United Kingdom*United Kingdom, Geography

Location:
  Western Europe, bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea,
  between Ireland and France
Map references:
  Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  244,820 km2
 land area:
  241,590 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Oregon
 note:
  includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Land boundaries:
  total 360 km, Ireland 360 km
Coastline:
  12,429 km
Maritime claims:
 continental shelf:
  as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon
  boundaries
 exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Northern Ireland question with Ireland; Gibraltar question with Spain;
  Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South
  Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims island of Diego
  Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute
  involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a
  boundary agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in Antarctica
  (British Antarctic Territory)
Climate:
  temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic
  Current; more than half of the days are overcast
Terrain:
  mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and
  southeast
Natural resources:
  coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk,
  gypsum, lead, silica
Land use:
 arable land:
  29%
 permanent crops:   0%
 meadows and pastures:
  48%
 forest and woodland:
  9%
 other:
  14%
Irrigated land:
  1,570 km2 (1989)

*United Kingdom, Geography

Environment:
  pollution control measures improving air and water quality; because of
  heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal
  waters
Note:
  lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now
  being linked by tunnel under the English Channel

*United Kingdom, People

Population:
  57,970,200 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.29% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.58 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  10.87 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  76.5 years
 male:
  73.71 years
 female:
  79.43 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Briton(s), British (collective pl.)
 adjective:
  British
Ethnic divisions:
  English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West
  Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions:   Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million,
  Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish
  300,000 (1991 est.)
 note:
  the UK does not include a question on religion in its census
Languages:
  English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of
  Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1978)
 total population:
  99%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  28.048 million
 by occupation:
  services 62.8%, manufacturing and construction 25.0%, government 9.1%,
  energy 1.9%, agriculture 1.2% (June 1992)

*United Kingdom, Government

Names:
 conventional long form:
  United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
 conventional short form:
  United Kingdom
Abbreviation:
  UK
Digraph:
  UK
Type:
  constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  London
Administrative divisions:
  47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands
  areas
 England:
  39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, 
    Buckingham,,   Cambridge,
Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon, Dorset,
  Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*, Greater,   
    Manchester*, Hampshire,,
Hereford and Worcester, Hertford, Humberside, Isle
  of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk,,   
    Northampton,
Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford,
  Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and, 
    Wear*, Warwick,,
West Midlands*, West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire,  Northern Ireland:
  26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge,
  Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down,
  Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry, Magherafelt,
  Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
 Scotland:
  9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife,, 
    Grampian, Highland,
Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside,,   Western Isles*,  Wales:
  8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South
  Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
Dependent areas:
  Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands,
  Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong (scheduled
  to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 1 July 1997), Jersey,
  Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and
  the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence:
  1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)
Constitution:
  unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system:
  common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no
  judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
  with reservations
National holiday:
  Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)

*United Kingdom, Government

Political parties and leaders:
  Conservative and Unionist Party, John MAJOR; Labor Party, John SMITH;
  Liberal Democrats (LD), Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN; Scottish National Party,
  Alex SALMOND; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru), Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY; Ulster
  Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James MOLYNEAUX; Democratic Unionist
  Party (Northern Ireland), Rev. Ian PAISLEY; Ulster Popular Unionist Party
  (Northern Ireland), James KILFEDDER; Social Democratic and Labor Party
  (SDLP, Northern Ireland), John HUME; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry
  ADAMS
Other political or pressure groups:
  Trades Union Congress; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers'
  Union; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 House of Commons:
  last held 9 April 1992 (next to be held by NA April 1997); results -
  Conservative 41.9%, Labor 34.5%, Liberal Democratic 17.9%, other 5.7%; seats
  - (651 total) Conservative 336, Labor 271, Liberal Democratic 20, other 24
Executive branch:
  monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or House of Lords and a
  lower house or House of Commons
Judicial branch:
  House of Lords
Leaders:
 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 John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB
  (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE,
  ECLAC, EIB, ESCAP, ESA, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
  INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTRC, NACC, NATO,
  NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
  UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UPU,
  WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Sir Robin RENWICK
 chancery:
  3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  (202) 462-1340
 FAX:
  (202) 898-4255
 consulates general:
  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San
  Francisco,
 consulates:
  Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Raymond G. H. SEITZ
 embassy:
  24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W.1A1AE

*United Kingdom, Government

 mailing address:
  PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
 telephone:
  [44] (71) 499-9000
 FAX:
  [44] (71) 409-1637
 consulates general:
  Belfast and Edinburgh
Flag:
  blue 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); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack;
  the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a
  number of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and
  others

*United Kingdom, Economy

Overview:
  The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers, and
  its economy ranks among the four largest in Europe. The economy is
  essentially capitalistic; over the past thirteen years the ruling Tories
  have 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, and
  primary energy production accounts for 12% 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, now employing only 25% of the
  work force and generating 21% of GDP. The economy is emerging out of its
  3-year recession with only weak recovery expected in 1993. Unemployment is
  hovering around 10% of the labor force. The government in 1992 adopted a
  pro-growth strategy, cutting interest rates sharply and removing the pound
  from the European exchange rate mechanism. Excess industrial capacity
  probably will moderate inflation which for the first time in a decade is
  below the EC average. The major economic policy question for Britain in the
  1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and economic
  integration of Europe.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $920.6 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
  -0.6% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $15,900 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.6% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  9.8% (1992)
Budget:
  revenues $367.6 billion; expenditures $439.3 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $32.5 billion (FY92 est.)
Exports:
  $187.4 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
 commodities:
  manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods,
  transport equipment
 partners:
  EC countries 56.7% (Germany 14.0%, France 11.1%, Netherlands 7.9%), US 10.9%
Imports:
  $210.7 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
 commodities:
  manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer
  goods
 partners:
  EC countries 51.7% (Germany 14.9%, France 9.3%, Netherlands 8.4%), US 11.6%
External debt:
  $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0.4% (1992 est.)
Electricity:
  99,000,000 kW capacity; 317,000 million kWh produced, 5,480 kWh per capita
  (1992)

*United Kingdom, Economy

Industries:
  production machinery including machine tools, electric power equipment,
  equipment for the automation of production, 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
Agriculture:
  accounts for only 1.5% of GDP and 1% of labor force; highly mechanized and
  efficient farms; wide variety of crops and livestock products produced;
  about 60% self-sufficient in food and feed needs; fish catch of 665,000
  metric tons (1987)
Illicit drugs:
  increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering
  the European market
Economic aid:
  donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $21.0 billion
Currency:
  1 British pound (#) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
  British pounds (#) per US$1 - 0.6527 (January 1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652
  (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 April-31 March

*United Kingdom, Communications

Railroads:
  UK, 16,914 km total; Great Britain's British Railways (BR) operates 16,584
  km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge (including 4,545 km electrified and 12,591
  km double or multiple track), several additional small standard-gauge and
  narrow-gauge lines are privately owned and operated; Northern Ireland
  Railways (NIR) operates 330 km 1.600-meter gauge (including 190 km double
  track)
Highways:
  UK, 362,982 km total; Great Britain, 339,483 km paved (including 2,573 km
  limited-access divided highway); Northern Ireland, 23,499 km (22,907 paved,
  592 km gravel)
Inland waterways:
  2,291 total; British Waterways Board, 606 km; Port Authorities, 706 km;
  other, 979 km
Pipelines:
  crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km, petroleum products 2,993 km,
  natural gas 12,800 km
Ports:
  London, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Tees and Hartlepool, Dover, Sullom Voe,
  Southampton
Merchant marine:   204 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,819,719 
    GRT/4,941,785 DWT; includes
  7 passenger, 16 short-sea passenger, 37 cargo, 25 container, 14
  roll-on/roll-off, 5 refrigerated cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 65 oil tanker, 1
  chemical tanker, 8 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 22 bulk, 1
  combination bulk, 1 passenger cargo
Airports:
 total:
  496
 usable:
  385
 with permanent-surface runways:
  249
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  37
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  134
Telecommunications:
  technologically advanced domestic and international system; 30,200,000
  telephones; equal mix of buried cables, microwave and optical-fiber systems;
  excellent countrywide broadcast systems; broadcast stations - 225 AM, 525
  (mostly repeaters) FM, 207 (3,210 repeaters) TV; 40 coaxial submarine
  cables; 5 satellite ground stations operating in INTELSAT (7 Atlantic Ocean
  and 3 Indian Ocean), INMARSAT, and EUTELSAT systems; at least 8 large
  international switching centers

*United Kingdom, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 14,445,998; fit for military service 12,084,913 (1993 est.);
  no conscription
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $42.5 billion, 3.8% of GDP (FY92/93)