Profile - United Kingdom  

Background: The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. Devolution and constitutional reform have been significant recent issues in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.


Statistics
  Local Name     United Kingdom  
  Continent     Europe  
  Region     British Islands  
  Surface     242,900 (sq mi)  
  Population     59,623,400  
  Life Expectancy     77.7 years  
  Capital     London  
Languages
  *English     97.3%  
  Kymri     0.9%  
  Gaeli     0.1%  


Map - United Kingdom

Population
  London     7,285,000  
  Birmingham     1,013,000  
  Glasgow     619,680  
  Liverpool     462,000  
  Edinburgh     450,180  
  Sheffield     431,607  
  Manchester     430,000  
  Leeds     424,194  
  Bristol     402,000  
  Cardiff     321,000  
  Coventry     304,000  
  Leicester     294,000  
  Bradford     289,376  
  Belfast     287,500  
  Nottingham     287,000  
  Kingston upon Hull     262,000  
  Plymouth     253,000  
  Stoke-on-Trent     252,000  
  Wolverhampton     242,000  
  Derby     236,000  
  Swansea     230,000  
  Southampton     216,000  
  Aberdeen     213,070  
  Northampton     196,000  
  Dudley     192,171  
  Portsmouth     190,000  
  Newcastle upon Tyne     189,150  
  Sunderland     183,310  
  Luton     183,000  
  Swindon     180,000