Great Britain

Formal Name:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Location and Area:

UK consists of the formerly self-governing nations of England, Scotland and Wales together with the province of Northern Ireland, a region on the island of Ireland. It is situated just off the north-western coast of mainland Europe, surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel and the Atlantic Ocean. The total area is 243.6 thousand Sq. Kms. The coastline is 11450 Kms.

Climate:

Temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast. The highest temperature is normally between -10°C and 32°C; averaging 4-7°C on January and 13-17°C on July. Annual average rainfall is about 1000mm. At Northern and Western mountain districts are more than 2000mm, while Central and Eastern districts are less than 800mm. Relative dry is on February to March, and moisture is on October to November.

Popular & Religion:

Population is about 58.84 million in the middle of 2001, which is the third place in The European Union. Most of the citizens are Christian, and about 60% is adult members of Anglican which is the state church. There also are the others main religion, such as Roman Catholic, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Muslim.

Language:

English is the primary language spoken and the official language. Other indigenous languages include Welsh, Gaelic, Irish and various dialects of Scots.

Administrative Divisions:

The United Kingdom is made up of the four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is divided into nine Government Office Regions. Each region is made up of Counties and/or Metropolitan Counties and/or unitary authorities, apart from London. Scotland consists of 32 Council Areas. Wales consists of 22 Unitary Authorities, styled as 10 County Boroughs, 9 Counties, and 3 Cities. Northern Ireland is divided into 24 Districts, 2 Cities, and 6 Counties. London, also called Greater London, contains 32 London Boroughs plus a City of London.

Brief History:

The South-East of Great Britain Island had ruled by Roman Empire from 1st to 5th Century A.D., afterward it had invaded by Angle, Saxon and Jute sequentially. In 829, England had unified and it had called “The Period of Anglo-Saxon”. Scotland and England have existed as separate unified entities since the 10th century. Wales, under English control since the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, became part of the Kingdom of England by the Act of Union 1536. Owing to the Glorious Revolution, The Constitutional Monarchy had been established in 1688. With the Act of Union 1707 the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Act of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one quarter of the earth's surface. The second half of the 20th century witnessed the developing itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. The UK is currently weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe.

Economy Overviews:

The United Kingdom, a leading trading power and financial centre, has an essentially capitalist economy, one of the largest of Western Europe. In 2002, UK is the fourth in the world and the second largest worldwide investment. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership by means of privatization programmes, and has contained the growth of the Welfare State. Over 60% GDP is in private enterprise. 2/3 GDP come from Services Sector and manufactures are only 1/5. GDP is account for US $129.19 billion, averaging US $21737 per caput, 1.6% growth. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labour force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account for by far the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance.