The United Kingdom
England, Scotland, and Wales make up the island of Great Britain,
and with Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom.
Although the UK is relatively small, the landscape varies widely
- from the rugged coastline of Northern Ireland and the remote,
often snow-capped mountains of the Scottish Highlands, to the green
valleys of South Wales, and the flat, fertile fields of the East
Anglia region of England.
The UK is heavily industrialised. Environmental pollution, especially
air pollution, is a serious problem. Farming is highly mechanised
although patterns are changing. There is now a growing movement
that supports environmentally-friendly, or organic, production.
The UK has a long history of migration. In the past, immigration
has been encouraged. Today, many different ethnic groups live in
Britain and six per cent of the population is non-white. Although
Christianity is the dominant religion, there are strong Muslim,
Sikh, Buddhist, Hindu and Jewish communities in the UK.
Most people in the UK live in towns. Today, the numbers of people
living in the larger cities is falling as people move out into smaller
towns and commute to work.
The UK is ranked tenth in the world in terms of human development,
which looks at measures such as health, education, and income. Yet
there are many people living in poverty, and the gap between rich
and poor is widening. Poverty is a fact of life for one in five
children in the UK.
| Capital |
London (Scotland, Edinburgh -
Wales, Cardiff) |
| Population |
58 million |
| Area |
244,100 sq km |
| Language |
English (official), but Welsh, Urdu, Hindi,
Punjabi, Gaelic, and other languages are also spoken |
| GNP per capita |
$19,600 |
| Life expectancy |
77 years |
| People per doctor |
604 |
| Literacy |
99% male, 99% female |
| Percentage of population with access to
safe water |
99% |
| Urban population |
89.3% |
Statistics taken from the Human Development Report 2000, published
by the United Nations Development Programme, and the World Guide
1999/2000, published by New Internationalist Publications.
For more information
about the UK, see the UK
feature on Cool Planet for Children.
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