Reino Unido

15/6/2015 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/print_uk.html

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/print_uk.html 1/14

Introduction :: UNITED KINGDOM

Ge ography :: UNITED KINGDOM

EUROPE : : UNITED KINGDOM

Background:

The United Kingdom has his tor ically played a leading role in developing par liamentary democ racy and in

advanc ing literature and sc ience. A t its zenith in the 19th century , the Br it ish Empire s tretched over one-

f our th of the ear th's sur f ace. The f ir s t half of the 20th century saw the UK's s trength ser ious ly depleted

in tw o w or ld w ars and the Ir ish Republic 's w ithdraw al f rom the union. The second half w itnessed the

dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. A s

one of f ive permanent members of the UN Secur ity Counc il and a f ounding member of NA TO and the

Commonw ealth, the UK pursues a global approach to f oreign polic y . The UK is also an ac tive member of

the EU, although it chose to remain outs ide the Economic and Monetary Union. The Scott ish Par liament, the

National A ssembly f or Wales , and the Nor thern Ireland A ssembly w ere es tablished in 1999. The latter w as

suspended until May 2007 due to w rangling over the peace process , but devolution w as f ully completed in

March 2010.

Location:

Wes tern Europe, is lands - inc luding the nor thern one-s ix th of the is land of Ireland - betw een the Nor th

A tlantic Ocean and the Nor th Sea; nor thw es t of France

Geographic coordinates:

54 00 N, 2 00 W

Map re ferences:

Europe

Area:

total: 243,610 sq km

land: 241,930 sq km

w ate r : 1,680 sq km

note : inc ludes Rockall and Shetland Is lands

countr y com par is on to the w or ld: 80

Area - comparative :

tw ice the s ize of Pennsy lvania; s lightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:

total: 443 km

bor de r countr ie s (1) : Ireland 443 km

Coastline :

12,429 km

Maritime c la ims:



Pe ople and Socie ty :: UNITED KINGDOM

te r r itor ial s e a: 12 nm

e xclus ive f is hing zone : 200 nm

cont ine ntal s he lf : as def ined in continental shelf orders or in accordance w ith agreed upon boundar ies

Climate :

temperate; moderated by prevailing southw es t w inds over the Nor th A tlantic Cur rent; more than one-half

of the days are overcas t

Terra in:

mos tly rugged hills and low mountains ; level to rolling plains in eas t and southeas t

Elevation extremes:

low e s t point : The Fens -4 m

highe s t point : Ben Nev is 1,343 m

Natura l resources:

coal, petroleum, natural gas , iron ore, lead, z inc , gold, t in, limes tone, salt, c lay , chalk, gypsum, potash,

s ilica sand, s late, arable land

Land use:

agr icultur al land: 71%

arable land 25.1%; permanent c rops 0.2%; permanent pas ture 45.7%

for e s t : 11.9%

othe r : 17.1% (2011 es t.)

Irr igated land:

2,280 sq km (2005)

Tota l renewable water resources:

147 cu km (2011)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industr ia l/agr icultura l):

total: 13.03 cu km/y r (58%/33%/9%)

pe r capita: 213.2 cu m/y r (2008)

Natura l hazards:

w inter w inds torms ; f loods

Env ironment - current issues:

continues to reduce greenhouse gas emiss ions (has met Kyoto Protocol target of a 12.5% reduc tion f rom

1990 levels and intends to meet the legally binding target and move tow ard a domes tic goal of a 20% cut in

emiss ions by 2010) ; by 2005 the government reduced the amount of indus tr ial and commerc ial w as te

disposed of in landf ill s ites to 85% of 1998 levels and recyc led or compos ted at leas t 25% of household

w as te, inc reas ing to 33% by 2015

Env ironment - internationa l agreements:

par ty to: A ir Pollution, A ir Pollution-Nitrogen Ox ides , A ir Pollution-Pers is tent Organic Pollutants , A ir

Pollution-Sulf ur 94, A ir Pollution-V olatile Organic Compounds , A ntarc tic -Env ironmental Protocol, A ntarc tic -

Mar ine Liv ing Resources , A ntarc tic Seals , A ntarc tic Treaty , Biodivers ity , Climate Change, Climate Change-

Kyoto Protocol, Deser tif ication, Endangered Spec ies , Env ironmental Modif ication, Hazardous Was tes , Law of

the Sea, Mar ine Dumping, Mar ine Lif e Conservation, Ozone Layer Protec tion, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber

83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands , Whaling

s igne d, but not r at if ie d: none of the selec ted agreements

Geography - note :

lies near v ital Nor th A tlantic sea lanes ; only 35 km f rom France and linked by tunnel under the English

Channel; because of heav ily indented coas tline, no location is more than 125 km f rom tidal w aters

Nationa lity :

noun: Br iton(s ) , Br it ish (collec tive plural)

adje ct ive : Br it ish

Ethnic groups:

w hite 87.2%, black/A f r ican/Car ibbean/black Br it ish 3%, A s ian/A s ian Br it ish: Indian 2.3%, A s ian/A s ian

Br it ish: Pakis tani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7% (2011 es t.)

Languages:

English

note : the f ollow ing are recognized regional languages : Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland) ,

Scott ish Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) , Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales ) , Ir ish (about 10%



of the population of Nor thern Ireland) , Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornw all) (2012 es t.)

Religions:

Chr is tian ( inc ludes A nglican, Roman Catholic , Presby ter ian, Methodis t) 59.5%, Mus lim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%,

other 2%, unspec if ied 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 es t.)

Population:

63,742,977 (July 2014 es t.)


Age structure :

0-14 ye ar s : 17.3% (male 5,660,891/f emale 5,380,448)


25-54 ye ar s : 41% (male 13,299,731/f emale 12,843,937)


65 ye ar s and ove r : 17.5% (male 4,990,024/f emale 6,182,114) (2014 es t.)

Dependency ratios:

total de pe nde ncy r at io: 54.8%

youth de pe nde ncy r at io: 27.2%

e lde r ly de pe nde ncy r at io: 27.6%

pote nt ial s uppor t r at io: 3.6% (2014 es t.)

Median age:

total: 40.4 years

m ale : 39.2 years

fe m ale : 41.6 years (2014 es t.)

Population growth rate :

0.54% (2014 es t.)


Birth rate :

12.22 bir ths /1,000 population (2014 es t.)


Death rate :

9.34 deaths /1,000 population (2014 es t.)


Net migration rate :

2.56 migrant(s ) /1,000 population (2014 es t.)


Urbanization:

ur ban populat ion: 82.3% of total population (2014)

r ate of ur banizat ion: 0.88% annual rate of change (2010-15 es t.)

Major urban areas - population:

LONDON (capital) 10.189 million; Manches ter 2.624 million; Birmingham 2.497 million; Glasgow 1.219 million;

Southampton/Por tsmouth 876,000; Liverpool 869,000 (2014)

Sex ratio:

at b ir th: 1.05 male(s ) /f emale

0-14 ye ar s : 1.05 male(s ) /f emale




65 ye ar s and ove r : 0.8 male(s ) /f emale

total populat ion: 0.99 male(s ) /f emale (2014 es t.)

Mother 's mean age at f irst birth:

28.1

note : data ref er to England and Wales (2012 es t.)

Materna l morta lity rate :

8 deaths /100,000 live bir ths (2013 es t.)


Infant morta lity rate :

total: 4.44 deaths /1,000 live bir ths

m ale : 4.86 deaths /1,000 live bir ths

fe m ale : 4 deaths /1,000 live bir ths (2014 es t.)




Life expectancy at birth:

total populat ion: 80.42 years

m ale : 78.26 years

fe m ale : 82.69 years (2014 es t.)


Tota l fertil ity rate :

1.9 children born/w oman (2014 es t.)


Contraceptive preva lence rate :

84%

note : percent of w omen aged 16-49 (2008/09)

Health expenditures:

9.1% of GDP (2013)


Physic ians density :

2.81 phys ic ians /1,000 population (2013)

Hospita l bed density :

2.9 beds /1,000 population (2011)

Drink ing water source :

im pr ove d:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 100% of population

unim pr ove d:



total: 0% of population (2012 es t.)

Sanitation fac il ity access:

im pr ove d:



total: 100% of population

unim pr ove d:



total: 0% of population (2012 es t.)

HIV/AIDS - adult preva lence rate :

0.33% (2013 es t.)


HIV/AIDS - people l iv ing with HIV/AIDS:

126,700 (2013 es t.)


HIV/AIDS - deaths:

f ew er than 600 (2013 es t.)


Obesity - adult preva lence rate :

29.8% (2014)


Education expenditures:

6% of GDP (2011)


School l ife expectancy (pr imary to tertiary education):

total: 16 years

m ale : 16 years

fe m ale : 17 years (2012)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total: 21%



Gove rnm e nt :: UNITED KINGDOM

m ale : 23.8%

fe m ale : 17.9% (2012 es t.)


Country name:

conve nt ional long for m : United Kingdom of Great Br itain and Nor thern Ireland; note - Great Br itain

inc ludes England, Scotland, and Wales

conve nt ional s hor t for m : United Kingdom

abbr e viat ion: UK

Government type:

cons titutional monarchy and Commonw ealth realm

Capita l:

nam e : London

ge ogr aphic coor dinate s : 51 30 N, 0 05 W

t im e dif fe r e nce : UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, dur ing Standard Time)

daylight s aving t im e : +1hr , begins las t Sunday in March; ends las t Sunday in Oc tober

note : applies to the United Kingdom proper , not to its overseas dependenc ies or ter r itor ies

Administrative div is ions:

England: 27 tw o- tier counties , 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36

metropolitan dis tr ic ts , 56 unitary author it ies ( inc luding 4 s ingle- t ier counties *)

tw o- t ie r count ie s : Buckinghamshire, Cambr idgeshire, Cumbr ia, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Eas t Sussex ,

Essex , Glouces tershire, Hampshire, Her tf ordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leices tershire, Lincolnshire, Nor f olk,

Nor th Y orkshire, Nor thamptonshire, Nott inghamshire, Ox f ordshire, Somerset, Staf f ordshire, Suf f olk, Sur rey ,

Warw ickshire, Wes t Sussex , Worces tershire

London bor oughs and City of London or Gr e ate r London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bex ley ,

Brent, Bromley , Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enf ield, Greenw ich, Hackney , Hammersmith and Fulham, Har ingey ,

Har row , Haver ing, Hillingdon, Houns low , Is lington, Kens ington and Chelsea, Kings ton upon Thames ,

Lambeth, Lew isham, City of London, Mer ton, New ham, Redbr idge, Richmond upon Thames , Southw ark,

Sutton, Tow er Hamlets , Waltham Fores t, Wandsw or th, Wes tmins ter

m e tr opolitan dis t r icts : Barns ley , Birmingham, Bolton, Bradf ord, Bury , Calderdale, Coventry , Doncas ter ,

Dudley , Gateshead, Kirklees , Know lsey , Leeds , Liverpool, Manches ter , New cas tle upon Tyne, Nor th

Tynes ide, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salf ord, Sandw ell, Sef ton, Shef f ield, Solihull, South Tynes ide, St.

Helens , Stockpor t, Sunder land, Tames ide, Traf f ord, Wakef ield, Walsall, Wigan, Wir ral, Wolverhampton

unitar y author it ie s : Bath and Nor th Eas t Somerset, Blackburn w ith Darw en, Bedf ord, Blackpool,

Bournemouth, Bracknell Fores t, Br ighton and Hove, City of Br is tol, Central Bedf ordshire, Cheshire Eas t,

Cheshire Wes t and Ches ter , Cornw all, Dar lington, Derby , Durham County *, Eas t Riding of Y orkshire, Halton,

Har tlepool, Heref ordshire*, Is le of Wight*, Is les of Sc illy , City of Kings ton upon Hull, Leices ter , Luton,

Medw ay , Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes , Nor th Eas t Lincolnshire, Nor th Lincolnshire, Nor th Somerset,

Nor thumber land*, Nott ingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Por tsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland,

Rutland, Shropshire, Slough, South Glouces tershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees ,

Stoke-on-Trent, Sw indon, Telf ord and Wrekin, Thur rock, Torbay , War r ington, Wes t Berkshire, Wiltshire,

Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Y ork

Nor the r n Ir e land: 5 borough counc ils , 4 dis tr ic t counc ils , 2 c ity counc ils

bor ough councils : A ntr im and New tow nabbey ; A rds and Nor th Dow n; A rmagh, Banbr idge, and

Craigavon; Causew ay Coas t and Glens ; Mid and Eas t A ntr im

dis t r ict councils : Derry and Strabane; Fermanagh and Omagh; Mid Uls ter ; New ry , Murne, and Dow n

city councils : Belf as t; Lisburn and Cas tlereagh

Scot land: 32 counc il areas

council ar e as : A berdeen City , A berdeenshire, A ngus , A rgy ll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumf r ies and

Gallow ay , Dundee City , Eas t A y rshire, Eas t Dunbar tonshire, Eas t Lothian, Eas t Renf rew shire, City of

Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Wes tern Is les ) , Falkirk, Fif e, Glasgow City , Highland, Inverc lyde, Midlothian, Moray ,

Nor th A y rshire, Nor th Lanarkshire, Orkney Is lands , Per th and Kinross , Renf rew shire, Shetland Is lands ,

South A y rshire, South Lanarkshire, Stir ling, The Scott ish Borders , Wes t Dunbar tonshire, Wes t Lothian

Wale s : 22 unitary author it ies

unitar y author it ie s : Blaenau Gw ent, Br idgend, Caerphilly , Cardif f , Carmar thenshire, Ceredigion, Conw y ,

Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gw ynedd, Is le of A nglesey , Mer thy r Tydf il, Monmouthshire, Neath Por t Talbot,



New por t, Pembrokeshire, Pow ys , Rhondda Cynon Taf f , Sw ansea, The V ale of Glamorgan, Tor f aen, Wrexham

Dependent areas:

A nguilla, Bermuda, Br it ish Indian Ocean Ter r itory , Br it ish V irgin Is lands , Cayman Is lands , Falkland Is lands ,

Gibraltar , Montser rat, Pitcairn Is lands , Saint Helena, A scens ion, and Tr is tan da Cunha, South Georgia and

the South Sandw ich Is lands , Turks and Caicos Is lands

Independence:

12 A pr il 1927 (Royal and Par liamentary Tit les A c t es tablishes cur rent name of the United Kingdom of Great

Br itain and Nor thern Ireland) ; notable ear lier dates : 927 (minor English kingdoms united) ; 3 March 1284

(enac tment of the Statute of Rhuddlan unit ing England and Wales ) ; 1536 (A c t of Union f ormally

incorporates England and Wales ) ; 1 May 1707 (A c ts of Union f ormally unite England and Scotland as Great

Br itain) ; 1 January 1801 (A c ts of Union f ormally unite Great Br itain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of

Great Br itain and Ireland) ; 6 December 1921 (A nglo- Ir ish Treaty f ormalizes par tit ion of Ireland; s ix counties

remain par t of the United Kingdom and Nor thern Ireland)

Nationa l holiday :

the UK does not celebrate one par ticular national holiday

Constitution:

unw r itten; par t ly s tatutes , par t ly common law and prac tice; note - recent addit ions inc lude the Human

Rights A c t of 1998, the Cons titutional Ref orm and Governance A c t 2010, the Par liamentary V oting Sys tem

and Cons tituenc ies A c t 2011, and the Fixed- term Par liaments A c t 2011 (2011)

Legal system:

common law sys tem; has nonbinding judic ial rev iew of A c ts of Par liament under the Human Rights A c t of

1998

Internationa l law organization partic ipation:

accepts compulsory ICJ jur isdic tion w ith reservations ; accepts ICCt jur isdic tion

Suffrage:

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chie f of s tate : Queen ELIZA BETH II (s ince 6 February 1952) ; Heir A pparent Pr ince CHA RLES (son of the

queen, born 14 November 1948)

he ad of gove r nm e nt: Pr ime Minis ter Dav id CA MERON (s ince 11 May 2010)

cabine t : Cabinet of Minis ters appointed by the pr ime minis ter

e le ct ions : the monarchy is hereditary ; f ollow ing legis lative elec tions , the leader of the major ity par ty or

the leader of the major ity coalit ion usually becomes the pr ime minis ter

Legis lative branch:

de s cr ipt ion: bicameral Par liament cons is ts of the House of Lords (779 seats - membership not f ixed;

cons is ts of 666 lif e peers , 87 hereditary peers , and 26 c lergy - as of March 2014; members appointed by

the monarch on the adv ice of the pr ime minis ter and non-par ty polit ical members recommended by the House

of Lords A ppointments Commiss ion) and the House of Commons (650 seats ; members direc tly elec ted in

s ingle-seat cons tituenc ies by f ir s t-pas t- the-pos t vote to serve 5-year terms unless the House is dissolved

ear lier )

e le ct ions : House of Lords - no elec tions (note - in 1999, as prov ided by the House of Lords A c t,

elec tions w ere held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers w ho w ould remain there;

elec tions are held only as vacanc ies in the hereditary peerage ar ise) ; House of Commons - las t held on 8

May 2015 (nex t to be held by May 2020)

e le ct ion r e s ults : House of Commons - percent of vote by par ty - Conservative 36.9%, Labor 30.4%, UK

Independence Par ty 12.6%, Liberal Democ rats 7.9%, other 12.2%; seats by par ty - Conservative 330, Labor

232, UK Independence Par ty 1, Liberal Democ rat 8, other 14

Judic ia l branch:

highe s t cour t (s ) : Supreme Cour t (cons is ts of 12 jus tices inc luding the cour t pres ident and deputy

pres ident) ; note - the Supreme Cour t w as es tablished by the Cons titutional Ref orm A c t 2005 and

implemented in Oc tober 2009, replac ing the A ppellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highes t cour t

in the United Kingdom

judge s e le ct ion and te r m of of f ice : judge candidates selec ted by an independent committee of several

judic ial commiss ions , f ollow ed by their recommendations to the pr ime minis ter , and appointed by Her Majes ty

The Queen; jus tices appointed dur ing per iod of good behav ior

s ubor dinate cour ts : England and Wales - Cour t of A ppeal (c iv il and c r iminal div is ions ) ; High Cour t;

Crow n Cour t; County Cour ts ; Magis trates ' Cour ts ; Scotland - Cour t of Sess ions ; Sher r if Cour ts ; High Cour t

of Jus tic iary ; tr ibunals ; Nor thern Ireland - Cour t of A ppeal in Nor thern Ireland; High Cour t; county cour ts ;



magis trates ' cour ts ; spec ialized tr ibunals

Politica l parties and leaders:

A lliance Par ty (Nor therm Ireland) [Dav id FORD]

Conservative Par ty [Dav id CA MERON]

Democ ratic Unionis t Par ty or DUP (Nor thern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]

Green Par ty of England and Wales or Greens [Natalie BENNETT]

Labor Par ty [Ed MILIBA ND]

Liberal Democ rats (Lib Dems) [Nick CLEGG]

Par ty of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Leanne WOOD]

Respec t Par ty [George GA LLOWA Y ]

Scott ish National Par ty or SNP [Nicola STURGEON]

Sinn Fein (Nor thern Ireland) [Ger ry A DA MS]

Soc ial Democ ratic and Labor Par ty or SDLP (Nor thern Ireland) [A lasdair MCDONNELL]

Uls ter Unionis t Par ty (Nor thern Ireland) [Mike NESBITT]

UK Independence Par ty or UKIP [Nigel FA RA GE]

Politica l pressure groups and leaders:

Campaign f or Nuc lear Disarmament

Conf ederation of Br it ish Indus try

National Farmers ' Union

Trades Union Congress

Internationa l organization partic ipation:

A DB (nonregional member ) , A f DB (nonregional member ) , A rc tic Counc il (observer ) , A us tralia Group, BIS,

C, CBSS (observer ) , CD, CDB, CE, CERN, EA PC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EITI ( implementing country ) , ESA , EU,

FA O, FA TF, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IA DB, IA EA , IBRD, ICA O, ICC (national committees ) , ICCt, ICRM, IDA ,

IEA , IFA D, IFC, IFRCS, IGA D (par tners ) , IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,

ITUC (NGOs) , MIGA , MINUSMA , MONUSCO, NA TO, NEA , NSG, OA S (observer ) , OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Pac if ic

A lliance (observer ) , Par is Club, PCA , PIF (par tner ) , SELEC (observer ) , SICA (observer ) , UN, UNCTA D,

UNESCO, UNFICY P, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNRWA , UNSC (permanent) , UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:

chie f of m is s ion: A mbassador Peter John WESTMA COTT (s ince 17 January 2012)

chance r y: 3100 Massachusetts A venue NW, Washington, DC 20008

te le phone : [1] (202) 588-6500

FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870

cons ulate (s ) ge ne r al: A tlanta, Bos ton, Chicago, Denver , Hous ton, Los A ngeles , Miami, New Y ork, San

Franc isco

cons ulate (s ) : Or lando (FL)

Diplomatic representation from the US:

chie f of m is s ion: A mbassador Matthew Winthrop BA RZUN (s ince 27 November 2013)

e m bas s y: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1K 6A H; note - a new embassy is scheduled to open by the

end of 2017 in the Nine Elms area of Wandsw or th

m ailing addr e s s : PSC 801, Box 40, FPO A E 09498-4040

te le phone : [44] (0) 20 7499-9000

FAX: [44] (0) 20 7629-9124

cons ulate (s ) ge ne r al: Belf as t, Edinburgh

F lag descr iption:

blue f ield w ith the red c ross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in w hite super imposed on the

diagonal red c ross of Saint Patr ic k (patron saint of Ireland) , w hich is super imposed on the diagonal w hite

c ross of Saint A ndrew (patron saint of Scotland) ; proper ly know n as the Union Flag, but commonly called

the Union Jack; the des ign and colors (espec ially the Blue Ens ign) have been the bas is f or a number of

other f lags inc luding other Commonw ealth countr ies and their cons tituent s tates or prov inces , and Br it ish

overseas ter r itor ies

Nationa l symbol(s):

lion (Br itain in general) ; lion, Tudor rose, oak (England) ; lion, unicorn, this t le (Scotland) ; dragon, daf f odil,

leek (Wales ) ; shamrock, f lax (Nor thern Ireland) ; national colors : red, w hite, blue (Br itain in general) ; red,

w hite (England) ; blue, w hite (Scotland) ; red, w hite, green (Wales )

Nationa l anthem:

nam e : "God Save the Queen"

lyr ics /m us ic: unknow n



Econom y :: UNITED KINGDOM

note : in use s ince 1745; by tradit ion, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the United

Kingdom; it is know n as either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the gender of

the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem of many Commonw ealth nations

Economy - overv iew:

The UK, a leading trading pow er and f inanc ial center , is the third larges t economy in Europe af ter Germany

and France. A gr iculture is intens ive, highly mechanized, and ef f ic ient by European s tandards , produc ing

about 60% of f ood needs w ith less than 2% of the labor f orce. The UK has large coal, natural gas , and oil

resources , but its oil and natural gas reserves are dec lining and the UK became a net impor ter of energy

in 2005. Serv ices , par t icular ly banking, insurance, and bus iness serv ices , are key dr ivers of Br it ish GDP

grow th. Manuf ac tur ing, meanw hile, has dec lined in impor tance but s t ill accounts f or about 10% of

economic output. In 2008, the global f inanc ial c r is is hit the economy par ticular ly hard, due to the

impor tance of its f inanc ial sec tor . Falling home pr ices , high consumer debt, and the global economic

s low dow n compounded Br itain's economic problems , pushing the economy into recess ion in the latter half

of 2008 and prompting the then BROWN (Labour ) government to implement a number of measures to

s timulate the economy and s tabilize the f inanc ial markets . Fac ing burgeoning public def ic its and debt

levels , in 2010 the CA MERON- led coalit ion government (betw een Conservatives and Liberal Democ rats )

init iated an aus ter ity program, w hich aimed to low er London's budget def ic it f rom about 11% of GDP in

2010 to near ly 1% by 2015. The CA MERON government raised the value added tax f rom 17.5% to 20% in

2011. It has pledged to reduce the corporation tax rate to 20% by 2015. How ever , the def ic it s t ill remains

one of the highes t in the G7, s tanding at 5.8% in 2013. The Bank of England (BoE) implemented an asset

purchase program of 375 billion (approx imately $586 billion) as of December 2014. Dur ing t imes of

economic c r is is , the BoE coordinates interes t rate moves w ith the European Central Bank, but Br itain

remains outs ide the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) . In 2012, w eak consumer spending and

subdued bus iness inves tment w eighed on the economy , how ever , in 2013 GDP grew 1.8%, accelerating

unexpec tedly because of greater consumer spending and a recover ing hous ing market.

GDP (purchasing power par ity ):

$2.435 tr illion (2014 es t.)

$2.359 tr illion (2013 es t.)

$2.319 tr illion (2012 es t.)

note : data are in 2014 US dollars


GDP (off ic ia l exchange rate):

$2.848 tr illion (2014 es t.)

GDP - rea l growth rate :

3.2% (2014 es t.)

1.7% (2013 es t.)

0.3% (2012 es t.)


GDP - per capita (PPP):

$37,700 (2014 es t.)

$36,800 (2013 es t.)

$36,400 (2012 es t.)

note : data are in 2013 US dollars


Gross nationa l sav ing:

10.8% of GDP (2014 es t.)

10% of GDP (2013 es t.)

10.9% of GDP (2012 es t.)


GDP - composition, by end use:

hous e hold cons um pt ion: 64.8%

gove r nm e nt cons um pt ion: 19.5%

inve s tm e nt in f ixe d capital: 17.1%

inve s tm e nt in inve ntor ie s : 0.6%

e xpor ts of goods and s e r vice s : 28.4%



im por ts of goods and s e r vice s : -30.3%

(2014 es t.)

GDP - composition, by sector of or igin:

agr icultur e : 0.6%

indus tr y: 20.6%

s e r vice s : 78.8%

(2014 es t.)

Agriculture - products:

cereals , oilseed, potatoes , vegetables ; catt le, sheep, poultry ; f ish

Industr ies:

machine tools , elec tr ic pow er equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, airc raf t,

motor vehic les and par ts , elec tronics and communications equipment, metals , chemicals , coal, petroleum,

paper and paper produc ts , f ood process ing, tex tiles , c lothing, other consumer goods

Industr ia l production growth rate :

2.4% (2014 es t.)


Labor force :

32.59 million (2014 es t.)


Labor force - by occupation:

agr icultur e : 1.4%

indus tr y: 18.2%

s e r vice s : 80.4% (2006 es t.)

Unemployment rate :

5.7% (2014 es t.)

7.6% (2013 es t.)


Population be low poverty l ine :

16.2% (2011 es t.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share :

low e s t 10%: 1.7%

highe s t 10%: 31.1% (2012)

Distr ibution of family income - Gini index:

32.3 (2012)

34 (2005)


Budget:

r e ve nue s : $1.15 tr illion

e xpe nditur e s : $1.286 tr illion (2014 es t.)

Taxes and other revenues:

40.4% of GDP (2014 es t.)


Budget surplus (+) or defic it (- ):

-4.8% of GDP (2014 es t.)


Public debt:

86.6% of GDP (2014 es t.)

85.3% of GDP (2013 es t.)

note : data cover general government debt, and inc lude debt ins truments is sued (or ow ned) by

government entit ies other than the treasury ; the data inc lude treasury debt held by f oreign entit ies ; the data

inc lude debt is sued by subnational entit ies , as w ell as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt

cons is ts of treasury bor row ings f rom surpluses in the soc ial f unds , such as f or retirement, medical care,

and unemployment; debt ins truments f or the soc ial f unds are not sold at public auc tions


F isca l year:

6 A pr il - 5 A pr il

Inflation rate (consumer pr ices):

1.6% (2014 es t.)



2.6% (2013 es t.)

Centra l bank discount rate :

0.5% (31 December 2013)

0.5% (31 December 2012)


Commercia l bank pr ime lending rate :

4.4% (31 December 2014 es t.)

4.37% (31 December 2013 es t.)


Stock of narrow money :

$114.2 billion (31 December 2014 es t.)



Stock of broad money :

$3.567 tr illion (31 December 2014 es t.)



Stock of domestic credit:




Market va lue of public ly traded shares:


$2.903 tr illion (31 December 2011)



Current account ba lance:

-$117.9 billion (2014 es t.)

-$114.1 billion (2013 es t.)


Exports:

$503.4 billion (2014 es t.)

$476.6 billion (2013 es t.)


Exports - commodities:

manuf ac tured goods , f uels , chemicals ; f ood, beverages , tobacco

Exports - partners:

Sw itzer land 13.8%, Germany 9%, US 8.8%, Nether lands 7.6%, France 6.4%, Ireland 5.7%, Belgium 4.3%

(2013)

Imports:

$686 billion (2014 es t.)

$645.4 billion (2013 es t.)


Imports - commodities:

manuf ac tured goods , machinery , f uels ; f oods tuf f s

Imports - partners:

Germany 13.9%, China 8.5%, Nether lands 8.5%, France 6%, US 5.6%, Belgium 5% (2013)

Reserves of fore ign exchange and gold:




Debt - externa l:




Stock of direct fore ign investment - a t home:





Ene rgy :: UNITED KINGDOM


Stock of direct fore ign investment - abroad:




Exchange rates:

Br it ish pounds (GBP) per US dollar -

0.6003 (2014 es t.)

0.6391 (2013 es t.)

0.63 (2012 es t.)

0.624 (2011 es t.)

0.6472 (2010 es t.)

Electr ic ity - production:

365.7 billion kWh (2013 es t.)


Electr ic ity - consumption:



Electr ic ity - exports:



Electr ic ity - imports:



Electr ic ity - insta lled generating capacity :

89.24 million kW (31 December 2012 es t.)


Electr ic ity - from fossil fue ls:

76% of total ins talled capac ity (2012 es t.)


Electr ic ity - from nuclear fue ls:

11.2% of total ins talled capac ity (2012 es t.)


Electr ic ity - from hydroe lectr ic plants:

4.8% of total ins talled capac ity (2012 es t.)


Electr ic ity - from other renewable sources:

8% of total ins talled capac ity (2012 es t.)


Crude oil - production:

857,200 bbl/day (2013 es t.)


Crude oil - proved reserves:

2.979 billion bbl (1 January 2014 es t.)


Refined petroleum products - production:

1.343 million bbl/day (2013 es t.)


Refined petroleum products - consumption:

1.508 million bbl/day (2013 es t.)


Refined petroleum products - exports:

526,400 bbl/day (2012 es t.)


Refined petroleum products - imports:



Com m unications :: UNITED KINGDOM

Trans por tation :: UNITED KINGDOM

678,600 bbl/day (2013 es t.)


Natura l gas - production:

38.47 billion cu m (2013 es t.)


Natura l gas - consumption:



Natura l gas - exports:



Natura l gas - imports:



Natura l gas - proved reserves:

244 billion cu m (1 January 2014 es t.)


Carbon diox ide emissions from consumption of energy :

498.9 million Mt (2012 es t.)

Te lephones - main lines in use:

33.01 million (2012)


Te lephones - mobile ce llular:

82.109 million (2012)


Te lephone system:

ge ne r al as s e s s m e nt: technologically advanced domes tic and international sys tem

dom e s t ic: equal mix of bur ied cables , mic row ave radio relay , and f iber -optic sys tems

inte r nat ional: country code - 44; numerous submar ine cables prov ide links throughout Europe, A s ia,

A us tralia, the Middle Eas t, and US; satellite ear th s tations - 10 Intelsat (7 A tlantic Ocean and 3 Indian

Ocean) , 1 Inmarsat (A tlantic Ocean region) , and 1 Eutelsat; at leas t 8 large international sw itching centers

(2011)

Broadcast media :

public serv ice broadcas ter , Br it ish Broadcas ting Corporation (BBC) , is the larges t broadcas ting

corporation in the w or ld; BBC operates mult iple TV netw orks w ith regional and local TV serv ice; a mixed

sys tem of public and commerc ial TV broadcas ters along w ith satellite and cable sys tems prov ide access

to hundreds of TV s tations throughout the w or ld; BBC operates mult iple national, regional, and local radio

netw orks w ith mult iple transmiss ion s ites ; a large number of commerc ial radio s tations as w ell as satellite

radio serv ices are available (2008)

Radio broadcast stations:

A M 206, FM 696, shor tw ave 3 (2008)

Te lev is ion broadcast stations:

940 (2008)

Internet country code:

.uk

Internet hosts:

8.107 million (2012)


Internet users:

51.444 million (2009)


Airports:



M ilitary :: UNITED KINGDOM

460 (2013)


Airports - with paved runways:

total: 271

ove r 3,047 m : 7

2,438 to 3,047 m : 29

1,524 to 2,437 m : 89

914 to 1,523 m : 80

unde r 914 m : 66 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways:

total: 189

1,524 to 2,437 m : 3

914 to 1,523 m : 26

unde r 914 m :

160 (2013)

Heliports:

9 (2013)

Pipe lines:

condensate 502 km; condensate/gas 9 km; gas 28,603 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 5,256 km;

oil/gas /w ater 175 km; ref ined produc ts 4,919 km; w ater 255 km (2013)

Railways:

total: 16,454 km

br oad gauge : 303 km 1.600-m gauge ( in Nor thern Ireland)

s tandar d gauge : 16,151 km 1.435-m gauge (5,248 km elec tr if ied) (2008)


Roadways:

total: 394,428 km

pave d: 394,428 km ( inc ludes 3,519 km of expressw ays ) (2009)


Waterways:

3,200 km (620 km used f or commerce) (2009)


Merchant marine:

total: 504

by type : bulk car r ier 33, cargo 76, car r ier 4, chemical tanker 58, container 178, liquef ied gas 6,

passenger 7, passenger /cargo 66, petroleum tanker 18, ref r igerated cargo 2, roll on/roll of f 31, vehic le

car r ier 25

for e ign-ow ne d: 271 (A us tralia 1, Bermuda 6, China 7, Denmark 43, France 39, Germany 59, Hong Kong

12, Ireland 1, Italy 3, Japan 5, Nether lands 1, Norw ay 32, Sw eden 28, Taiw an 11, Tanzania 1, UA E 8, US 14)

r e gis te r e d in othe r countr ie s : 308 (A lger ia 15, A ntigua and Barbuda 1, A rgentina 2, A us tralia 5,

Bahamas 18, Barbados 6, Belgium 2, Belize 4, Bermuda 14, Boliv ia 1, Brunei 2, Cabo V erde 1, Cambodia 1,

Cayman Is lands 2, Comoros 1, Cook Is lands 2, Cyprus 7, Georgia 5, Gibraltar 6, Greece 6, Honduras 1, Hong

Kong 33, Indones ia 2, Italy 2, Liber ia 22, Liber ia 32, Luxembourg 5, Malta 21, Marshall Is lands 12, Marshall

Is lands 3, Moldova 3, Niger ia 2, NZ 1, Panama 37, Panama 5, Saint Kitts and Nev is 1, Saint V incent and the

Grenadines 6, Sier ra Leone 1, Singapore 6, Thailand 6, Tonga 1, US 4, unknow n 1) (2010)


Ports and termina ls:

m ajor s e apor t (s ) : Dover , Felix s tow e, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teespor t (England) ;

For th Por ts (Scotland) ; Milf ord Haven (Wales )

oil te r m inals : Faw ley Mar ine terminal, Liverpool Bay terminal (England) ; Braef oot Bay terminal, Finnar t

oil terminal, Hound Point terminal (Scotland)

containe r por t (s ) (TEUs ) : Felix s tow e (3,248,592) , London (1,932,000) , Southampton (1,324,581)

LNG te r m inal(s ) ( im por t ) : Is le of Grain, Milf ord Haven, Teess ide

Military branches:

A rmy , Royal Navy ( inc ludes Royal Mar ines ) , Royal A ir Force (2013)



Trans national Is s ue s :: UNITED KINGDOM

Military serv ice age and obligation:

16-33 years of age (of f icers 17-28) f or voluntary military serv ice (w ith parental consent under 18) ; no

consc r iption; w omen serve in military serv ices , but are exc luded f rom ground combat pos it ions and some

naval pos tings ; as of Oc tober 2009, w omen compr ised 12.1% of of f icers and 9% of enlis ted personnel in

the regular f orces ; mus t be c it izen of the UK, Commonw ealth, or Republic of Ireland; reserv is ts serve a

minimum of 3 years , to age 45 or 55; 17 years 6 months of age f or voluntary military serv ice by Nepalese

c it izens in the Br igade of Gurkhas ; 16-34 years of age f or voluntary military serv ice by Papua New

Guinean c it izens (2012)

Manpower ava ilable for military serv ice :

m ale s age 16-49: 14,856,917

fe m ale s age 16-49: 14,307,316 (2010 es t.)

Manpower f it for military serv ice :

m ale s age 16-49: 12,255,452

fe m ale s age 16-49: 11,779,679 (2010 es t.)

Manpower reaching militar ily s ignif icant age annually :

m ale : 383,989

fe m ale : 365,491 (2010 es t.)

Military expenditures:

2.49% of GDP (2012)

2.48% of GDP (2011)

2.49% of GDP (2010)


Disputes - internationa l:

in 2002, Gibraltar res idents voted overw helmingly by ref erendum to rejec t any "shared sovereignty "

ar rangement betw een the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar ins is ted on equal par t ic ipation in talks

betw een the tw o countr ies ; Spain disapproved of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy ; Maur it ius

and Seychelles c laim the Chagos A rchipelago (Br it ish Indian Ocean Ter r itory ) ; in 2001, the f ormer

inhabitants of the archipelago, ev ic ted 1967 - 1973, w ere granted U.K. c it izenship and the r ight of return,

f ollow ed by Orders in Counc il in 2004 that banned rehabitation, a High Cour t ruling reversed the ban, a

Cour t of A ppeal ref usal to hear the case, and a Law Lords ' dec is ion in 2008 denied the r ight of return; in

addit ion, the United Kingdom c reated the w or ld's larges t mar ine protec tion area around the Chagos is lands

prohibit ing the ex trac tion of any natural resources therein; UK rejec ts sovereignty talks reques ted by

A rgentina, w hich s till c laims the Falkland Is lands ( Is las Malv inas ) and South Georgia and the South

Sandw ich Is lands ; ter r itor ial c laim in A ntarc tica (Br it ish A ntarc tic Ter r itory ) over laps A rgentine c laim and

par tially over laps Chilean c laim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's c laim that the Faroe

Is lands ' continental shelf ex tends beyond 200 nm

Refugees and interna lly displaced persons:

r e fuge e s (countr y of or ig in) : 11,368 ( Iran) ; 11,249 (Somalia) ; 10,302 (Z imbabw e) ; 10,010 (Er itrea) ;

9,166 (A f ghanis tan) ; 5,297 (Pakis tan) (2014)

s tate le s s pe r s ons : 205 (2013)

Ill ic it drugs:

producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals ; major consumer of

Southw es t A s ian heroin, Latin A mer ican cocaine, and synthetic drugs ; money - launder ing center

Reino Unido

Documents

Transcript of Reino Unido