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In Brief
The United Kingdom lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes, only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel. Because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters.
It is an island nation, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. It lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over a quarter of the earth's surface.
It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It is one of the world's most powerful nations, with leading economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK economy is a particularly open economy, both in terms of trade and of foreign policy.
The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. Although an active member of the EU, the UK chose not to join the Economic and Monetary Union so as not to abandon the strength, stability and cultural significance of the British pound.
| Official Country Title | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Area (km2): | 243,610 |
| Population: | 62,698,362 (2011 estimate) |
| Capital: | London |
| National Holiday: | 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Satarday in June |
| Country Time Zone | GMT +0 |
| International Dialling Code | +44 |
| Currency: | Pounds Sterling |
| Government: | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Head of state: | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Head of government: | Prime Minister – The Rt Hon David Cameron MP |
| Foreign Minister: | The Rt Hon William Hague MP |
| GDP (US$): | USD$2.173 trillionUSDn (2010 estimate) |
| GDP per capita (US$): | USD$34,800 (2010 estimate) |
| Real growth rate of GDP: | 1.3% (2010 estimate) |
| Unemployment rate: | 7.9% (2010 estimate) |
| National debt as % of GDP: | 76.5% of GDP (2010 estimate) |
| Inflation: | 3.3% (2010 estimate) |
| Public debt % of GDP: | 59.3% |
Additional facts
| Languages: | 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 population of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall) |
| Religions: | Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% |
| Major political parties: | Conservative and Unionist, Labour Party, Liberal Democrats |
