Geography, history

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as  the UK, or Britain, is located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. The UK is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.
It is a union of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.



The UK has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, making it the largest empire in history. As a result of the empire, British influence can be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies such as Canada, Australia, India, the United States, Nigeria, South- Africa, Kenia, Uganda, Ghana, etc. Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the Commonwealth of Nations and head of state of each of the Commonwealth realms.

The UK has the fifth largest economy in the world. It was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries, but the cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role. The UK nevertheless retains strong economic, cultural, military and political influence and is a nuclear power, with the second or third highest defence spending in the world. It holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. This old country of immigration has seen new unprecedented waves of labour migration in the past few years.

Climate

For someone coming from tropical regions, the UK will be cold. Seasons have greater differences in temperature than you would be used to, and you would always need good, warm clothing.
Note that the following section uses European standards- and read "cold" for "cool", "cool" for "warm", etc. "Mild" usually just means it is not actually freezing- but it can be very chilly indeed.

The UK has a benign humid-temperate climate. Warm, damp summers and mild winters provide temperatures pleasant enough to engage in outdoor activities all year round. Having said that, the weather in the UK can be changeable and quite often conditions are windy and wet. British rain is legendary, but in practice it rarely rains more than two or three hours at a time; sometimes parts of the country stay dry for weeks, especially in the East. More common are overcast or partly cloudy skies. It is usual to be prepared for a change of weather when going out; a jumper and a raincoat usually suffice when it is not winter.

Because the UK stretches nearly a thousand kilometres from end to end, temperatures can vary quite considerably between north and south. Differences in rainfall are pronounced between the drier east and wetter west. Even though the highest land in the UK rarely reaches more than 1,300 metres, the effect of height on rainfall and temperature is great.

Economy

The British started the Industrial Revolution.
The empire created an overseas market for British products, allowing the United Kingdom to dominate international trade in the 19th century. As other nations industrialised, and economic decline set in after two world wars, heavy industry declined throughout the 20th century. The British service sector, however, has grown substantially, and now makes up about 73% of GDP.

The service sector is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. London is the world's largest financial centre and the leader of the three "command centres" for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). It has the largest concentration of foreign bank branches in the world. Many multinational companies that are not primarily UK-based have chosen to site their European or rest-of-the-world headquarters in London. The Scottish capital, Edinburgh, has another large financial centre.

In recent years, the UK economy has been managed in accordance with principles of market liberalisation and low taxation and regulation. Based on market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is the fifth largest economy in the world, and the second largest in Europe after Germany.

The British manufacturing sector has diminished, relative to the economy as a whole, since World War II. It still accounted for one-sixth of national output in 2003. The British motor industry is a significant part of this sector, although it has diminished and most of the industry is foreign-owned. Civil and defence aircraft production is led by the United Kingdom's largest aerospace firm, BAE Systems, and the continental European firm EADS, the owner of Airbus. Rolls-Royce holds a major share of the global aerospace engines market. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is strong in the UK, with the world's second and sixth largest pharmaceutical firms being based in the UK.



Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 million tourists a year, the United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world.

As in other EU countries, low-skilled jobs are increasingly being taken over by workers from new EU members such as Poland.

Migration

At the April 2001 UK Census, the total population of the United Kingdom was nearing 59 million, the third largest in the European Union (behind Germany and France). By mid-2006, this had been estimated to have increased to more than 60,5 million. Much of this increase was due to net immigration; but also to a rising birth rate and increasing life expectancy.

Within the UK, England's population alone by mid-2006 was estimated to be nearing 51 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Compared to England's 383 people resident per square kilometre, the corresponding figures were 142 for Wales, 125 for Northern Ireland and just 65 for Scotland. About a quarter of the UK population lives in England's prosperous south-east and is predominantly urban and suburban, with an estimated 7,5 million in the capital of London.



Since 1945, international ties forged by the British Empire have contributed to substantial immigration, especially from Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia. Since EU citizens are free to live and work in other EU member states, the accession of new member states from Central and Eastern Europe in 2004 has resulted in rising immigration from these countries. As of 2001, 92.1% of the population identified themselves as White, leaving 7.9% of the UK population identifying themselves as mixed race or ethnic minority.

The largest conurbations are as follows:
Greater London Urban Area: 8.28 million - West Midlands conurbation: 2.28 million - Greater Manchester Urban Area: 2.24 million - West Yorkshire Urban Area: 1.50 million - Greater Glasgow: 1.17 million.
Cities with largest foreign populations (2001): London boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea (37%), Westminster (32%) and Haringey (28%).
Foreign-born as part of the population (2004): 9.3%
Largest countries of origin (2005): India, USA, South Africa

Racism

Non-white visitors are unlikely to encounter blatant racism or racially motivated violence. The UK is generally regarded by its own immigrant population as being amongst the more tolerant countries in Europe. But as in any country, you may meet somebody (usually part of a loud group) who is the exception to the rule. If any person makes any racially motivated comment that you find offensive, call the police. Race crime is a high priority for them and police action will be virtually guaranteed.