Facts & Figures

The population of the United Kingdom sits at just over 60 million people. Population growth rate is quite low at just 0.3% per year. Much of the population growth over the next few years will be due to immigration inflows and not birth rate, since this is steadily declining from year to year. On average, British women give birth to less than 2 children in their lifetimes (according to 2003 statistics, the fertility rate sits at 1.66 children per woman).

People are often confused about the various names given to this country. There is, however, a difference between ‘Great Britain’ and ‘the United Kingdom’. The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain, on the other hand, comprises only England, Scotland and Wales (i.e. just the one island). ‘Britain’ is the term often used informally to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom was itself created by a parliamentary act in 1801.

Scotland originally was a separate country from England and had its own monarchy. The two countries fought many battles against each other over the centuries. In the 14th century, Scotland was famously led by Robert the Bruce and William Wallace to rid the country of English domination. However, in 1603, when King James of Scotland succeeded Queen Elizabeth I to the throne of England, both countries for the first time had the same monarch. In 1707 the two countries were formally politically united for the first time and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh was abolished. Some of the Scots resisted English rule during the Jacobite rebellions of the 18th century, the culmination of which was the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which the Jacobites lost. Only in very recent times have the Scots regained a Parliament in Edinburgh, but the modern Scottish Parliament has limited powers.

The UK’s climate is cool and temperate and would not seem to have changed much from the days of the Roman invasions, when Julius Caesar was heard to remark on his dislike of the weather.

Other interesting facts & figures:

The UK is the only country in the world which does not put the name of the country on its stamps.

The UK economy is the world's fifth largest, with about 5% of the world's economy.

The UK is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Greenwich in London is at zero degrees longtitude.

English is the international language for air traffic control.

English is by far the most spoken language in the EU.

London is the largest city in Western Europe.

The value of financial transactions in the City of London is greater than that in any other international financial centre.

The Queen is said to be the richest woman in the world.