UK - Key Facts
Official Name: The United Kingdom - made up of England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Great Britain (or just
Britain) does not include Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK.
Capital City: London
Official Language: English - now spoken by around 400
million people as their primary language and another 300 million
people use it as a key language. There is considerable variation
in the pronunciation of English (regional accents).
Area: 129,720 sq km (50,085 sq mi)
Population: UK - 59.8 million (mid-2004)
People: Anglo-Saxons, Scots, Welsh, Irish, West Indians,
Pakistanis, Indians
Religion: Church of England, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic,
Muslim, Hindu and Sikh
Government: Parliamentary Democracy. (Ruled by a constitutional
monarchy; parliamentary power is divided between the Executive
Branch (the Monarch, the Prime Minister and the cabinet) and
the Legislative Branch (the Bi-cameral Parliament).)
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister: Tony Blair
Currency: Sterling Pound (£)
Climate: Temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest
winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of
the days are overcast.
Time Zone: GMT/UTC or BST (British Summer Time), which
is one hour forward from GMT
Major Cities: London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds,
Bristol, Newcastle, Edinburgh
Electricity: 240V, 50Hz
Weights & measures: Metric (except beer, which is
measured in pints)
|
|
