from
CIA World Factbook 2006
United Kingdom
Introduction
Background: As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the
19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland played a leading role in developing
parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and
science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched
over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half
of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously
depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic
withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the
dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself
into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of
five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a
founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the
UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy; it
currently is weighing the degree of its integration
with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose
to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union for
the time being. Constitutional reform is also a
significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament,
the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern
Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the
latter is suspended due to wrangling over the peace
process.
Geography
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 54 00 N, 2 00 W
coordinates:
Map Europe
references:
Area: total: 244,820 sq km
land: 241,590 sq km
water: 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area - slightly smaller than Oregon
comparative:
Land total: 360 km
boundaries: border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime territorial sea: 12 nm
claims: 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 lowest point: The Fens -4 m
extremes: highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc,
resources: gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum,
potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
Land use: arable land: 23.23%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 76.57% (2005)
Irrigated 1,700 sq km (2003)
land:
Natural winter windstorms; floods
hazards:
Environment - continues to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (has met
current Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduction from 1990
issues: 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 aims to
reduce the amount of industrial and commercial waste
disposed of in landfill sites to 85% of 1998 levels and
to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste,
increasing to 33% by 2015; between 1998-99 and
1999-2000, household recycling increased from 8.8% to
10.3%
Environment - party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
international Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
agreements: 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: Air Pollution-Persistent
Organic Pollutants
Geography - lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km
note: 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
People
Population: 60,609,153 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 5,417,663/female 5,161,714)
15-64 years: 66.8% (male 20,476,571/female 19,988,959)
65 years and over: 15.8% (male 4,087,020/female
5,477,226) (2006 est.)
Median age: total: 39.3 years
male: 38.2 years
female: 40.4 years (2006 est.)
Population 0.28% (2006 est.)
growth rate:
Birth rate: 10.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate: 10.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration 2.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
rate:
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 (2006 est.)
Infant total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births
mortality male: 5.67 deaths/1,000 live births
rate: female: 4.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life total population: 78.54 years
expectancy at male: 76.09 years
birth: female: 81.13 years (2006 est.)
Total 1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.)
fertility
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 0.2% (2001 est.)
adult
prevalence
rate:
HIV/AIDS - 51,000 (2001 est.)
people living
with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS - less than 500 (2003 est.)
deaths:
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.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes
England, Scotland, and Wales
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK
Government constitutional monarchy
type:
Capital: name: London
geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC
during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in
March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative England: 47 boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs,
divisions: 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3
royal boroughs
boroughs: Barnsley, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool,
Bolton, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and
Hove, Bury, Calderdale, Darlington, Doncaster, Dudley,
Gateshead, Halton, Hartlepool, Kirklees, Knowsley,
Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North
Tyneside, Oldham, Poole, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland,
Rochdale, Rotherham, Sandwell, Sefton, Slough,
Solihull, Southend-on-Sea, South Tyneside, St. Helens,
Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees, Swindon, Tameside,
Thurrock, Torbay, Trafford, Walsall, Warrington, Wigan,
Wirral, Wolverhampton
counties (or unitary authorities): Bedfordshire,
Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall,
Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East
Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire,
Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent,
Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk,
North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland,
Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset,
Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West
Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire
London boroughs: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley,
Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield,
Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,
Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington,
Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond
upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham
Forest, Wandsworth
cities and boroughs: Birmingham, Bradford, Coventry,
Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne,
Salford, Sheffield, Sunderland, Wakefield, Westminster
districts: Bath and North East Somerset, East Riding of
Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire,
North Somerset, Rutland, South Gloucestershire, Telford
and Wrekin, West Berkshire, Wokingham
cities: City of Bristol, Derby, City of Kingston upon
Hull, Leicester, City of London, Nottingham,
Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton,
Stoke-on-Trent, York
royal boroughs: Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon
Thames, Windsor and Maidenhead
Northern Ireland: 24 districts, 2 cities, 6 counties
districts: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney,
Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,
Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh,
Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and
Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
cities: Belfast, Londonderry (Derry)
counties: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down,
County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone
Scotland: 32 council areas: Aberdeen City,
Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute,
Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City,
East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East
Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western
Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland,
Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North
Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross,
Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South
Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West
Dunbartonshire, West Lothian;
Wales: 11 county boroughs, 9 counties, 2 cities and
counties
county boroughs: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly,
Conwy, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot,
Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Torfaen, Wrexham
counties: Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Denbighshire,
Flintshire, Isle of Anglesey, Monmouthshire,
Pembrokeshire, Powys, The Vale of Glamorgan
cities and counties: Cardiff, Swansea
Dependent Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
areas: British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland
Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint
Helena and Ascension, South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th
century; the union between England and Wales, begun in
1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized
until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of
Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to
permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative
union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in
1801, with the adoption of 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 the UK does not celebrate one particular national
holiday: holiday
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review
of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of
1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
branch: 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen,
born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR
(since 2 May 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime
minister
elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party
or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the
prime minister
Legislative bicameral Parliament comprised of House of Lords
branch: (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92
hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons
(646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House
is dissolved earlier)
elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in
1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections
were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92
hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are
held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage
arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next
to be held by May 2010)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by
party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal
Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 356,
Conservative 197, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; note -
as of 10 February 2006 party by seat in the House of
Commons: Labor 353, Conservative 196, Liberal Democrat
63, Scottish National Party/Plaid Cymru 9, Democratic
Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5 (but cannot vote), other 11
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern
Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among
existing parties, the transfer of power from London to
Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has
been suspended four times the latest occurring in
October 2002); in 1999 there were elections for a new
Scottish Parliament and a new Welsh Assembly
Judicial House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords
branch: of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for
life); Supreme Courts of England, Wales, and Northern
Ireland (comprising the Courts of Appeal, the High
Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Scotland's
Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
Political Conservative and Unionist Party [David CAMERON];
parties and Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian
leaders: PAISLEY]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) BLAIR]; Liberal
Democrats [Sir Menzies CAMPBELL]; Party of Wales (Plaid
Cymru) [Dafydd IWAN]; Scottish National Party or SNP
[Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry
ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP
(Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN]; Ulster Unionist Party
(Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]
Political Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of
pressure British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union
groups and Congress
leaders:
International AfDB, Arctic Council (observer), AsDB, Australia Group,
organization BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD,
participation: EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF
(partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS,
UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO, WToO, ZC
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador David G. MANNING
representation chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
in the US: 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, San Francisco
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Miami, Seattle
Diplomatic chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE
representation embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE
from the US: mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000
FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron
description: 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);
properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called
the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the
Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other
flags including other Commonwealth countries and their
constituent states or provinces, and British overseas
territories
Economy
Economy - The UK, a leading trading power and financial center,
overview: is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of
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 less than 2% of the labor 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 by far for the largest proportion of GDP while
industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth
slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high
value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new
economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Output
recovered in 2004, to 3.2% growth, but fell in 2005, to
1.7%. Despite slower growth, the economy is one of the
strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and
unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic
performance has complicated the BLAIR government's
efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European
Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out
that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and
public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are
opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government has been
speeding up the improvement of education, transport,
and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a
widening public deficit.
GDP $1.818 trillion (2005 est.)
(purchasing
power parity):
GDP (official $2.228 trillion (2005 est.)
exchange
rate):
GDP - real 1.9% (2005 est.)
growth rate:
GDP - per $30,100 (2005 est.)
capita (PPP):
GDP - agriculture: 0.5%
composition by industry: 23.7%
sector: services: 75.8% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 30.07 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - agriculture: 1.5%
by occupation: industry: 19.1%
services: 79.5% (2004)
Unemployment 4.7% (2005 est.)
rate:
Population 17% (2002 est.)
below poverty
line:
Household lowest 10%: 2.1%
income or highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)
consumption by
percentage
share:
Distribution 36.8 (1999)
of family
income - Gini
index:
Inflation rate 2.1% (2005 est.)
(consumer
prices):
Investment 16.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
(gross fixed):
Budget: revenues: $881.4 billion
expenditures: $951 billion; including capital
expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Public debt: 43.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep,
products: poultry; fish
Industries: 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, other consumer goods
Industrial -1.9% (2005 est.)
production
growth rate:
Electricity - 369.9 billion kWh (2003)
production:
Electricity - fossil fuel: 73.8%
production by hydro: 0.9%
source: nuclear: 23.7%
other: 1.6% (2001)
Electricity - 346.1 billion kWh (2003)
consumption:
Electricity - 3 billion kWh (2003)
exports:
Electricity - 5.1 billion kWh (2003)
imports:
Oil - 2.393 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
production:
Oil - 1.722 million bbl/day (2003 est.)
consumption:
Oil - exports: 1.498 million bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports: 1.084 million bbl/day (2003)
Oil - proved 4.5 billion bbl (31 December 2004)
reserves:
Natural gas - 102.8 billion cu m (2003 est.)
production:
Natural gas - 95.15 billion cu m (2003 est.)
consumption:
Natural gas - 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
exports:
Natural gas - 2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)
imports:
Natural gas - 628.6 billion cu m (31 December 2004)
proved
reserves:
Current $-57.61 billion (2005 est.)
account
balance:
Exports: $372.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages,
commodities: tobacco
Exports - US 15.1%, Germany 10.5%, France 8.9%, Ireland 7.3%,
partners: Netherlands 5.5%, Belgium 5%, Spain 4.4% (2005)
Imports: $483.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
commodities:
Imports - Germany 12.8%, US 8.7%, France 7.1%, Netherlands 6.6%,
partners: China 5%, Norway 4.7%, Belgium 4.6%, Italy 4% (2005)
Reserves of $48.66 billion (2005 est.)
foreign
exchange and
gold:
Debt - $7.107 trillion (30 June 2005)
external:
Economic aid - ODA, $7.9 billion (2004)
donor:
Currency British pound (GBP)
(code):
Currency code: GBP
Exchange British pounds per US dollar - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462
rates: (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001)
Fiscal year: 6 April - 5 April
Communications
Telephones - 32.943 million (2005)
main lines in
use:
Telephones - 61.091 million (2004)
mobile
cellular:
Telephone general assessment: technologically advanced domestic
system: and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio
relay, and fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; 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
Radio AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
broadcast
stations:
Radios: 84.5 million (1997)
Television 228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)
broadcast
stations:
Televisions: 30.5 million (1997)
Internet .uk
country code:
Internet 6,064,860 (2006)
hosts:
Internet more than 400 (2000)
Service
Providers
(ISPs):
Internet 37.6 million (2005)
users:
Transportation
Airports: 471 (2006)
Airports - total: 334
with paved over 3,047 m: 8
runways: 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 149
914 to 1,523 m: 86
under 914 m: 58 (2006)
Airports - total: 137
with unpaved 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
runways: 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 112 (2006)
Heliports: 11 (2006)
Pipelines: condensate 565 km; condensate/gas 6 km; gas 21,575 km;
liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 5,094 km; oil/gas/water
161 km; refined products 4,444 km (2006)
Railways: total: 17,156 km
standard gauge: 16,814 km 1.435-m gauge (5,384 km
electrified)
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)
(2005)
Roadways: total: 387,674 km
paved: 387,674 km (including 3,523 km of expressways)
(2004)
Waterways: 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003)
Merchant total: 449 ships (1000 GRT or over) 11,049,317 GRT/
marine: 11,731,680 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 24, cargo 54, chemical tanker 50,
container 146, liquefied gas 17, passenger 9, passenger
/cargo 65, petroleum tanker 33, refrigerated cargo 17,
roll on/roll off 26, vehicle carrier 8
foreign-owned: 215 (Australia 3, Denmark 46, Finland 1,
France 4, Germany 76, Greece 7, Ireland 1, Italy 4,
Netherlands 3, Norway 36, NZ 1, South Africa 5, Spain
1, Sweden 15, Switzerland 3, Taiwan 1, Turkey 2, US 6)
registered in other countries: 368 (Algeria 13, Antigua
and Barbuda 7, Argentina 4, Australia 2, Bahamas 69,
Barbados 5, Belgium 2, Bermuda 9, Brazil 1, Brunei 8,
Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 10, Cyprus 6, Denmark 1,
Finland 1, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1,
Georgia 4, Gibraltar 4, Greece 9, Hong Kong 43, India
1, Indonesia 2, Italy 3, South Korea 2, Liberia 41,
Malta 8, Marshall Islands 12, Morocco 1, Netherlands
19, Netherlands Antilles 3, Norway 6, Panama 37, Papua
New Guinea 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 13,
Singapore 9, Slovakia 1, Spain 1, Thailand 2, Tonga 1)
(2006)
Ports and Hound Point, Immingham, Milford Haven, Liverpool,
terminals: London, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport
Military
Military Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air
branches: Force
Military 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women
service age serve in military services, but are excluded from
and ground combat positions and some naval postings (2004)
obligation:
Manpower males age 16-49: 14,607,724
available for females age 16-49: 14,028,738 (2005 est.)
military
service:
Manpower fit males age 16-49: 12,046,268
for military females age 16-49: 11,555,893 (2005 est.)
service:
Military $42,836.5 million (2003)
expenditures -
dollar figure:
Military 2.4% (2003)
expenditures -
percent of
GDP:
Transnational
Issues
Disputes - in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by
international: referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty"
arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of
Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks
between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK
plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius
and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British
Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants
since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside
in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship
but no right to patriation in the UK; UK rejects
sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still
claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South
Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial
claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)
overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean
claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's
claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends
beyond 200 nm
Illicit drugs: producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and
synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of
Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and
synthetic drugs; money-laundering center