United Kingdom (GPS: 54 00 N, 2 00 W) located in 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. The country’s area measurements are total: 243,610 sq km; land: 241,930 sq km, water: 1,680 sq km. This sovereign state is twice the size of Pennsylvania, slightly smaller than Oregon. The total irrigated land is 950 sq km (2012).
One of the essential features of the United Kingdom: Lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes. Only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel). Because of the heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters.
It’s significant, and at the same time, the principal city, London’s GPS coordinates are 51 30 N 0 05 W. London’s local time is 5 hours ahead of Washington DC during Standard Time. The capital’s time difference: UTC 0, note; 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.
The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and 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’s withdrawal 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 the UN Security Council’s permanent members and a founding member of NATO and the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1998. The UK has been an active member of the EU since its accession in 1973, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. However, motivated by frustration at a remote bureaucracy in Brussels and massive migration into the country, UK citizens on 23 June 2016 narrowly voted to leave the EU. The UK is scheduled to depart the EU on 31 January 2020, but negotiations on the future EU-UK economic and security relationship will continue throughout 2020 and potentially beyond.
United Kingdom’s names conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note – the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales, traditional short way: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK, etymology: self-descriptive country name; the designation “Great Britain,” in the sense of “Larger Britain,” dates back to medieval times and is used to distinguish the island from “Little Britain,” or Brittany in modern France; the name Ireland derives from the Gaelic “Eriu,” the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land). Self-descriptive country name; The designation “Great Britain,” in the sense of “Larger Britain,” dated back to medieval times and was used to distinguish the island from “Little Britain,” or Brittany in modern France; The name Ireland derives from the Gaelic “Eriu,” the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land).
United Kingdom’s terrain is typically rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast. The country’s mean elevation: 162 m, elevation extremes; lowest point: The Fens -4 m, highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m.
The country’s general climate is temperate: moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current: more than one-half of the days are overcast.
The total number of border countries is 1, Ireland 443 km are the neighboring nations with the indicated border lengths. United Kingdom’s coastline is 12,429 km. Its marital claims are territorial sea: 12 nautical miles, exclusive fishing zone: 200 nautical miles, continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or accordance with agreed-upon boundaries. Waterways: 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2009). Land use: agricultural land: 71%; arable land 25.1%; permanent crops 0.2%; permanent pasture 45.7%; forest: 11.9%; other: 17.1% (2011 estimate).
The population in the United Kingdom 65,105,246 United Kingdom (July 2018 estimate), urban population: 82.6% of total population (2015), central metropolitan area’s population: LONDON (capital) 10.313 million; Manchester 2.646 million; Birmingham 2.515 million; Glasgow 1.223 million; Southampton/Portsmouth 882,000; Liverpool 870,000 (2015), while the United Kingdom has the core of the population lives in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and far eastern Northern Ireland centered on Belfast.
Their spoken languages are 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 people of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the people of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall) (2012 estimate). Main religions in the United Kingdom are Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 estimate). The nation uses a common law system; has a nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998. It is a(n) parliamentary constitutional monarchy, a Commonwealth realm, National holiday(s) the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday.
Economic overview for the country: The UK, leading trading power and financial center, is the third-largest economy in Europe after Germany and France. 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; The UK has been a net importer of energy since 2005. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, are key drivers of British GDP growth. Manufacturing, meanwhile, has declined in importance but still accounts for about 10% of economic output. In 2008, the global financial crisis hit the economy particularly hard due to the extent of its financial sector.
Falling home prices, high consumer debt, and the global economic slowdown compounded the UK’s financial problems, pushing the economy into recession in the latter half of 2008 and prompting the then BROWN (Labour) government to implement many measures to stimulate the economy and stabilize the financial markets. Facing burgeoning public deficits and debt levels, in 2010, the then CAMERON-led coalition government (between Conservatives and Liberal Democrats) initiated an austerity program, which has continued under the Conservative government. However, the deficit remains one of the highest in the G7, standing at 3.6% of GDP as of 2017, and the UK has pledged to lower its corporation tax from 20% to 17% by 2020. The UK had a debt burden of 90.4% GDP at the end of 2017. The UK economy has begun to slow since the referendum vote to leave the EU in June 2016. The British pound’s sustained depreciation has increased consumer and producer prices, weighing on consumer spending without spurring a meaningful increase in exports.
The UK has an extensive trade relationship with other EU members through its single market membership. Economic observers have warned the exit will jeopardize its position as the central location for European financial services. Prime Minister MAY is seeking a new “deep and special” trade relationship with the EU following the UK’s exit. However, economists doubt that the UK will be able to preserve EU membership benefits without obligations. The UK is expected to leave the EU by the end of March 2019 officially.
Natural resources of United Kingdom: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land.
Main export partners for the United Kingdom, Europe are the US 14.6%, Germany 10.1%, Switzerland 7%, China 6%, France 5.9%, Netherlands 5.8%, Ireland 5.5% (2015) for manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco, while the main import partners for the country are: Germany 14.8%, China 9.8%, US 9.2%, Netherlands 7.5%, France 5.8%, Belgium 5% (2015) for manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs.
When you visit this country in Europe, consider the natural hazards in the United Kingdom: Winter windstorms, floods, while infectious diseases are N/A. Also, note that the United Kingdom faces the following environmental issues: Air pollution improved but remains a concern, particularly in the London region, Soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals, Decline in marine and coastal habitats brought on by pressures from housing, tourism, and industry.
You may also be interested in the countries next to the United Kingdom around its total: 443 km border, like Ireland.
