1993 Edition

Area

total area: 244,820 km2 land area: 241,590 km2 comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands

Climate

temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than half of the days are overcast

Coastline

12,429 km

Environment

pollution control measures improving air and water quality; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

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)

Irrigated land

1,570 km2 (1989)

Land boundaries

total 360 km, Ireland 360 km

Land use

arable land: 29% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 48% forest and woodland: 9% other: 14%

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

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

Natural resources

coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica

Note

lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now being linked by tunnel under the English Channel

Terrain

mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast

Birth rate

13.58 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

10.87 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

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%

Infant mortality rate

7.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

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)

Languages

English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.5 years male: 73.71 years female: 79.43 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1978) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Briton(s), British (collective pl.) adjective: British

Net migration rate

0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

57,970,200 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

0.29% (1993 est.)

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

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Abbreviation

UK

Administrative divisions

47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas

Capital

London

Chief of State

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the Queen, born 14 November 1948)

Constitution

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

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

Digraph

UK

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Robin RENWICK chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 462-1340

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

Executive branch

monarch, prime minister, Cabinet

FAX

(202) 898-4255 consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, consulates: Dallas, Miami, and Seattle

[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

Head of Government

Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)

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

Independence

1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)

Judicial branch

House of Lords

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

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or House of Lords and a lower house or House of Commons

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

Names

conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom

National holiday

Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)

Other political or pressure groups

Trades Union Congress; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament

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

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

constitutional monarchy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond G. H. SEITZ embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W.1A1AE

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)

Budget

revenues $367.6 billion; expenditures $439.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $32.5 billion (FY92 est.)

Currency

1 British pound (#) = 100 pence

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $21.0 billion

Electricity

99,000,000 kW capacity; 317,000 million kWh produced, 5,480 kWh per capita (1992)

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)

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%

External debt

$16.2 billion (June 1992)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

Illicit drugs

increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market

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%

Industrial production

growth rate 0.4% (1992 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.6% (1992)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $920.6 billion (1992)

National product per capita

$15,900 (1992)

National product real growth rate

-0.6% (1992)

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.

Unemployment rate

9.8% (1992)

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

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

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

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

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)

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

Branches

Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $42.5 billion, 3.8% of GDP (FY92/93)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 14,445,998; fit for military service 12,084,913 (1993 est.); no conscription