United Kingdom (UK)

area:	243,368sq km (94,202sq mi)
population:	58,393,000
capital (population):	London (6,966,800)
government:	Constitutional monarchy
ethnic groups:	White 94%, Indian 1%, Pakistani 1%, West Indian 1%
languages:	English (official)
religions:	Christianity (Anglican 57%, Roman Catholic 13%, Presbyterian 7%, Methodist 4%, Baptist 1%), Islam 1%, Judaism, Hinduism, Sikhism
currency:	Pound sterling = 100 pence

Kingdom in w Europe. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a union of four countries in the British Isles. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland, and Wales. The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are self-governing UK dependencies. England and Wales formally united in 1536, and Scotland and England joined in the 1707 Act of Union. (For land, climate, vegetation, and separate histories, see individual country articles)

History and Politics

In the 17th century, England's development of empire coincided with a financial revolution, which included the founding of the Bank of England (1694). Sir Robert Walpole's prime ministership (1721–42) marked the beginnings of cabinet government. Great Britain emerged from the Seven Years' War (1756–63) as the world's leading imperial power. George III's conception of absolute monarchy and resistance to colonial reform led to conflict with Parliament and contributed to the American Revolution (1775–83). William Pitt (the Younger) oversaw the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. The Agricultural Revolution was both a cause and effect of the doubling of the population between 1801 and 1861. The Industrial Revolution brought profound socio-economic changes. The 1820s and 1830s saw new reform legislation, including: the Act of Catholic Emancipation (1829), the abolition of slavery (1833), harsh new poor laws (1834), and the extension of the franchise to the middle-class in the Reform Acts. Sir Robert Peel's repeal of the Corn Laws (1846) marked the birth of free trade and the emergence of the Conservative Party from the old Tory Party. The Liberal Party similarly evolved out of the Whig Party. Chartism marked the birth of a working-class movement.

The reign of Victoria saw the emergence of a second British Empire, spurred on by the imperial ambitions of Lord Palmerston. The historic importance of trade to the UK economy was firmly established. Between 1868 and 1880, Benjamin Disraeli and William Gladstone dominated UK politics. The defeat of Gladstone's Home Rule Bill for Ireland (1886) split the Liberal Party. Between 1908 and 1916, Herbert Asquith and David Lloyd George enacted a range of progressive social welfare policies, such as national insurance and state pensions. The growing power of Germany led to World War I. George V changed the name of the British royal family from Saxe-Coburg to Windsor. The Allied victory cost more than 750,000 UK lives. The UK faced rebellion in Ireland, and the Anglo-Irish Treaty (1921) confirmed the partition of Ireland. The Irish Free State emerged in 1922, and the UK officially became known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In 1924, Ramsay MacDonald formed the first Labour Party government. The Commonwealth of Nations was founded in 1931. In 1936, Edward VIII abdicated in favour of George VI. Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasement towards Nazi Germany ended in failure. On September 3, 1939, after the German invasion of Poland, Britain declared war. Winston Churchill led a coalition government from May 1940 to the end of World War 2. In 1941, the USA and the Soviet Union joined the battle against Hitler. Germany surrendered in May 1945, and Japan in September 1945. The war claimed more than 420,000 British lives, and devastated the economy. In 1945 elections, the Labour Party swept back to power, with Clement Attlee as prime minister. Attlee began a radical programme of nationalization and increased welfare provision. The US Marshall Plan aided reconstruction. In 1948, the National Health Service (NHS) was born. The British Empire gradually dismantled, beginning with India in 1947. Most newly independent nations joined the Commonwealth. In 1949, the UK joined NATO. In 1951, Churchill returned to power. In 1952, Elizabeth II succeeded George VI. Anthony Eden led Britain into the disastrous Suez Canal Crisis (1956). Harold Macmillan realized the importance of Europe to UK trade. In 1959, the UK was a founder member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). In 1964, Harold Wilson narrowly defeated Alec Douglas-Home. In 1968, the British Army deployed in Northern Ireland to prevent the violent sectarian conflict that had followed civil rights' marches. In 1971, under Edward Heath, the UK adopted a decimal currency. In 1972, the British Parliament assumed direct control of Northern Ireland. In 1973, the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC). Recession led to the introduction of a three-day working week. A miners' strike forced Heath to resign. The discovery of North Sea oil and natural gas reduced Britain's dependence on coal and fuel imports. Jim Callaghan's inability to control labour unrest led to defeat in 1979 elections, and Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister. She introduced monetarism and privatization. The Falklands War (1982) contributed to her re-election in 1983. Further trade union restrictions followed a miners' strike (1984–85). In 1987, Thatcher won an unprecedented third election. In 1990, economic inequality and the poll tax forced Thatcher to resign. John Major signed the Maastricht Treaty and won a surprise victory in the 1992 general election. He was soon forced to remove the pound from the European Monetary System (EMS). In the 1997 election, Tony Blair's modernized Labour Party formed the first Labour government for 18 years. The Bank of England gained independence in the setting of interest rates. In September 1997, referenda on devolution saw Scotland and Wales gain legislative assemblies: the Scottish Parliament received tax-varying power. The Good Friday Agreement (1998) led to the creation (1999) of a devolved assembly in Northern Ireland. In 2000, British troops intervened to protect the government of Sierra Leone. In 2001, foot-and-mouth disease devastated the British livestock industry. In the same year, Britain lent military support for the ‘war on terrorism’ in Afghanistan. In 2003, US and British troops invaded Iraq with the purpose of removing Saddam Hussein's regime.

Economy

The UK is a major industrial and trading nation (2000 GDP per capita, US$22,800). Despite being a major producer of oil, petroleum products, natural gas, potash, salt, and lead, the UK lacks natural resources and has to import raw materials. In the early 20th century, the UK was a major exporter of ships, steel, and textiles. In the late 20th century, cars remained a major product, but the economy became more service-oriented, and high-technology industries, such as television manufacture, grew in importance. The UK produces only 66% of the food it needs, and relies on food imports. Agriculture employs only 2% of the workforce. Scientific and mass production methods ensure high productivity. Major crops include hops for beer, potatoes, carrots, sugar beet, strawberries, rapeseed, and linseed. Sheep are the leading livestock, and wool is a leading product. Poultry, beef and dairy cattle are important. Cheese and milk are major products. Fishing is a major activity. Financial services bring in much-needed revenue. Historic and cultural attractions make tourism a vital industry (2000, £12.8 billion spent by overseas visitors).

Political map

Physical map

Websites

http://www.ukonline.gov.uk; http://byu.edu/~rdh/eurodocs/uk.html