United Kingdom

• temperate;
• moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current;
• more than one-half of the days are overcast

• air pollution improved but remains a concern, particularly in the London region;
• soil pollution from pesticides and heavy metals;
• decline in marine and coastal habitats brought on by pressures from housing, tourism, and industry

• lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes;
• only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel);
• because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters

noun:

Briton(s), British (collective plural)

adjective:

British

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.82 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales

conventional short form:

United Kingdom

abbreviation:

UK

etymology:

• self-descriptive country name;
• the designation "Great Britain," in the sense of "Larger Britain," dates back to medieval times and was used to distinguish the island from "Little Britain," or Brittany in modern France;
• the name Ireland derives from the Gaelic "Eriu," the matron goddess of Ireland (goddess of the land)

name:

London

geographic coordinates:

51 30 N, 0 05 W

time difference:

UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

note: the time statements apply to the United Kingdom proper, not to its crown dependencies or overseas territories

etymology:

• the name derives from the Roman settlement of Londinium, established on the current site of London around A.D. 43;
• the original meaning of the name is uncertain

• Anguilla;
• Bermuda;
• British Indian Ocean Territory;
• British Virgin Islands;
• Cayman Islands;
• Falkland Islands;
• Gibraltar;
• Montserrat;
• Pitcairn Islands;
• Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha;
• South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
• Turks and Caicos Islands

no official date of independence:

• 927 (minor English kingdoms unite);
• 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales);
• 1536 (Act of Union formally incorporates England and Wales);
• 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union formally unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain);
• 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union formally unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland);
• 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties remain part of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland);
• 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

history:

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

amendments:

• proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, by the House of Commons, or by the House of Lords;
• passage requires agreement by both houses and by the monarch (Royal Assent);
• note - additions include the Human Rights Act of 1998, the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, and the House of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)

head of government:

Prime Minister Boris JOHNSON (Conservative) (since 24 July 2019)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• the monarchy is hereditary;
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister;
• election last held on 12 December 2019 (next to be held by 2 May 2024)

note: in addition to serving as the UK head of state, the British sovereign is the constitutional monarch for 15 additional Commonwealth countries (these 16 states are each referred to as a Commonwealth realm)

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of 12 justices, including the court president and deputy president);
• note - the Supreme Court was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and implemented in 2009, replacing the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords as the highest court in the United Kingdom

judge selection and term of office:

judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, followed by their recommendations to the prime minister, and appointed by the monarch; justices serve for life

subordinate courts:

• England and Wales: Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions);
• High Court;
• Crown Court;
• County Courts;
• Magistrates' Courts;
• Scotland: Court of Sessions;
• Sheriff Courts;
• High Court of Justiciary;
• tribunals;
• Northern Ireland: Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland;
• High Court;
• county courts;
• magistrates' courts;
• specialized tribunals

• Alliance Party (Northern Ireland) [Naomi LONG]
• Brexit Party [Nigel FARAGE]
• Conservative and Unionist Party [Boris JOHNSON]
• Democratic Unionist Party or DUP (Northern Ireland) [Arlene FOSTER]
• Green Party of England and Wales or Greens [Sian BERRY and Jonathan BARTLEY]
• Labor (Labour) Party [Sir Keir STARMER]
• Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Ed Davey]
• Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru) [Adam PRICE]
• Scottish National Party or SNP [Nicola STURGEON]
• Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Mary Lou MCDONALD]
• Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Colum EASTWOOD]
• Ulster Unionist Party or UUP (Northern Ireland) [Robin SWANN]
• UK Independence Party or UKIP [Pat MOUNTAIN, interim leader]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Karen Elizabeth PIERCE (since 8 April 2020)

chancery:

3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 588-6500

FAX:

[1] (202) 588-7870

consulate(s) general:

Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco

consulate(s):

Orlando (FL), San Juan (Puerto Rico)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Robert Wood "Woody" JOHNSON IV (since 29 August 2017)

telephone:

[44] 20-7499-9000

embassy:

33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US or SW8 5DB (driving/GPS postcode)

mailing address:

PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040

FAX:

[44] 20-7891-3151

consulate(s) general:

Belfast, Edinburgh

• blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland);
• properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack;
• the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories

• lion (Britain in general);
• lion, Tudor rose, oak (England);
• lion, unicorn, thistle (Scotland);
• dragon, daffodil, leek (Wales);
• shamrock, flax (Northern Ireland);
• national colors: red, white, blue (Britain in general);
• red, white (England);
• blue, white (Scotland);
• red, white, green (Wales)

name:

God Save the Queen

lyrics/music:

unknown

note: in use since 1745; by tradition, the song serves as both the national and royal anthem of the UK; it is known as either "God Save the Queen" or "God Save the King," depending on the gender of the reigning monarch; it also serves as the royal anthem of many Commonwealth nations

Fitch rating:

AA- (2020)

Moody's rating:

Aaa (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: AA (2016)

• cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables;
• cattle, sheep, poultry;
• fish;
• milk, eggs

agriculture:

1.3%

industry:

15.2%

services:

83.5% (2014 est.)

lowest 10%:

1.7%

highest 10%:

31.1% (2012)

• public service broadcaster, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world;
• BBC operates multiple TV networks with regional and local TV service;
• a mixed system of public and commercial TV broadcasters along with satellite and cable systems provide access to hundreds of TV stations throughout the world;
• BBC operates multiple national, regional, and local radio networks with multiple transmission sites;
• a large number of commercial radio stations, as well as satellite radio services are available (2018)

number of registered air carriers:

20 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 794

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

165,388,610 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

6,198,370,000 mt-km (2018)

total:

16,837 km (2015)

standard gauge:

16,534 km 1.435-m gauge (5,357 km electrified) (2015)

broad gauge:

303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2015)

total:

394,428 km (2009)

paved:

394,428 km (includes 3,519 km of expressways) (2009)

total:

1,426

by type:

bulk carrier 143, container ship 108, general cargo 125, oil tanker 137, other 913 (2019)

major seaport(s):

• Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton, Teesport (England);
• Forth Ports (Scotland);
• Milford Haven (Wales)

oil terminal(s):

Fawley Marine terminal, Liverpool Bay terminal (England); Braefoot Bay terminal, Finnart oil terminal, Hound Point terminal (Scotland)

container port(s) (TEUs):

Felixstowe (3,849,700), London (2,431,000), Southampton (2,040,000) (2017)

LNG terminal(s) (import):

Isle of Grain, Milford Haven, Teesside

• begun in 1988 and completed in 1994, the Channel Tunnel (nicknamed the Chunnel) is a 50.5-km (31.4-mi) rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover that runs from Folkestone, Kent, England to Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais in northern France;
• it is the only fixed link between the island of Great Britain and mainland Europe

• the inventory of the British military is comprised of a mix of domestically-produced and imported Western weapons systems;
• the US is the leading supplier of armaments to the UK since 2010;
• the UK defense industry is capable of producing a wide variety of air, land, and sea weapons systems (2019 est.)

• 950 Afghanistan (NATO);
• approximately 1,000 Brunei;
• more than 400 Canada (BATUS);
• est. 2,200 Cyprus;
• 250 Cyprus (UNFICYP);
• 900 Estonia (NATO);
• approx. 1,200 Falkland Islands;
• est. 200 Germany (note - previously about 2,500, but the UK pledged to remove all but 200 troops by the end of 2020);
• 570 Gibraltar;
• approx. 1,300 Middle East (coalition against ISIS; NATO);
• up to 350 Kenya (BATUK);
• 400 Mali (EUTM, MINUSMA, and Operation Barkhane; 150 Poland (NATO) (2020)

• slight variations by service, but generally 16-36 years of age for enlisted (with parental consent under 18) and 18-29 for officers;
• minimum length of service 4 years;
• women serve in military services including ground combat roles (2019)

• Continuity Irish Republican Army;
• Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham;
• New Irish Republican Army (2020)

note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in Appendix-T

• in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain;
• the Government of Gibraltar insisted on equal participation in talks between the two countries;
• Spain disapproved of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy;
• Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory);
• in 2001, the former inhabitants of the archipelago, evicted 1967 - 1973, were granted UK citizenship and the right of return, followed by Orders in Council in 2004 that banned rehabitation, a High Court ruling reversed the ban, a Court of Appeal refusal to hear the case, and a Law Lords' decision in 2008 denied the right of return;
• in addition, the UK created the world's largest marine protection area around the Chagos islands prohibiting the extraction of any natural resources therein;
• UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
• territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim;
• Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm

refugees (country of origin):

19,744 (Iran), 13,755 (Eritrea), 10,575 (Sudan), 10,389 (Syria), 9,513 (Afghanistan), 8,164 (Pakistan), 5,522 (Sri Lanka) (2019)

stateless persons:

161 (2019)

• producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals;
• major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs;
• money-laundering center