EVENTS
WORLD FASHION AWARDS
Location: Western Europe
Status: UN Country
Capital: Edinburgh
Main Cities: Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen
Population: 5.136.500
Area (sq.Km): 78.772
Currency: 1 pound sterling = 100 pence
Language: English, Scots, Scots Gaelic
The newly formed Scottish Fashion Council announced it's line up of impressive international fashion players at the third annual Scottish Fashion Awards. Their aims are straight forward: to promote and create awareness of Scottish Fashion Design worldwide and to help nurture and advise new fashion talent from Scotland. In time, they will initiate a programme of events, helping to inform, motivate, educate and inspire those in the business of fashion from Scotland. Most importantly, the council will provide a panel of fashion experts from around the world who will be on hand to advise the Scottish Government, local councils and tourist partners on the best way to promote Scottish fashion. The panel will have an official launch at London Fashion Week in September 2008 but revealed their founding members including Brian Rennie, Design Director Gant, Tessa Hartmann, Graeme Black, Kirsty Hume, Albert Watson, Lorraine Pringle, Gillian McVey amongst others. Their new website - www.scottishfashioncouncil.com will launch in September 2008.
Introduction ::UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, 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. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. Devolution and constitutional reform have been significant recent issues in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.
Geography ::UNITED KINGDOM
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
54 00 N, 2 00 W
Area:
total: 243,610 sq km
country comparison to the world: 79
land: 241,930 sq km
water: 1,680 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
slightly smaller than Oregon
total: 360 km
border countries: Ireland 360 km
12,429 km
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
lowest point: The Fens -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
arable land: 23.23%
permanent crops: 0.2%
other: 76.57% (2005)
1,700 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
160.6 cu km (2005)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 11.75 cu km/yr (22%/75%/3%)
per capita: 197 cu m/yr (1994)
winter windstorms; floods
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
lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km 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 ::UNITED KINGDOM
61,284,806 (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
0-14 years: 16.5% (male 5,189,037/female 4,943,328)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 20,836,671/female 20,294,551)
65 years and over: 16.4% (male 4,336,685/female 5,684,534) (2010 est.)
total: 40.5 years
male: 39.4 years
female: 41.5 years (2010 est.)
0.282% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
10.67 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 181
10 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
2.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
urban population: 90% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
at birth: 1.054 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2010 est.)
total: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 192
male: 5.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
total population: 79.16 years
country comparison to the world: 36
male: 76.66 years
female: 81.8 years (2010 est.)
1.66 children born/woman (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 173
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
77,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British
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)
Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2006)
5.6% of GDP (2005)
country comparison to the world: 47
Government ::UNITED KINGDOM
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
constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm
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
note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas dependencies or territories
England: 34 counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 46 unitary authorities
counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire
London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton
unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Darlington, Derby, East Riding of Yorkshire, Halton, Hartlepool, County of Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Slough, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York
Northern Ireland: 26 district council areas
district council areas: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
Scotland: 32 council areas
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: 22 unitary authorities
unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff; Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire; Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath Port Talbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff; Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
1927; 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; the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
based on 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
18 years of age; universal
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister David CAMERON (since 11 May 2010)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually the prime minister
bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (740 seats; consisting of approximately 622 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy - as of 14 December 2009) and House of Commons (650 seats since 2010 elections; members 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 on 6 May 2010 (next to be held by June 2015)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative 36.1%, Labor 29%, Liberal Democrats 23%, other 11.9%; seats by party - Conservative 305, Labor 258, Liberal Democrat 57, other 30
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 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the most recent of which were held in May 2007
Supreme Court of the UK (established in October 2009 taking over appellate jurisdiction formerly vested in the House of Lords); Senior Courts of England and Wales (comprising the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice, and the Crown Courts); Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland); Scotland's Court of Session and High Court of the Justiciary
Political parties and leaders:
Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Harriet HARMAN]; Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [Alex SALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Margaret RICHIE]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Orlando
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Louis B. SUSMAN
embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE
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
blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron 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 ::UNITED KINGDOM
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, 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 resources, but its oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became a net importer of energy in 2005. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. Since emerging from recession in 1992, Britain's economy enjoyed the longest period of expansion on record during which time growth outpaced most of Western Europe. In 2008, however, the global financial crisis hit the economy particularly hard, due to the importance of its financial sector. Sharply declining home prices, high consumer debt, and the global economic slowdown compounded Britain's economic problems, pushing the economy into recession in the latter half of 2008 and prompting the BROWN government to implement a number of measures to stimulate the economy and stabilize the financial markets; these include nationalizing parts of the banking system, cutting taxes, suspending public sector borrowing rules, and moving forward public spending on capital projects. Public finances, weak before the economic slowdown, deteriorated markedly during 2009, as did employment. The Bank of England periodically coordinates interest rate moves with the European Central Bank, but Britain remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU).
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.149 trillion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$2.257 trillion (2008 est.)
$2.246 trillion (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
$2.224 trillion (2009 est.)
-4.8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
0.5% (2008 est.)
2.6% (2007 est.)
$35,200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
$37,000 (2008 est.)
$37,000 (2007 est.)
note: data are in 2009 US dollars
agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 23.8%
services: 75% (2009 est.)
31.25 million (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 18.2%
services: 80.4% (2006 est.)
8% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88
5.6% (2008 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 92
36.8 (1999)
15% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137
revenues: $819.9 billion
expenditures: $1.132 trillion (2009 est.)
68.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
51.8% of GDP (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74
3.6% (2008 est.)
0.86% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
4.63% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 143
5.52% (31 December 2007)
$NA
$NA
$NA (31 December 2008)
$5.277 trillion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 5
$3.859 trillion (31 December 2007)
$3.794 trillion (31 December 2006)
cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
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 production growth rate:
-9.4% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
368.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
345.8 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
1.272 billion kWh (2008 est.)
12.29 billion kWh (2008 est.)
1.584 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 20
1.71 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
1.602 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
1.651 million bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
3.41 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
69.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13
95.94 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6
10.5 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 19
36.54 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 8
Natural gas - proved reserves:
342.9 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38
-$32.37 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 183
-$45.68 billion (2008 est.)
$351.3 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 10
$466.3 billion (2008 est.)
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
US 13.8%, Germany 11.5%, Netherlands 7.8%, France 7.6%, Ireland 7.5%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 4.1% (2008)
$473.6 billion (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7
$639.3 billion (2008 est.)
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Germany 13%, US 8.7%, China 7.5%, Netherlands 7.4%, France 6.8%, Norway 6%, Belgium 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$NA (31 December 2009 est.)
$52.98 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$9.088 trillion (30 June 2009)
country comparison to the world: 2
$9.041 trillion (31 December 2008)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.025 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.445 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.634 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
$1.567 trillion (31 December 2008 est.)
British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.6494 (2009), 0.5302 (2008), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005)
Communications ::UNITED KINGDOM
Telephones - main lines in use:
33.209 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 9
75.565 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 12
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; 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
AM 206, FM 696, shortwave 3 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
940 (2008)
.uk
9.322 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 11
48.755 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 7
Transportation ::UNITED KINGDOM
506 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 14
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 307
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 125
914 to 1,523 m: 77
under 914 m: 64 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 199
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 173 (2009)
11 (2009)
condensate 43 km; gas 7,992 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 699 km; refined products 4,417 km (2009)
total: 16,454 km
country comparison to the world: 17
broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)
standard gauge: 16,151 km 1.435-m gauge (5,248 km electrified) (2008)
total: 398,366 km
country comparison to the world: 17
paved: 398,366 km (includes 3,520 km of expressways) (2006)
3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 32
total: 518
country comparison to the world: 22
by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 67, carrier 5, chemical tanker 61, container 180, liquefied gas 18, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 67, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 24, vehicle carrier 18
foreign-owned: 264 (Cyprus 2, Denmark 62, Finland 1, France 23, Germany 76, Hong Kong 2, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Japan 4, NZ 1, Norway 31, South Africa 3, Spain 1, Sweden 17, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 11, Turkey 2, UAE 9, US 12)
registered in other countries: 391 (Algeria 11, Antigua and Barbuda 9, Argentina 4, Australia 5, Bahamas 56, Barbados 9, Belize 5, Bermuda 3, Brunei 1, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 19, Gibraltar 2, Greece 32, Hong Kong 39, India 2, Italy 7, South Korea 1, Liberia 20, Luxembourg 8, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 18, Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 59, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 17, Slovakia 1, Spain 5, Sweden 2, Thailand 5, Tonga 1, US 1) (2008)
Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England); Forth Ports, Hound Point (Scotland); Milford Haven (Wales)
Military ::UNITED KINGDOM
Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2010)
Military service age and obligation:
16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; as of October 2009, women comprised 12.1% of officers and 9% of enlisted personnel in the regular forces; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2009)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,732,445
females age 16-49: 14,118,320 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 12,113,310
females age 16-49: 11,604,784 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 386,492
female: 369,185 (2010 est.)
2.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63
Transnational Issues ::UNITED KINGDOM
in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by 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, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; 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
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
Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ar.html
SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND
WFW NYC 2012
Official Representative
FIJI