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Background Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, 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. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. The UK currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside of the EMU for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. Regional assemblies with varying degrees of power opened in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland in 1999.
Flag of Britain 
Within the Union Jack are combined the crosses of St. George (a symbol of England), St. Andrew (Scotland), and St. Patrick (Ireland). Its earliest form, called the "Union Flag," or "Great Union," was designed in 1606. The current flag design has been in use since Jan. 1, 1801, when Great Britain and Ireland were joined.
What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, England, and the British Isles?
The United Kingdom is a country that consists of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In fact, the official name of the country is "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
Great Britain is the name of the island northwest of France and east of Ireland that consists of three somewhat autonomous regions: England, Wales and Scotland.
Therefore, England is part of Great Britain, which is part of the United Kingdom. The U.K. includes England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are not countries but the United Kingdom is. The remaining portion of the island of Ireland (that which is not the U.K.'s Northern Ireland) is an independent country called the Republic of Ireland (Eire).
The British Isles consist of the two large islands known as Great Britain and Ireland along with the many small islands nearby. The countries of the United Kingdom and Ireland occupy the British Isles, which are separated by St. George's Channel.
Geography The United Kingdom, consisting of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, is twice the size of New York State. England, in the southeast part of the British Isles, is separated from Scotland on the north by the granite Cheviot Hills; from them the Pennine chain of uplands extends south through the center of England, reaching its highest point in the Lake District in the northwest. To the west along the border of Walesa land of steep hills and valleysare the Cambrian Mountains, while the Cotswolds, a range of hills in Gloucestershire, extend into the surrounding shires.
Important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable, as are the Mersey and Ribble.
Government The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a queen and a Parliament that has two houses: the House of Lords, with 574 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, 26 bishops, and the House of Commons, which has 651 popularly elected members. Supreme legislative power is vested in Parliament, which sits for five years unless sooner dissolved. The House of Lords was stripped of most of its power in 1911, and now its main function is to revise legislation. In Nov. 1999 hundreds of hereditary peers were expelled in an effort to make the body more democratic. The executive power of the Crown is exercised by the cabinet, headed by the prime minister.
History Stonehenge and other examples of prehistoric culture are what remains of the earliest inhabitants of Britain. Celtic peoples followed. Roman invasions of the 1st century B.C. brought Britain into contact with continental Europe. When the Roman legions withdrew in the 5th century A.D., Britain fell easy prey to the invading hordes of Angles, Saxons, and Jutes from Scandinavia and the Low Countries. The invasions had little effect on the Celtic peoples of Wales and Scotland. Seven large Anglo-Saxon kingdoms were established, and the original Britons were forced into Wales and Scotland. It was not until the 10th century that the country finally became united under the kings of Wessex. Following the death of Edward the Confessor (1066), a dispute about the succession arose, and William, duke of Normandy, invaded England, defeating the Saxon king, Harold II, at the Battle of Hastings (1066). The Norman conquest introduced Norman French law and feudalism.
The reign of Henry II (115489), first of the Plantagenets, saw an increasing centralization of royal power at the expense of the nobles, but in 1215 John (11991216) was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which awarded the people, especially the nobles, certain basic rights. Edward I (12721307) continued the conquest of Ireland, reduced Wales to subjection, and made some gains in Scotland. In 1314, however, English forces led by Edward II were ousted from Scotland after the Battle of Bannockburn. The late 13th and early 14th centuries saw the development of a separate House of Commons with tax-raising powers. Edward III's claim to the throne of France led to the Hundred Years' War (13381453) and the loss of almost all the large English territory in France. In England, the great poverty and discontent caused by the war were intensified by the Black Death, a plague that reduced the population by about one-third. The Wars of the Roses (145585), a struggle for the throne between the House of York and the House of Lancaster, ended in the victory of Henry Tudor (Henry VII) at Bosworth Field (1485).
During the reign of Henry VIII (150947), the church in England asserted its independence from the Roman Catholic Church. Under Edward VI and Mary, the two extremes of religious fanaticism were reached, and it remained for Henry's daughter, Elizabeth I (15581603), to set up the Church of England on a moderate basis. In 1588, the Spanish Armada, a fleet sent out by Catholic King Philip II of Spain, was defeated by the English and destroyed during a storm. During Elizabeth's reign, England became a world power. Elizabeth's heir was a StuartJames VI of Scotlandwho joined the two crowns as James I (160325). The Stuart kings incurred large debts and were forced either to depend on Parliament for taxes or to raise money by illegal means. In 1642, war broke out between Charles I and a large segment of the Parliament; Charles was defeated and executed in 1649, and the monarchy was then abolished. After the death in 1658 of Oliver Cromwell, the lord protector, the Puritan Commonwealth fell to pieces and Charles II was placed on the throne in 1660. The struggle between the king and Parliament continued, but Charles II knew when to compromise. His brother, James II (168588), possessed none of his ability and was ousted by the Revolution of 1688, which confirmed the primacy of Parliament. James's daughter, Mary, and her husband, William of Orange, then became the rulers.
Queen Anne's reign (170214) was marked by the duke of Marlborough's victories over France at Blenheim, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet in the War of the Spanish Succession. England and Scotland meanwhile were joined by the Act of Union (1707). Upon the death of Anne, the distant claims of the elector of Hanover were recognized, and he became king of Great Britain and Ireland as George I. The unwillingness of the Hanoverian kings to rule resulted in the formation by the royal ministers of a cabinet, headed by a prime minister, which directed all public business. Abroad, the constant wars with France expanded the British Empire all over the globe, particularly in North America and India. This imperial growth was checked by the revolt of the American colonies (177581). Struggles with France broke out again in 1793 and during the Napoleonic Wars, which ended at Waterloo in 1815.
The Victorian era, named after Queen Victoria (18371901), saw the growth of a democratic system of government that had begun with the Reform Bill of 1832. The two important wars in Victoria's reign were the Crimean War against Russia (185356) and the Boer War (18991902), the latter enormously extending Britain's influence in Africa. Increasing uneasiness at home and abroad marked the reign of Edward VII (190110). Within four years after the accession of George V in 1910, Britain entered World War I when Germany invaded Belgium. The nation was led by coalition cabinets, headed first by Herbert Asquith and then, starting in 1916, by the Welsh statesman David Lloyd George. Postwar labor unrest culminated in the general strike of 1926.
King Edward VIII succeeded to the throne on Jan. 20, 1936, at his father's death, but abdicated on Dec. 11, 1936 (in order to marry an American divorce, Wallis Warfield Simpson) in favor of his brother, who became George VI.
The efforts of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to stem the rising threat of Nazism in Germany failed with the German invasion of Poland on Sept. 1, 1939, which was followed by Britain's entry into World War II on Sept. 3. Allied reverses in the spring of 1940 led to Chamberlain's resignation and the formation of another coalition war cabinet by the Conservative leader, Winston Churchill, who led Britain through most of World War II. Churchill resigned shortly after V-E Day, May 7, 1945, but then formed a caretaker government that remained in office until after the parliamentary elections in July, which the Labor Party won overwhelmingly. The new government, formed by Clement R. Attlee, began a moderate socialist program.
(For details of World War II, see Headline History, World War II.)
In 1951, Churchill again became prime minister at the head of a Conservative government. George VI died on Feb. 6, 1952, and was succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth II. Churchill stepped down in 1955 in favor of Sir Anthony Eden, who resigned on grounds of ill health in 1957 and was succeeded by Harold Macmillan and Sir Alec Douglas-Home. In 1964, Harold Wilson led the Labor Party to victory. A lagging economy brought the Conservatives back to power in 1970. Prime Minister Edward Heath won Britain's admission to the European Community. Margaret Thatcher became Britain's first woman prime minister as the Conservatives won 339 seats on May 3, 1979.
An Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982, involved Britain in a war 8,000 mi from the home islands. Although Argentina had long claimed the Falklands, known as the Malvinas in Spanish, negotiations were in progress until a month before the invasion. When more than 11,000 Argentine troops on the Falklands surrendered on June 14, 1982, Thatcher declared her intention to garrison the islands indefinitely, together with a naval presence. Although there were continuing economic problems and foreign policy disputes, an upswing in the economy in 198687 led Thatcher to call elections for June 11 in which she won a near-unprecedented third consecutive term. Through much, if not all, of 1990 the Conservatives were losing the confidence of the electorate. The unpopularity of her poll tax together with an uncompromising position toward further European integration eroded support within her own party. When John Major won the Conservative Party leadership in November, Thatcher resigned, paving the way for the queen to ask Mr. Major to form a government.
In the middle of a long recession John Major called a national election for April 1992. Confounding many political observers, the Conservatives won but by a far narrower margin than previously. After months of political maneuvering the UK ratified the Maastrict Treaty in Aug. 1993.
Eighteen years of Conservative rule ended in May 1997 when Tony Blair and the Labour Party triumphed in the British elections. Blair has been compared to U.S. president Bill Clinton for his youthful, telegenic personality and centrist views. He produced constitutional reform that partially decentralized the UK, leading to the formation of separate Parliaments in Wales and Scotland by 1999. Britain turned over its colony Hong Kong to China in July 1997.
Blair's controversial meeting in Oct. 1997 with Sinn Fein's president, Gerry Adams, was the first meeting in 76 years between a British prime minister and a Sinn Fein leader. It infuriated numerous factions but was a symbolic gesture in support of the nascent peace talks in Northern Ireland. In 1998 the Good Friday Agreement, strongly supported by Tony Blair, held out the promise of peace between Catholics and Protestants, but talks ran aground in 1999.
Along with the U.S., Britain launched air strikes against Iraq in Dec. 1998 after Saddam Hussein expelled UN arms inspectors. Low-grade bombings of Iraq continued throughout 1999. In the spring of 1999, Britain spearheaded the NATO operation in Kosovo, which resulted in Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milosevic's withdrawal from the territory. British peacekeeping forces remain in Kosovo.
In the fall of 1999, Britain and France argued heatedly about France's refusal to allow the importation of British beef. France remained leery of the possibility of infection from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease, despite the fact that the EU had lifted the three-year ban on British beef in August.
In the fall of 2000 and winter of 2001, Great Britain was beset by a series of problems. In Sept. 2000 rising oil prices prompted protests by truck drivers and farmers who demanded a reduction in the fuel tax. In Nov. 2000, a series of unusually severe rainstorms and tornados caused high flooding and killed 12 people. In Feb. 2001, foot-and-mouth disease broke out among British livestock, prompting other nations to ban British meat import and forcing the slaughter of thousands of cattle, pigs, and sheep in an effort to stem the highly contagious disease. The outbreak also forced the cancellation of sporting events and prompted travel warnings for rural England. The episode cost farmers and the tourist industry billions of dollars.
In June, 2001, Blair won a second landslide victory, with the Labour Party capturing 413 seats in Parliament. Blair campaigned as a centrist Labour candidate, pledging to improve the health care system and education. He also pledged to submit Britain's adoption of the single European currency, the euro, to a referendum. Led by William Hague, the Conservative Party only picked up one additional seat, for a total of 166 seats. Hague, who had campaigned against Britain's adopting the single European currency, resigned after the election.
More on the United Kingdom....(click here) You, too, can learn to speak British!! (CLICK HERE) And even MORE learning of BritSpeak (CLICK HERE)
Stats Official name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Form of government: constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (House of Lords [1,223]; House of Commons [659]).
Chief of state: Sovereign - Queen Elizabeth II (1952)
Head of government: Prime Minister - Tony Blair (1997)
Population (1998): 59,126,000
Population projection: (2000) 59,454,000
Population (2001 est.): 59,647,790
Population projection: (2010) 60,800,000
Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1996): 1.6 (world avg. 15.7).
(average annual rate of natural increase: 0.1%); birth rate: 11.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 5.5/1000; density per sq mi: 631
Area: 94,525 sq mi (244,820 sq km)
Land use (1994):
forest 10.4%;
pasture 45.9%;
agriculture 24.8%;
other 18.9%.
Capital and largest city (2000 est.): London, 11,800,000 (metro. area)
Other large cities:
Birmingham, 1,009,100;
Leeds, 721,800;
Glasgow, 681,470;
Liverpool, 479,000;
Bradford, 477,500;
Edinburgh, 441,620;
Manchester, 434,600;
Bristol, 396,600
Monetary unit: Pound sterling ()
Languages:
English,
Welsh,
Scots Gaelic
Ethnicity/race:
English 81.5%;
Scottish 9.6%;
Irish 2.4%;
Welsh 1.9%;
Ulster 1.8%;
West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions:
Church of England (established church),
Church of Wales (disestablished),
Church of Scotland (established churchPresbyterian),
Church of Ireland (disestablished),
Roman Catholic,
Methodist,
Congregational,
Baptist,
Jewish
Literacy rate: 99% (1978)
Economic summary:
Gross national product (1996): U.S.$1,152,136,000,000 (U.S.$19,600 per capita).
GDP/PPP (1999 est.): $1.29 trillion; per capita $21,800.
Real growth rate: 1.9%.
Inflation: 2.3% (1999).
Unemployment: 6% (1999).
Arable land: 25%.
Agriculture: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish.
Labor force: 29.2 million (1999); services, 68.9%; manufacturing and construction, 17.5%; government, 11.3%; energy, 1.2%; agriculture, 1.1% (1996).
Industries: production machinery including 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, and other consumer goods.
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica, arable land.
Exports: $271 billion (f.o.b., 1998): manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco.
Imports: $305.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998): manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs.
Major trading partners: EU, U.S.
Communications:
Telephones:
main lines in use: 29.41 million (1995);
mobile cellular: 13 million (yearend 1998).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998).
Radios: 84.5 million (1997).
Television broadcast stations: 78 (plus 869 repeaters) (1997).
Televisions: 30.5 million (1997).
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 364 (1999).
Transportation:
Railways: total: 16,878 km.
Highways: total: 371,603 km;
paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways);
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.).
Waterways: 3,200 km.
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne.
Airports: 498 (1999 est.).
International disputes:
Northern Ireland issue with Ireland (historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998);
Gibraltar issue with Spain;
Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas);
Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory;
Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area);
territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory);
Seychelles claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian Ocean Territory.
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