Statistical information United Kingdom 1998

United Kingdom in the World
top of pageBackground: Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the nineteenth century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. The British Empire covered approximately one-fourth of the earth's surface at its zenith. In the first half of the twentieth century its strength was seriously depleted by two world wars. Since the end of World War II, the British Empire has been dismantled, and Britain has rebuilt itself into a prosperous, modern European nation with significant international political, cultural, and economic influence. As the twentieth century draws to a close, Britain is debating the degree of its integration with continental Europe.
top of pageLocation: 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
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map reference:
EuropeAreaTotal: 244,820 km²
Land: 241,590 km²
Water: 3,230 km²
Note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundariesTotal: 360 km
Border countries: (1) Ireland 360 kmCoastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claimsContinental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
ElevationExtremes lowest point: Fenland -4 m
Extremes highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
Land useArable land: 25%
Permanent crops: 0%
Permanent pastures: 46%
Forests and woodland: 10%
Other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,080 km² (1993 est.)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazards: NA
GeographyNote: 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
top of pagePopulation: 58,970,119 (July 1998 est.)
Growth rate: 0.25% (1998 est.)
NationalityNoun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
Adjective: British
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
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
Demographic profileAge structure0-14 years: 19% (male 5,832,086; female 5,530,679)
15-64 years: 65% (male 19,304,762; female 19,032,024)
65 years and over: 16% (male 3,807,710; female 5,462,858) (July 1998 est.)
Dependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 0.25% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 12.01 births/1000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.72 deaths/1000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (1998 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent 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
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Air pollutantsSex ratioAt birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Mothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 5.87 deaths/1000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 77.19 years
Male: 74.57 years
Female: 79.96 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracyDefinition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
Total population: 99% (1978 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Conventional short form: United Kingdom
Abbreviation: UK
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas; 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; 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
Note: The Statesman's Yearbook claims that England has 35 counties and Wales 9 counties
Dependent areas:
(15) Anguilla,
Bermuda,
British Indian Ocean Territory,
British Virgin Islands,
Cayman Islands,
Falkland Islands,
Gibraltar,
Guernsey,
Jersey,
Isle of Man,
Montserrat,
Pitcairn Islands,
Saint Helena,
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands,
Turks and Caicos IslandsIndependence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801 adopting the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
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
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branchChief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948): ead of
Government: Prime Minister Tony BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)
Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
Elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and must have the consent of the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (1,200 seats; four-fifths of the members are hereditary peers, two archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: House of Lords_no elections; House of Commons_last held 1 May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002)
Election results: House of Commons_percent of vote by party_Labor 44.5%, Conservative 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7.5%; seats by party_Labor 418, Conservative 165, Liberal Democratic 46, other 30
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher MEYER
In the us chancery: 3,100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-6,500
In the us fax: [1] (202) 588-7,870
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
In the us consulates: Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Philip LADER
From the us embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE
From the us mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, London; FPO AE 9,498-4,040
From the us telephone: [44] (171) 499-9,000
From the us fax: [44] (171) 409-1637
From the us consulates general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description
: 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
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers, and its essentially capitalistic economy ranks among the four largest in Western Europe. 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 only about 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; 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 18% of the work force. Exports and manufacturing output have been the primary engines of growth. Unemployment is gradually falling. Inflation is a moderate 3.1%. A major economic policy question for the UK in the late 1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and economic integration of Europe.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: 3.5% (1997 est.)
Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $21,200 (1997 est.)
Gross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture: 1.8%
Industry: 31.4%
Services: 66.8% (1996 est.)
Agriculture products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Industries: production machinery including 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, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1997 est.)
Labor forceTotal: 28.2 million (1997)
By occupation services: 68.9%
By occupation manufacturing and construction: 17.5%
By occupation government: 11.3%
By occupation energy: 1.2%
By occupation agriculture: 1.1% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1997 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudgetRevenues: $416.1 billion
Expenditures: $470 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (1996 est.)
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: 1 April_31 March
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: total value:$268 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodoties: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment
Partners: EU countries 53.2% (Germany 12.4%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 7.8%), US 11.4% (1996)
Imports: total value:$283.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Commodoties: manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
Partners: EU countries 50.2% (Germany 14.2%, France 9.0%, Netherlands 6.5%), US 13.9% (1996)
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt external: $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Stock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: British pounds (£) per US$1_0.6115 (January 1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993)
top of pageElectricityCapacity: 66.149 million kW (1995)
Production: 306.62 billion kWh (1995)
Consumption per capita: 5,546 kWh (1995)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international system
Domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
International: 40 coaxial submarine cables; 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
Broadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresDollar figure: $35.1 billion (FY95/96)
Percent of gdp: 3.1% (FY95/96)
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirports: 497 (1997 est.)
With paved runways total: 356
With paved runways over 3047 m: 10
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 32
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 170
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 90
With paved runways under 914 m: 54 (1997 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 141
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 24
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 116 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1997 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
RailwaysTotal: 16,878 km
Broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note_all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in Northern Ireland
Standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)
RoadwaysWaterways: 3,200 km under British Waterways Board
Merchant marineTotal: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,192,956 GRT/2,224,715 DWT
Ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, container 21, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 47, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 1
Note: UK owns 337 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,511,240 DWT that operate under the registries of Bermuda, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Singapore, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997 est.)
Ports and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: Northern Ireland question with Ireland (historic peace agreement approved 10 April 1998; 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; Seychelles claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian Ocean Territory
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; producer of synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center