Nations of the World – United Kingdom – Europe
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The nation known as the United Kingdom was born of conquest. Norman invaders consolidated their control of England from 1066. Wales was united with England in 1536, and both were joined with Scotland in 1707. In 1800, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. Ireland continued to be restive, and by 1922 only the six northern counties remained in the UK.
The mild maritime climate and extensive lowlands give the United Kingdom an excellent agricultural base. The country was richly endowed with minerals, but most of these have been exhausted except for coal (much of which is now regarded as un-economic) and North Sea oil and gas.
It was the 16th century maritime power that put England on the world map as a trading and colonial power; cities such as London, Bristol, Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester quickly grew in importance. This wealth, and that derived from agricultural improvements in the 17th and 18th centuries, paved the way for the Industrial Revolution that took place in the late 18th amd 19th centuries.
Iron and steel, engineering good, textiles, ceramics and much more made the UK the “workshop of the world”. Cities such as Sheffield, Glasgow and Belfast grew at a truly astonishing pace, to leave a serious 20th century problem of urban improvement and renewal.
Since the mid-1940s, the United Kingdom has increasingly experienced difficulty in adjusting to the loss of empire and its diminished world role. The capital city, London, remains remains as one of the world’s leading financial centres (the second biggest after New York) and modern manufacturing has expanded at a rapid rate, especially in southern England. The rich national heritage, culture and beautiful landscape attracts a large amount of visitors from across the globe.
The United Kingdom’s economy is the sixth largest in the world today. The service sector makes up roughly around 73% of gross domestic product. Typical popular industries within the UK service sector include telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, waste disposal, education, public health, legal services, tourism, cheap UK car rental and real estate.
UK Key Figures
- Area: 241,752 square kilometres / 93,341 square miles
- Capital City: London
- State Memberberships: CE, COMM, EBRD, ECE, EU, G7, NATO, OECD
- Population: 58,395,000 (growth rate 0.3%)
- Life Expectancy: 74 (male), 79 (female)
- Languages: English, Welsh
- Adult Literacy Rate: 99%
- Currency: Pound Sterling (£)
- GNP: 1,069,457 (US million $)
- GNP per Head: 18,410 (US million $).
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Source by Kerry L Thompson