public deficits and debt levels, the
CAMERON government in 2010 initiiated a five-year austerity program,
which aims to lower London's budget deficit from over 11% of GDP in
2010 to nearly 1% by 2015. The Bank of England periodically
coordinates interest rate moves with the European Central Bank, but
Britain remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union
(EMU).
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.189 trillion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
$2.154 trillion (2009 est.)
$2.268 trillion (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.259 trillion (2010 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
-5% (2009 est.)
-0.1% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$35,100 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
$34,800 (2009 est.)
$36,800 (2008 est.)
note: data are in 2010 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.9%
industry: 22.1%
services: 77.1% (2010 est.)
Labor force:
31.45 million (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 18.2%
services: 80.4% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
7.6% (2009 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 92
36.8 (1999)
Investment (gross fixed):
14.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 136
Public debt:
76.5% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
68.2% of GDP (2009 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
2.2% (2009 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
NA% (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 136
0.86% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
0.63% (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 152
4.63% (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of narrow money:
$88.62 billion (31 December 2010 est)
country comparison to the world: 33
$84.92 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Stock of broad money:
$3.344 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$3.199 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of domestic credit:
$5.151 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 6
$4.436 trillion (31 December 2008)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$2.796 trillion (31 December 2009)
country comparison to the world: 5
$1.852 trillion (31 December 2008)
$3.859 trillion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Industries:
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, other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate:
1.9% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 133
Electricity - production:
368.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - consumption:
345.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - exports:
1.272 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
12.29 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
1.502 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
Oil - consumption:
1.669 million bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 15
Oil - exports:
1.393 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Oil - imports:
1.491 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
Oil - proved reserves:
3.084 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - production:
58.56 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 16
Natural gas - consumption:
87.45 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Natural gas - exports:
12.17 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Natural gas - imports:
41.06 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
Natural gas - proved reserves:
292 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Current account balance:
-$40.34 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 185
-$23.65 billion (2009 est.)
Exports:
$405.6 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11
$356.2 billion (2009 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners:
US 14.71%, Germany 11.06%, France 8%, Netherlands 7.79%, Ireland
6.89%, Belgium 4.65%, Spain 4% (2009)
Imports:
$546.5 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$483.9 billion (2009 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Germany 12.87%, US 9.74%, China 8.88%, Netherlands 6.94%, France
6.64%, Belgium 4.86%, Norway 4.84%, Ireland 4.01%, Italy 3.99% (2009)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$NA (31 December 2010 est.)
$66.72 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.981 trillion (30 June 2010)
country comparison to the world: 3
$9.041 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.169 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.125 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.705 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.652 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
Exchange rates:
British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.6504 (2010), 0.6389 (2009),
0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006)
Communications ::United Kingdom
Telephones - main lines in use:
32.117 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 10
Telephones - mobile cellular:
80.375 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 14
Telephone system:
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and
international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems