United Kingdom country profile
The United Kingdom is a state made up of the historic countries of England, Wales and Scotland, as well as Northern Ireland. It is known as the home of both modern parliamentary democracy and the Industrial Revolution.
Two world wars and the end of empire diminished its role in the 20th century, and the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union has raised significant questions about the country's global role. Nonetheless, the United Kingdom remains an economic and military power with great political and cultural influence around the world.
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital: London
- Population 62.8 million
- Area 242,514 sq km (93,638 sq miles)
- Major language English
- Major religion Christianity
- Life expectancy 78 years (men), 82 years (women)
- Currency pound sterling
The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has a long history as a major player in international affairs.
The twentieth century saw Britain having to redefine its place in the world. At the beginning of the century, it commanded a world-wide empire as the foremost global power.
Two world wars and the end of empire diminished its role, but the UK remains an economic and military power, with considerable political and cultural influence around the world.
Britain was the world's first industrialised country. Its economy remains one of the largest, but it has for many years been based on service industries rather than on manufacturing.
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The process of deindustrialisation has left behind lasting social problems and pockets of economic weakness in parts of the country.
More recently, the UK has suffered a deep economic slump and high public debt as a result of the 2008 financial crisis, which revealed its over-reliance on easy credit, domestic consumption and rising house prices.
Efforts to rein in the public debt - one of the developed world's highest - has led to deep cuts to welfare, government services and the military, prompting concern about social equality and a possible loss of international influence.
Prime Minister David Cameron, under pressure from the right of his Conservative Party, scheduled a referendum on whether to remain in the European Union for June 2016, which saw a vote to leave. Britain is expected to cease to be a member of the EU by 2019.
In response to growing dissatisfaction with the UK's traditionally highly centralised nature, the London government devolved powers to separate parliaments in Scotland and Wales in 1999.
But this did not stop the centrifugal trend. A nationalist government has been in power in Scotland since 2007. A referendum on independence was held in September 2014, with 55% of voters opting to remain as part of the United Kingdom and 45% favouring independence.
In Northern Ireland, after decades of violent conflict, the Good Friday agreement of 1998 led to a new assembly with devolved powers, bringing hopes of lasting peace.
Diversity
The UK is ethnically diverse, partly as a legacy of empire. Lately, the country has been struggling with issues revolving around multiculturalism, immigration and national identity.
Concerns about terrorism and Islamist radicalism heightened after the suicide bomb attacks on London's transport network in 2005.
There has also been a debate about immigration. Some advocate tough policies on limiting immigration, others attempt to put the case for it as a positive force.
One of the more recent trends in migration has been the arrival of workers from the new EU member states in Eastern Europe in large numbers, and this played a major role in driving the campaign to leave the European Union in 2016.
Culture
The UK has been a major force in global youth culture since the heyday of the Beatles and Rolling Stones in the 1960s.
It has a rich literary heritage encompassing the works of English writers such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens, Scot Robert Burns, Welshman Dylan Thomas, and Northern Irishman Seamus Heaney.
LEADERS
Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1952 upon the death of her father, George VI. In September 2015, she became Britain's longest-reigning monarch, surpassing the record of her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria. She is also head of state of 16 independent countries including Canada and Australia.
As a constitutional monarch, her role in the legislative process is largely ceremonial.
Prime minister: Theresa May
Theresa May became prime minister in July 2016 on the resignation of her predecessor and fellow Conservative, David Cameron, in the wake of a referendum vote for Britain to leave the European Union.
Mrs May backed Mr Cameron's support for Britain to remain in the EU, but faces the task of overseeing its exit.
She served as home secretary in both of Mr Cameron's governments, the 2010-2015 Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition and the 2015-2016 Conservative majority administration, acquiring a reputation for combining firmness on security with a relatively liberal stance on social issues.
TIMELINE: Some key dates in British history:
1801 - United Kingdom formed by union of the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland.
1815 - Role in defeating Napoleon's French Empire leads to Britain becoming pre-eminent imperial power.
1830s - Electoral reform acts begin steady move towards primacy of House of Commons and universal suffrage.
1840s - British industrial power harnessing technological change and boosts free trade and investment worldwide, reaching its peak in the second half of the 19th century.
1880s - Devolved government for Ireland becomes a major political issue, splitting Liberal Party and reviving a violent Irish separatist movement.
1904 - Entente Cordiale with France marks Britain's return to European security treaties.
1906 - Liberal government lays foundations for later welfare state with pensions, work and sickness insurance and the expansion of secondary education.
1914 - Outbreak of First World War. UK enters hostilities against Germany. Gruelling trench warfare in Belgium and France.
1918 - War ends in November with armistice. The number of UK war dead runs to several hundred thousand.
1914 - Outbreak of World War I. UK enters hostilities against Germany.
1918 - War ends in November with armistice. The number of UK war dead runs to several hundred thousand.
1921 - UK agrees to the foundation of the Irish Free State. Northern Ireland remains part of the UK.
1924 - First UK government led by the Labour party under Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald.
1939 - Germany invades Poland. UK declares war on Germany.
1940 - Winston Churchill becomes prime minister.
1944 - Allied troops invade France from Britain on D-Day (6th June) and begin to fight their way towards Germany.
1945 - Germany surrenders. Labour leader Clement Atlee is elected prime minister to replace Winston Churchill. The new Labour government introduces the welfare state.
1945 - The UK becomes a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
1948 - National Health Service is established.
1949 - The UK becomes a founder member of Nato.
1953 - Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
A view of LondonImage copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
London is a major centre for finance and culture
1960s - Decolonisation of former British-controlled territories gathers pace.
1969 - British troops sent to quell unrest in Northern Ireland.
1973 - The UK joins the European Economic Community.
1979 - Conservative Margaret Thatcher begins move towards deregulation of economy.
2017 - Britain formally applies to leave the European Union after a referendum vote the previous year.
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