2010 Edition

Background

The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, 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. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999. The latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process, but devolution was fully completed in March 2010.

Area

land

241,930 sq km

total

243,610 sq km

water

1,680 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Oregon

Climate

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

Coastline

12,429 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Ben Nevis 1,343 m

lowest point

The Fens -4 m

Environment - current 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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

197 cu m/yr (1994)

total

11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%)

Geographic coordinates

54 00 N, 2 00 W

Geography - note

lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

Irrigated land

1,700 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

Ireland 360 km

total

360 km

Land use

arable land

23.23%

other

76.57% (2005)

permanent crops

0.2%

Location

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

Map references

Europe

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 hazards

winter windstorms; floods

Natural resources

coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

160.6 cu km (2005)

Age structure

0-14 years: 16.7% (male 5,233,756/female 4,986,131) 15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,774,192/female 20,246,519) 65 years and over: 16.2% (male 4,259,654/female 5,612,953) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

12.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

9.33 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

5.6% of GDP (2007)

Ethnic groups

white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.2% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

fewer than 500 (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

77,000 (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

4.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

5.15 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.69 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

English note: the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall)

Life expectancy at birth

female

82.11 years (2010 est.)

male

77.84 years

total population

79.92 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling

female

99% (2003 est.)

male

99%

total population

99%

Median age

female

40.9 years (2010 est.)

male

38.6 years

total

39.8 years

Nationality

adjective

British

noun

Briton(s), British (collective plural)

Net migration rate

2.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

62,348,447 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

0.563% (2010 est.)

Religions

Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2008)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.052 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.92 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

90% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

council areas

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), 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, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian

district council areas

Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane

England

27 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 56 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*)

London boroughs and City of London or Greater London

Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster

metropolitan districts

Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton

Northern Ireland

26 district council areas

Scotland

32 council areas

two-tier counties

Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire

unitary authorities

Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with Darwen, Bedford, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Central Bedfordshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cornwall, Darlington, Derby, Durham County*, East Riding of Yorkshire, Halton, Hartlepool, Herefordshire*, Isle of Wight*, Isles of Scilly*, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Northumberland*, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Shropshire, Slough, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York

unitary authorities

Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff; Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire; Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port Talbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff; Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham

Wales

22 unitary authorities

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas dependencies or territories

geographic coordinates

51 30 N, 0 10 W

name

London

time difference

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Country name

abbreviation

UK

conventional long form

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales

conventional short form

United Kingdom

Dependent areas

Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Louis B. SUSMAN

consulate(s) general

Belfast, Edinburgh

embassy

24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE

FAX

[44] (0) 20 7629-9124

mailing address

PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040

telephone

[44] (0) 20 7499-9000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD

consulate(s)

Dallas, Denver, Orlando

consulate(s) general

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 588-7870

telephone

[1] (202) 588-6500

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

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

elections

the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually the prime minister

head of government

Prime Minister David CAMERON (since 11 May 2010)

Flag description

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, and British overseas territories

Government type

constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm

Independence

12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland); notable earlier dates: 927 (minor English kingdoms united); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England and Scotland as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland)

International organization participation

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUSCO, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Judicial branch

Supreme Court of the UK (established in October 2009 taking over appellate jurisdiction formerly vested in the House of Lords); Senior Courts of England and Wales (comprising the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland); Scotland's Court of Session and High Court of the Justiciary

Legal system

based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (741 seats; consisting of approximately 625 life peers, 91 hereditary peers, and 25 clergy - as of 15 December 2010) and House of Commons (650 seats since 2010 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)

election results

House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative 36.1%, Labor 29%, Liberal Democrats 23%, other 11.9%; seats by party - Conservative 305, Labor 258, Liberal Democrat 57, other 30 note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (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 suspended four times, the latest occurring in October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the most recent of which were held in May 2007

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; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held on 6 May 2010 (next to be held by June 2015)

National anthem

lyrics/music

unknown note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the United Kingdom; it is known as either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the gender of the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem of many Commonwealth nations

name

"God Save the Queen"

National holiday

the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday

Political parties and leaders

Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Ed MILIBAND]; Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Margaret RICHIE]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Tom ELLIOTT]

Political pressure groups and leaders

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish

Central bank discount rate

NA% (31 December 2009) 0.86% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

0.63% (31 December 2009 est.) 4.63% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$40.34 billion (2010 est.) -$23.65 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$8.981 trillion (30 June 2010) $9.041 trillion (31 December 2008)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

34 (2005) 36.8 (1999)

Economy - overview

The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany and France. 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 resources, but its oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became a net importer of energy in 2005. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. After emerging from recession in 1992, Britain's economy enjoyed the longest period of expansion on record during which time growth outpaced most of Western Europe. In 2008, however, the global financial crisis hit the economy particularly hard, due to the importance of its financial sector. Sharply declining home prices, high consumer debt, and the global economic slowdown compounded Britain's economic problems, pushing the economy into recession in the latter half of 2008 and prompting the then BROWN government to implement a number of measures to stimulate the economy and stabilize the financial markets; these include nationalizing parts of the banking system, cutting taxes, suspending public sector borrowing rules, and moving forward public spending on capital projects. Facing burgeoning public deficits and debt levels, the CAMERON government in 2010 initiiated a five-year austerity program, which aims to lower London's budget deficit from over 11% of GDP in 2010 to nearly 1% by 2015. The Bank of England periodically coordinates interest rate moves with the European Central Bank, but Britain remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).

Electricity - consumption

345.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

1.272 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - imports

12.29 billion kWh (2008 est.)

Electricity - production

368.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates

British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.6504 (2010), 0.6389 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006)

Exports

$405.6 billion (2010 est.) $356.2 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners

US 14.71%, Germany 11.06%, France 8%, Netherlands 7.79%, Ireland 6.89%, Belgium 4.65%, Spain 4% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

0.9%

industry

22.1%

services

77.1% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$35,100 (2010 est.) $34,800 (2009 est.) $36,800 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

1.6% (2010 est.) -5% (2009 est.) -0.1% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$2.259 trillion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$2.189 trillion (2010 est.) $2.154 trillion (2009 est.) $2.268 trillion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 2.1% highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)

Imports

$546.5 billion (2010 est.) $483.9 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

Imports - partners

Germany 12.87%, US 9.74%, China 8.88%, Netherlands 6.94%, France 6.64%, Belgium 4.86%, Norway 4.84%, Ireland 4.01%, Italy 3.99% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

1.9% (2010 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3.3% (2010 est.) 2.2% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

14.4% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

31.45 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

1.4%

industry

18.2%

services

80.4% (2006 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$2.796 trillion (31 December 2009) $1.852 trillion (31 December 2008) $3.859 trillion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

87.45 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

12.17 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - imports

41.06 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

58.56 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

292 billion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

1.669 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

1.393 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - imports

1.491 million bbl/day (2008 est.)

Oil - production

1.502 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

3.084 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

14% (2006 est.)

Public debt

76.5% of GDP (2010 est.) 68.2% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$NA (31 December 2010 est.) $66.72 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$3.344 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $3.199 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.705 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.652 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.169 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.125 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$5.151 trillion (31 December 2009) $4.436 trillion (31 December 2008)

Stock of narrow money

$88.62 billion (31 December 2010 est) $84.92 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

7.9% (2010 est.) 7.6% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

public service broadcaster BBC is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world; BBC operates multiple TV networks with regional and local TV service; a mixed system of public and commercial TV broadcasters along with satellite and cable systems provide access to hundreds of TV stations throughout the world; BBC operates multiple national, regional, and local radio networks with multiple transmission sites; a large number of commercial radio stations as well as satellite radio services are available (2008)

Internet country code

.uk

Internet hosts

7.03 million (2010)

Internet users

51.444 million (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems

general assessment

technologically advanced domestic and international system

international

country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers

Telephones - main lines in use

32.117 million (2009)

Telephones - mobile cellular

80.375 million (2009)

Airports

505 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

306 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 124 914 to 1,523 m: 77 under 914 m: 64 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

199 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 22 under 914 m: 173 (2010)

Heliports

11 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 30, cargo 70, carrier 3, chemical tanker 71, container 190, liquefied gas 10, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 67, petroleum tanker 20, refrigerated cargo 6, roll on/roll off 29, vehicle carrier 24

foreign-owned

292 (US 11)

registered in other countries

275 (Algeria 12, Antigua and Barbuda 2, Argentina 2, Australia 5, Bahamas 24, Barbados 7, Belgium 2, Belize 4, Bermuda 11, Cambodia 3, Cape Verde 2, Cayman Islands 2, Comoros 1, Cook Islands 2, Cyprus 7, Georgia 4, Gibraltar 4, Greece 27, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 27, Italy 2, Liberia 44, Libya 1, Luxembourg 5, Malta 16, Marshall Islands 9, Moldova 6, Nigeria 2, Panama 44, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 6, Thailand 6, Togo 3, Tonga 1, US 4, unknown 1) (2010)

total

527

Pipelines

condensate 43 km; gas 7,992 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 699 km; refined products 4,417 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England); Forth Ports, Hound Point (Scotland); Milford Haven (Wales)

Railways

broad gauge

303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)

standard gauge

16,151 km 1.435-m gauge (5,248 km electrified) (2008)

total

16,454 km

Roadways

paved

394,428 km (includes 3,519 km of expressways) (2009)

total

394,428 km

Waterways

3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 14,732,445 females age 16-49: 14,118,320 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 12,113,310 females age 16-49: 11,604,784 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

369,185 (2010 est.)

male

386,492

Military branches

Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2010)

Military expenditures

2.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Military service age and obligation

16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; as of October 2009, women comprised 12.1% of officers and 9% of enlisted personnel in the regular forces; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2009)

Disputes - international

in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), 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

Illicit drugs

producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================