1994 Edition

Abbreviation

UK

Administrative divisions

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

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

Airports

total: 497 usable: 388 with permanent-surface runways: 251 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 133

Area

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

Birth rate

13.39 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Branches

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

Budget

revenues: $325.5 billion expenditures: $400.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $33 billion (1993 est.)

Capital

London

Climate

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

Coastline

12,429 km

Constitution

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Currency

1 British pound (#) = 100 pence

Death rate

10.76 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $34.8 billion, 3.7% of GDP (FY93/94)

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

Economic aid

donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1992-93), $3.2 billion

Electricity

capacity: 99,000,000 kW production: 317 billion kWh consumption per capita: 5,480 kWh (1992)

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

Environment

current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes and coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at sea natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity

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%

Exchange rates

British pounds (#) per US$1 - 0.6699 (January 1994), 0.6033 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989)

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 John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers

Exports

$190.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993) 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)

FAX

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

[44] (71) 409-1637 consulate(s) general: Belfast and Edinburgh

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

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

Highways

total: 362,982 km (Great Britian 339,483 km; Northern Ireland 23,499 km) paved: 362,390 km (Great Britian 339,483 km, including 2,573 km limited access divided highway; Northern Ireland 22,907 km) unpaved: gravel 592 km (in Northern Ireland)

House of Commons

elections 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

House of Lords

consists of a 1,200-member body, four-fifths are hereditary peers, 2 archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers

Illicit drugs

gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; producer of synthetic drugs; money-laundering center

Imports

$221.6 billion (c.i.f., 1993) 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%

Independence

1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)

Industrial production

growth rate 2.2% (1993 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

Infant mortality rate

7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.6% (1993)

Inland waterways

2,291 total; British Waterways Board, 606 km; Port Authorities, 706 km; other, 979 km

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 sq km (1989)

Judicial branch

House of Lords

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)

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%

Languages

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

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 76.75 years male: 73.94 years female: 79.69 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

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

Location

Western Europe, bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, between Ireland and France

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 14,432,081; fit for military service 12,056,828

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

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, 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

Merchant marine

180 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,428,571 GRT/4,297,489 DWT, bulk 17, cargo 35, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 24, liquefied gas 5, oil tanker 59, passenger 7, passenger cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 14, specialized tanker 1

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)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $980.2 billion (1993)

National product per capita

$16,900 (1993)

National product real growth rate

2.1% (1993)

Nationality

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

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

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

Note

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

Other political or pressure groups

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

Overview

The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers, and its economy ranks among the four largest in Western 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 only 21% of GDP. The economy is emerging out of its 3-year recession with only weak recovery in 1993; even so, the economy fared better in 1993 than the economies of most other European countries. 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.

Pipelines

crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km

Political parties and leaders

Conservative and Unionist Party, John MAJOR; Labor Party; 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), Sir James KILFEDDER; Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP, Northern Ireland), John HUME; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry ADAMS

Population

58,135,110 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

0.28% (1994 est.)

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-mm (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-mm gauge (including 190 km double track)

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

Scotland

9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Type

constitutional monarchy

Unemployment rate

10.3% (1993)

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Adm. William CROWE embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W.1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (71) 499-9000

Wales

8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan