United Kingdom

The United Kingdom lies near North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel. The United Kingdom is situated off the northwest coast of Europe between the Atlantic Ocean on the N and NW and the North Sea on the E, separated from the Continent by the Strait of Dover and the English Channel and from the Irish Republic by the Irish Sea and St. George’s Channel. The United Kingdom is one of the most highly industrialized countries in the world. The capital, London is the major financial centre of the world.

:: Geography of United Kingdom ::

Location: 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

Area:
total: 244,820 sq km
land: 241,590 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon.
Land boundaries: total: 360 km, border countries: Ireland 360 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
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.
Elevation extremes: lowest point: The Fens -4 m; highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land.

Land use:
arable land: 23.23%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 76.57% (2005)

Natural hazards: winter windstorms; floods.
Environment – current issues: continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move toward a domestic goal of a 20% cut in emissions by 2010); by 2005 the government reduced the amount of industrial and commercial waste disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and recycled or composted at least 25% of household waste, increasing to 33% by 2015.

Environment – international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling. signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements.

:: People of United Kingdom ::

Population: 60,943,912 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16.9% (male 5,287,590/female 5,036,881)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,698,645/female 20,185,040)
65 years and over: 16% (male 4,186,561/female 5,549,195) (2008 est.

Median age:
total: 39.9 years
male: 38.8 years
female: 41 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.276% (2008 est.)
Birth rate: 10.65 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate: 10.05 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate : 2.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.93 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.49 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.85 years
male: 76.37 years
female: 81.46 years (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS – adult prévalence rate: 0.2% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS: 51,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS – deaths: fewer than 500 (2003 est.)

Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British
Ethnic groups: white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)

Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)

Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling.
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)