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Communications

Airports [time series]

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

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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)

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

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

Merchant marine [time series]

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

Pipelines [time series]

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

Ports [time series]

London, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Tees and Hartlepool, Dover, Sullom Voe, Southampton

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

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)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

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

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

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

Manpower availability [time series]

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

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

1 British pound (#) = 100 pence

Economic aid [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

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

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

$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%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$16.2 billion (June 1992)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April-31 March

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$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%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 2.2% (1993 est.)

Industries [time series]

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) [time series]

2.6% (1993)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

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

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$16,900 (1993)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

2.1% (1993)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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.

Unemployment rate [time series]

10.3% (1993)

Geography

Area [time series]

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

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

12,429 km

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

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 [time series]

1,570 sq km (1989)

Land boundaries [time series]

total 360 km, Ireland 360 km

Land use [time series]

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Note [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Abbreviation [time series]

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

London

Constitution [time series]

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Dependent areas [time series]

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 [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

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

England [time series]

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

Executive branch [time series]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

(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

Diplomatic representation in the US (FAX) [time series]

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

Flag [time series]

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

Legislative branch (House of Commons) [time series]

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

Legislative branch (House of Lords) [time series]

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

Independence [time series]

1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)

Judicial branch [time series]

House of Lords

Legal system [time series]

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 [time series]

bicameral Parliament

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

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

Northern Ireland [time series]

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

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

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

Scotland [time series]

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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

constitutional monarchy

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

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 [time series]

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

People

Birth rate [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

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

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Labor force [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

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

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

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

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

58,135,110 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

0.28% (1994 est.)

Religions [time series]

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 [time series]

1.83 children born/woman (1994 est.)