| Capital: London
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth
of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North
Sea, northwest of France
Language: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales),
Scottish form of Gaelic
Currency: 1 British pound (£) = 100 pence
Population: 59,113,439
Natural Hazards: NA
Import: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, foodstuffs
Export: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric
power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding,
aircraft, motor
vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals,
chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing,
textiles, clothing, and
other consumer goods
Transportation:
Railways:
total: 16,878 km
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note—all 1.600-m
gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in Northern
Ireland
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591
km
double or multiple track)
Highways:
total: 372,000 km
paved: 372,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km
Waterways: 3,200 km
Ports & Harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth,
Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester,
Peterhead, Plymouth, Scapa Flow, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne |