Country Profile As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process. Disputes and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
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Population and Demographics
United Kingdom has a population of 60,943,912 (July 2008 est.) .
| Capital | London |
| Main urban areas | Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne |
| Ethnic groups | English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8% |
| Languages spoken | English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) |
| Population age 0-14: 16.9% (m 5,287,590/f 5,036,881) |  | | |
| 0-14 | 15-64 | 65+ | |
| Gender ratios At birth: 1.05 m/f , 0-14: 1.05 m/f , 15-64: 1.03 m/f , 65+: 0.75 m/f | |||
Changing Population (Life expectancy, births, deaths and fertility)
The population growth rate for United Kingdom is 0.276% (2008 est.) (world growth rate at 2006 is 1.14%). The country also saw migration of 2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.). The median age of the country is total: 39.9 years male: 38.8 years female: 41 years (2008 est.).
Note: on the graphs, world figures are represented by a red bar, figures for United Kingdom are illustrated with a green bar.
| Life Expectancy: | Total population: 78.85 years Male: 76.37 years Female: 81.46 years (2008 est.) |  [78.85] [64.77][Male:, m] [63.16, m][, f][66.47, f] |
| Fertility: | 1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.) | [1.66][2.59] |
| Births: | 10.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [10.65][20.05] |
| Deaths: | 10.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) | [10.05][8.67] |
| Infants: | Total: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) | [4.93][48.87][5.49, m][50.98, m][4.34, f][46.65, f] |
Country Outline Map
Geographic Data
United Kingdom is located in 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, in the timezone GMT 0. The country has boundaries of 360 - Ireland 360 (km), and a coastline of 12,429 (18,076 including all island groups) (km). Major urban areas: London, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Elevations
Lowest point: The Fens -4 m
Highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Physical Features
Comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, plus numerous island groups and overseas dependencies; see individual entries for physical geography
Hazards
Winter windstorms; floods
Climate
Temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
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)
Renewable Water Resources
160.6 cu km (2005)
Fresh Water Withdrawal
total: 11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%) per capita: 197 cu m/yr (1994)
Environmental 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
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet 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 less than 2% 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. Since emerging from recession in 1992, Britain’s economy has enjoyed the longest period of expansion on record; growth has remained in the 2-3% range since 2004, outpacing most of Europe. The economy’s strength has complicated the Labor government’s efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. The BROWN government has been speeding up the improvement of education, health services, and affordable housing at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit.
Debt and Aid
Debt: $10.45 trillion (30 June 2007)
Aid Given: ODA, $12.46 billion (2006)
Aid Received: $NA
Labour Force
Number in labour force: 30.87 million (2007 est.)
Sectors: agriculture: 1.4% industry: 18.2% services: 80.4% (2006 est.)
Unemployment: 5.4% (2007 est.)
GDP Facts and Figures
Currency: British pound (GBP)
GDP: $2.137 trillion (2007 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $35,100 (2007 est.)
GDP Real Growth: 3.1% (2007 est.)
GDP Composition: agriculture: 0.9% industry: 23.4% services: 75.7% (2007 est.)
Production Growth Rate: 0.5% (2007 est.)
Industries, Land Use and Resource Consumption
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
Land use: arable land: 23.23% permanent crops: 0.2% other: 76.57% (2005)
Exports: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Electricity Consumption: 348.7 billion kWh (2005)
Natural Gas Consumption: 91.16 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Oil Consumption: 1.82 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
A selection of key transport and communications information for United Kingdom
Number of main telephone lines
33.602 million (2006)
Mobile (cellular) phones
69.657 million (2006)
Radio stations
AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Television stations
228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)
Internet users
33.534 million (2006)
Country internet code
.uk
Railways
total: 226,605 km standard gauge: 226,605 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Highways
total: 387,674 km paved: 387,674 km (including 3,523 km of expressways) (2004)
Waterways
3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003)
Pipelines
condensate 370 km; gas 21,446 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 6,420 km; oil/gas/water 63 km; refined products 4,474 km (2004)
Ports and harbours
Hound Point, Immingham, Milford Haven, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport
Airports
449 (2007)
Heliports
11 (2007)
