United Kingdom

Official name : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Area : 244,820 km Population: 63 million (December 2012) Capital: London Official languages: English Minority languages: Irish, Scottish Gaelic,Scots,Ulter-Scots,Welsh,Cornish Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy Anthem: God Save the Queen

Geography
UK is located off the north-western coast of continental Europe in the British Isles archipelago. It includes the Island of Great Britain(accounts for just over half of the total area of the UK),north-eastern part of the island of Ireland(accounts for just 14,160 square kilometers),Scotland(accounts for just under a third of the total area of the UK),Wales(accounts for less than a tenth of the total area of the UK) and numerous smaller islands. UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean in the west and north, the north sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west. It is the biggest island nation in Europe and Great Britain is the largest European island. Most of the country consists of lowland terrain, with just a few mountainous terrain and limestone hills. The principal relief units are in England with the Cambrian Mountains of the Lake District, the Pennines,the hills the Peak District, Exmoor and Dartmoor and in Scotland where the more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous land, including Ben Nevis which at 1,343 meters (4,406 ft) is the highest point in the British Isles

Climate
The United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round having quite cool summers and mild winters. The weather changes from day to day. Another characteristic is the high nebulosity. A special case is the London smog a type of air pollution. It consists of industrial smoke and fog. Hydrography The UK is a rich state in rivers. Although the rivers dont exceed a length of 300 km they have a high rate. Because of the estuaries and the high flows, the oceanic ships can enter deep in the country. This explains the fact that London is a very important port. Of course, especially in Scotland there are many tectonic lakes; a special fame has the Loch Ness, where it is supposed to live a lake monster named Nessie.

Principal rivers: Thames, Severn, Humber

Flora and fauna

The biodiversity of Great Britain and Ireland is probably the most well-studied of any geographical area of comparable size anywhere in the world. Not much is left of the forests that once covered Great Britain because of the intense building of ships. But good care has improved the situation a lot over the past 100 years. There are not many species of animals (especially mammals). There are plenty of regions with a protected status, from national park to special nature reservation.

Population
It is one of the most populated European countries. It has a low natural increase, that is why in 10 years gained only 5 million. It has a high density - 255,6/km2. It is one of the countries with the highest share of urban population.

Largest Cities in the UK City London Population 7.2 million

Birmingham 992000 Leeds Glasgow Sheffield Liverpool 720000 560000 512000 440000

Manchester420000 Economy
The UK is a developed country and has the world's seventh-largest economy. It was the world's first industrialized country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The UK is still referred to as a great power and retains considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally.

Industry
The Industrial Revolution started in the UK with an initial concentration on the textile industry, followed by other heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, and steelmaking. The automotive industry is a significant part of the UK manufacturing sector. The aerospace industry of the UK is the second- or third-largest national aerospace industry depending upon the method of measurement. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized and efficient by European standards. Around two-thirds of production is devoted to livestock, one-third to arable crops. The UK retains a significant, though much reduced fishing industry. It is also rich in a number of natural resources including coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica and an abundance of arable land. Main industrial centers: London and surroundings, Manchester,Birmingham,Liverpool, Leeds,Glasgow.

Transport
A radial road network totals 29,145 miles (46,904 km) of main roads, 2,173 miles (3,497 km) of motorways and 213,750 miles (344,000 km) of paved roads. The road network is highly developed and diversified and has a dense railway network. Heathrow is one of the largest airport of Europe and has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the world.

Energy
In 2006 the UK was the world's ninth-largest consumer of energy and the 15th largest producer. The UK is home to a number of large energy companies, including two of the six oil and gas "super majors" BP and Royal Dutch Shell and BG Group. In 2011, 40% of the UK's electricity was produced by gas, 30% by coal, 19% by nuclear power and 4.2% by wind, hydro, biofuels and wastes In 2009 the UK was the 13th largest producer of natural gas in the world and the largest producer in the EU Coal production played a key role in the UK economy in the 19th and 20th centuries. In the late 1990s, nuclear power plants contributed around 25% of total annual electricity generation in the UK, but this has gradually declined as old plants have been shut down and ageing-related problems affect plant availability.

Religion
Forms of Christianity have dominated religious life in what is now the United Kingdom for over 1,400 years. Although a majority of citizens still identify with Christianity in many surveys, regular church attendance has fallen dramatically since the middle of the 20th century, while immigration and demographic change have contributed

to the growth of other faiths, most notably Islam. This has led some commentators to variously describe the UK as a multi-faith,secularised,or post-Christian society. The Church of England is the established church in England. It retains a representation in the UK Parliament and the British monarch is its Supreme Governor. In Scotland the Presbyterian Church of Scotland is recognised as the national church. It is not subject to state control, and the British monarch is an ordinary member, required to swear an oath to "maintain and preserve the Protestant Religion and Presbyterian Church Government" upon his or her accession. The (Anglican) Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920 and, as the (Anglican) Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870 before the partition of Ireland, there is no established church in Northern Ireland. Although there are no UK-wide data in the 2001 census on adherence to individual Christian denominations, it has been estimated that 62% of Christians are Anglican, 13.5% Catholic, 6% Presbyterian, 3.4% Methodist with small numbers of other Protestant denominations such as Open Brethren, and Orthodox churches.

Sport
Major sports, including association football, rugby league, rugby union, rowing, boxing, badminton, cricket, tennis, darts and golf, originated or were substantially developed in the United Kingdom and the states that preceded it; Cricket was invented in England, Thoroughbred racing, which originated under Charles II of England as the "sport of kings", is popular throughout the UK with world-famous races including the Grand National, the Epsom Derby, Royal Ascot and the Cheltenham National Hunt Festival, Snooker is one of the UK's popular sporting exports, with the world championships held annually in Sheffield.

Tourism
The United Kingdom is the world's 7th biggest tourist destination. The country's principal tourist destinations are in London, with the Tower of London being the single most visited attraction in the country. Some of the main touristic attraction are the cities: 1. Bath: A spa town, famous for its Georgian architecture and crescents, and also for its Roman baths. 2. Manchester: A culturally pre-eminent city, once famous for its industry. Known for the Hall orchestra and many museums, art galleries and its Victorian and Edwardian era architecture. The city was host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to two Premier League football clubs. Manchester is also known for being the world's first industrialized city, and is well noted for its shopping, cuisine, music, media, social history and nightlife. 3. Birmingham: A major city, with an orchestra, major exhibition venues and art galleries. Of historical interest for its significant role in the industrial revolution,

the childhood home and inspiration of Tolkien, noted for its shopping and boasting the longest stretch of nightclubs in England. 4. Liverpool: The 2008 European Capital of Culture, a major commercial port and World Heritage Site, home to two cathedrals, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a strong theatrical tradition. It has more listed buildings, registered historic parks, museums and art galleries than any other city in the UK outside of London. The home of two Premier League football clubs, Liverpool and Everton. The first city in the world to be linked by passenger railway (with Manchester) it is also famous for The Grand National, and its musical, maritime and literary heritage. 5. Oxford : A city known for its university, the University of Oxford. 6. Bristol: Brunel's The Clifton Suspension Bridge is a famous landmark, and the ship, the SS Great Britain is another of Brunel's famous constructions, which is now in dry dock in Bristol. 7. Cambridge: A famous university town. 8. Canterbury: Renowned for its cathedral. 9. Haworth: where the Bront Sisters lived, is very popular with Japanese tourists, as Wuthering Heights has a cult following in Japan. 10. Nottingham : The city and Nottingham Castle are famed worldwide for their links with the legend of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is nearby. 11. Portsmouth: Portsmouth is a naval dockyard, and has some famous ships on display, including the Mary Rose, and HMS Victory, all within its Historic Dockyard. Also home to Gunwharf Quays retail centre, with its iconic Spinnaker Tower. 12. Stratford-upon-Avon: The birthplace of William Shakespeare is probably the most visited place in Stratford. 13. Cornwall, The Eden Project is the world's largest greenhouse. A modern botanical garden exploring the theme of sustainability 14. Stonehenge, Wiltshire. Stonehenge itself is owned and managed by English Heritage whilst the surrounding down land is owned by the National Trust.