Britain Facts & Figures
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Location:
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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 |
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Geographic coordinates:
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54 00 N, 2 00 W |
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Map references:
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Europe |
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Area:
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total: 244,820 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
land: 241,590 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Oregon |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 360 km
border countries: Ireland 360 km |
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Coastline:
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12,429 km |
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Maritime claims:
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continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in
accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North
Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
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Terrain:
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mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east
and southeast |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m |
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Natural resources:
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coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay,
chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 26.41%
permanent crops: 0.18%
other: 73.41% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,080 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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winter windstorms; floods |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 towards a domestic goal of a 20% cut in
emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government aims to reduce the amount of
industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of
1998 levels and to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste,
increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, household
recycling increased from 8.8% to 10.3% |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
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Geography - note:
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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
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Population:
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60,094,648 (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 18.3% (male 5,621,590; female 5,350,319)
15-64 years: 66.1% (male 20,067,529; female 19,626,123)
65 years and over: 15.6% (male 3,987,457; female 5,441,630) (2003
est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 38.4 years
male: 37.3 years
female: 39.5 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.3% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.99 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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10.21 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 5.28 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.89 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 78.16 years
male: 75.74 years
female: 80.7 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.66 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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34,000 (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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460 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British |
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Ethnic groups:
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English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West
Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8% |
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Religions:
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Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian
800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000 |
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Languages:
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English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of
Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of
schooling
total population: 99% (2000 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
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Country name:
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conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK |
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Government type:
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constitutional monarchy |
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Capital:
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London |
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Administrative divisions:
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England - 47 boroughs, 36 counties*, 29 London boroughs**, 12 cities and
boroughs***, 10 districts****, 12 cities*****, 3 royal boroughs******;
Barking and Dagenham**, Barnet**, Barnsley, Bath and North East
Somerset****, Bedfordshire*, Bexley**, Birmingham***, Blackburn with
Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Bradford***,
Brent**, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol*****, Bromley**,
Buckinghamshire*, Bury, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire*, Camden**,
Cheshire*, Cornwall*, Coventry***, Croydon**, Cumbria*, Darlington,
Derby*****, Derbyshire*, Devon*, Doncaster, Dorset*, Dudley, Durham*,
Ealing**, East Riding of Yorkshire****, East Sussex*, Enfield**, Essex*,
Gateshead, Gloucestershire*, Greenwich**, Hackney**, Halton, Hammersmith
and Fulham**, Hampshire*, Haringey**, Harrow**, Hartlepool, Havering**,
Herefordshire*, Hertfordshire*, Hillingdon**, Hounslow**, Isle of
Wight*, Islington**, Kensington and Chelsea******, Kent*, City of
Kingston upon Hull*****, Kingston upon Thames******, Kirklees, Knowsley,
Lambeth**, Lancashire*, Leeds***, Leicester*****, Leicestershire*,
Lewisham**, Lincolnshire*, Liverpool***, City of London*****, Luton,
Manchester***, Medway, Merton**, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, Newcastle
upon Tyne***, Newham**, Norfolk*, Northamptonshire*, North East
Lincolnshire****, North Lincolnshire****, North Somerset****, North
Tyneside, Northumberland*, North Yorkshire*, Nottingham*****,
Nottinghamshire*, Oldham, Oxfordshire*, Peterborough*****,
Plymouth*****, Poole, Portsmouth*****, Reading, Redbridge**, Redcar and
Cleveland, Richmond upon Thames**, Rochdale, Rotherham, Rutland****,
Salford***, Shropshire*, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield***, Slough,
Solihull, Somerset*, Southampton*****, Southend-on-Sea, South
Gloucestershire****, South Tyneside, Southwark**, Staffordshire*, St.
Helens, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent*****, Suffolk*,
Sunderland***, Surrey*, Sutton**, Swindon, Tameside, Telford and
Wrekin****, Thurrock, Torbay, Tower Hamlets**, Trafford, Wakefield***,
Walsall, Waltham Forest**, Wandsworth**, Warrington, Warwickshire*, West
Berkshire****, Westminster***, West Sussex*, Wigan, Wiltshire*, Windsor
and Maidenhead******, Wirral, Wokingham****, Wolverhampton,
Worcestershire*, York*****; Northern Ireland - 24 districts, 2 cities*,
6 counties**; Antrim, County Antrim**, Ards, Armagh, County Armagh**,
Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast*, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh,
Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, County Down**, Dungannon,
Fermanagh, County Fermanagh**, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, County
Londonderry**, Derry*, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,
Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane, County Tyrone**; Scotland -
32 council areas; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute,
The Scottish Borders, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee
City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East
Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, 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, West Dunbartonshire, Eilean Siar
(Western Isles), West Lothian; Wales - 11 county boroughs, 9 counties*,
2 cities and counties**; Isle of Anglesey*, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend,
Caerphilly, Cardiff**, Ceredigion*, Carmarthenshire*, Conwy,
Denbighshire*, Flintshire*, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire*,
Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire*, Powys*, Rhondda Cynon Taff,
Swansea**, Torfaen, The Vale of Glamorgan*, Wrexham |
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Dependent areas:
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Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey,
Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia
and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands |
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Independence:
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England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the
union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of
Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another
Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as
Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was
implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a
partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the
United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country,
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in
1927 |
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National holiday:
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Official Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, celebrated on the second
Saturday in June (1926) |
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Constitution:
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unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
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Legal system:
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common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences;
has judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of
1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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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 Anthony (Tony) BLAIR (since 2
May 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of
the majority coalition is usually the prime minister |
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Legislative branch:
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bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords (consists of
approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and
House of Commons (659 seats; members are 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;
pending further reforms, elections are held only as vacancies in the
hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 7 June 2001
(next to be held by NA May 2006)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party -
Labor 42.1%, Conservative and Unionist 32.7%, Liberal Democrats 18.8%,
other 6.4%; seats by party - Labor 412, Conservative and Unionist 166,
Liberal Democrat 52, other 29; note - seating as of 15 February 2002:
Labor 410, Conservative 164, Liberal Democrats 53, other 32
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland
Parliament (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 rescinded three times the latest occurring in
October 2002; since October 2002 the Northern Ireland Parliament has
been suspended); in 1999 there were elections for a new Scottish
Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly |
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Judicial branch:
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House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal in
Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts of
England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal,
the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's Court of
Session and Court of the Justiciary |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Conservative and Unionist Party [Michael HOWARD]; Democratic Unionist
Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony)
BLAIR]; Liberal Democrats [Charles KENNEDY]; Party of Wales (Plaid
Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn Jones]; Scottish National Party or SNP [John SWINNEY];
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor
Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party
(Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry;
National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress |
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International organization participation:
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AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECA
(associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8,
G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN,
UN Security Council, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, and Seattle
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador William S. FARISH
embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (0) 7499-9000
FAX: [44] (0) 7629-9124
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh |
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Flag description:
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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, as well as British overseas territories
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Economy - overview:
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The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the
quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. 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 only 1% of the labor force. The
UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy
production accounts for 10% 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. GDP growth slipped in
2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the
bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and
exports. Still, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe;
inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively
good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts
to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary
Union (EMU). Critics point out, however, that the economy is doing well
outside of EMU, and they point to public opinion polls that continue to
show a majority of Britons opposed to the single currency. Meantime, the
government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport,
and health services, at a cost in higher taxes. The war in March-April
2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, together with the subsequent
problems of restoring the economy and the polity, involve a heavy
commitment of British military forces. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $1.528 trillion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1.8% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $25,500 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 24.9%
services: 73.7% (2000) |
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Population below poverty line:
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17% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 27.7% (1995) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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36.8 (1995) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.1% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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29.7 million (2001) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 1%, industry 25%, services 74% (1999) |
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Unemployment rate:
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5.2% (2002 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $565 billion
expenditures: $540 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY 01) |
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Industries:
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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 |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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-3.4% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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360.9 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 73.8%
hydro: 0.9%
other: 1.6% (2001)
nuclear: 23.7% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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346.1 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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264 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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10.66 billion kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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2.541 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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1.71 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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2.205 million bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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1.418 million bbl/day (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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4.741 billion bbl (37257) |
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Natural gas - production:
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105.9 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - consumption:
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92.85 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - exports:
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15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - imports:
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2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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714.9 billion cu m (37257) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish |
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Exports:
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$286.3 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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Exports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco |
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Exports - partners:
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US 15.5%, Germany 11.2%, France 9.4%, Ireland 8%, Netherlands 7.1%,
Belgium 5.2%, Italy 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2002) |
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Imports:
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$330.1 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
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Imports - commodities:
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manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs |
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Imports - partners:
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Germany 12.9%, US 11.9%, France 7.8%, Netherlands 6.3%, Belgium 5%,
Italy 4.4% (2002) |
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Debt - external:
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$NA |
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Economic aid - donor:
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ODA, $4.5 billion (2000) |
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Currency:
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British pound (GBP) |
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Currency code:
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GBP |
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Exchange rates:
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British pounds per US dollar - 0.67 (2002), 0.69 (2001), 0.66 (2000),
0.62 (1999), 0.6 (1998) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
|
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Railways:
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total: 16,893 km
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified)
broad gauge: 357 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total: 371,913 km
paved: 371,913 km (including 3,358 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
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Waterways:
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3,200 km |
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Pipelines:
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condensate 370 km; gas 21,263 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 6,420
km; oil/gas/water 63 km; refined products 4,474 km; water 650 km (2003) |
|
Ports and harbors:
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Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe,
Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester,
Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe,
Teesport, Tyne |
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Merchant marine:
|
total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,752,179 GRT/6,963,112 DWT
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 43, chemical tanker 19, combination
ore/oil 1, container 95, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 1, passenger
18, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 50, refrigerated cargo 3, roll
on/roll off 37, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 1
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag
of convenience: Bermuda 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 21, Germany 6, Greece 3,
Hong Kong 4, Italy 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Russia 1, South
Africa 2, Sweden 11, Taiwan 2, US 5 (2002 est.) |
|
Airports:
|
470 (2002) |
|
Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 334
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
914 to 1,523 m: 83
under 914 m: 59 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
|
total: 136
2438 to 3047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 112 (2002)
914 to 1,523 m: 22 |
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Heliports:
|
11 (2002)
|
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