TRAVEL IN EUROPE

List of European countries by GDP
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See also: List of European countries by GDP PPP

This is a list of European economies sorted by their 2006 gross domestic product at market or government official exchange rates (nominal GDP). The data here is produced by the International Monetary Fund in october 2007. Some of the 2006 figures and all 2007 figures are IMF staff estimations.
Rank Country 2005 GDP
millions of US dollars 2006 GDP
millions of US dollars 2007 GDP
millions of US dollars
— World 44,688,300 48,144,466 53,352,350
— Europe 15,706,725 16,335,942 19,423,131
— Flag of Europe European Union[1] 13,577,391 14,374,629 16,574,443
1 Flag of Germany Germany 2,791,737 2,897,032 3,259,212
2 Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom 2,230,608 2,373,685[2] 2,755.920
3 Flag of France France 2,127,168 2,231,631 2,515,241
4 Flag of Italy Italy 1,772,769 1,852,585 2,067,680
5 Flag of Spain Spain 1,127,975 1,225,750 1,414.646
6 Flag of Russia Russia 763,878 979,048 1,223.735
7 Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands 629,911 663,119 754.883
8 Flag of Turkey Turkey 362,461 392,424[2] 482.015
9 Flag of Belgium Belgium 372,726 393,590 442.774
10 Flag of Sweden Sweden 358,481 385,293 431.605
11 Flag of Switzerland Switzerland 366,514 377,240 413.921
12 Flag of Poland Poland 303,161 338,689 413.312
13 Flag of Norway Norway 301,735 335,281 369.252
14 Flag of Austria Austria 305,338 321,934 366.719
15 Flag of Greece Greece 284,226 307,709 356.258
16 Flag of Denmark Denmark 259,217 276,611[2] 310.674
17 Flag of Ireland Ireland 200,769 222,080[2] 253.313
18 Flag of Finland Finland 195,785 210,837 236.128
19 Flag of Portugal Portugal 185,644 194,989 219.542
20 Flag of the Czech Republic Czech Republic 123,981 141,801 168.142
21 Flag of Romania Romania 98,566 121,901 158.532
22 Flag of Hungary Hungary 111,568[2] 114,273[2] 136.358
23 Flag of Ukraine Ukraine 86,044 106,072 131.197
24 Flag of Slovakia Slovakia 47,428 54,969[2] 71.574
25 Flag of Croatia Croatia 38,510 42,456[2] 50.053
26 Flag of Luxembourg Luxembourg 36,621 40,577[2] 47.654
27 Flag of Slovenia Slovenia 34,407 37,340[2] 44.369
28 Flag of Belarus Belarus 30,131 36,944[2] 38.716
29 Flag of Serbia Serbia 26,232 31,589[2] 40.524
30 Flag of Bulgaria Bulgaria 26,719 30,608 39.071
31 Flag of Lithuania Lithuania 25,667 29,784[2] 36.326
32 Flag of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan 12,561 19,817[2] 31.066
33 Flag of Latvia Latvia 15,826 19,621[2] 27.001
34 Flag of Cyprus Cyprus 16,958 18,235 20.505
35 Flag of Iceland Iceland 16,081 16,579[2] 19.521
36 Flag of Estonia Estonia 13,753 16,410[2] 20.552
37 Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina 10,058 11,396[2] 13.536
38 Flag of Albania Albania 8,376[2] 9,133[2] 10.310
39 Flag of Georgia (country) Georgia 6,393 7,830[2] 9.553
40 Flag of Armenia Armenia 4,903 6,410 7.802
41 Flag of the Republic of Macedonia Republic of Macedonia 5,775 6,248[2] 7.322
42 Flag of Malta Malta 5,667 6,085[2] 6.450
43 Flag of Moldova Moldova 2,988 3,242[2] 4.021
44 Flag of Andorra Andorra
45 Flag of Liechtenstein Liechtenstein
46 Flag of Monaco Monaco
47 Flag of Montenegro Montenegro
48 Flag of San Marino San Marino
49 Flag of the Vatican City Vatican City

[edit] Source

* International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, April 2007.

* Individual countries (IMF source link)
* World and European Union (IMF source link)

[edit] Notes

1. ^ EU's 2005 and 2006 figures do not include Romania and Bulgaria as they are members starting January 1st, 2007
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Value represents an IMF staff estimation

[edit] See also

* List of European countries by GDP PPP
* List of European countries by GDP per capita
* Global list
o List of Arab Countries by GDP
* Economy of Europe
* European Union
United Kingdom
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
"UK" redirects here. For other uses, see UK (disambiguation).
For other uses, see United Kingdom (disambiguation).
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[10]
Flag of the United Kingdom Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom
Flag Royal coat of arms
Motto: "Dieu et mon droit"[11] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem: "God Save the Queen"[12]
Location of the United Kingdom
Location of the United Kingdom (dark green)

– on the European continent (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green)
Capital
(and largest city) London
[show location on an interactive map] 51°30′N, 0°7′W
Official languages English[13] (de facto)
Recognised regional languages Irish, Ulster Scots, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Cornish, Manx[14]
Demonym British, Briton
Government Parliamentary democracy and Constitutional monarchy
- Monarch Queen Elizabeth II
- Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Formation
- Acts of Union May 1, 1707
- Act of Union January 1, 1801
- Anglo-Irish Treaty April 12, 1922
EU membership January 1, 1973
Area
- Total 244,820 km² (79th)
94,526 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.34
Population
- mid-2006 estimate 60,587,300[1] (22nd)
- 2001 census 58,789,194[15]
- Density 246/km² (48th)
637/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate
- Total $2.375 trillion (6th)
- Per capita $35,051 (11th)
GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate
- Total $2.660.7 trillion[16] (5th)
- Per capita $38,624 (13th)
Gini? (1999) 36.8 (medium)
HDI (2006) 0.940 (high) (18th)
Currency Pound sterling (£) (GBP)
Time zone GMT (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Internet TLD .uk[17]
Calling code +44
^ In the United Kingdom and Dependencies, some other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous (regional) languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, the UK's official name is as follows:
Cornish: Rywvaneth Unys Breten Veur ha Kledhbarth Iwerdhon; Irish: Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann; Scots: Unitit Kinrick o Graet Breetain an Northren Irland; Scottish Gaelic: An Rìoghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn Mhòr agus Eirinn a Tuath; Welsh: Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon.
^ This is the royal motto. In Scotland, the royal motto is the Latin phrase Nemo Me Impune Lacessit ("No-one provokes me with impunity"). There is also a variant form of the coat-of-arms for use in Scotland; see Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.
^ See #Symbols below. It also serves as the Royal anthem.
^ English is established by de facto usage. In Wales, the Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg is tasked with ensuring that, "in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice, the English and Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality".[2][3] The Bòrd na Gàidhlig is tasked with "securing the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland commanding equal respect to the English language".[4]
^ Under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages the Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Cornish, Irish, Ulster Scots and Scots languages are officially recognised as Regional or Minority languages by the UK Government.[5] See also Languages in the United Kingdom.
^ CIA Factbook. Official estimate provided by the UK Office for National Statistics.[6]
^ ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 is GB, but .gb is practically unused. The .eu domain is also shared with other European Union member states.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) [7] is a country[8][9] to the north-west of mainland Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland.[10][11][12] Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy comprising four constituent countries — England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales — with Elizabeth II as head of state, who is also head of state of the Commonwealth realms. The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, are not part of the UK but form a federacy with it.[13] The UK has fourteen overseas territories,[14] all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface. It is a developed country, with the fifth-largest economy in the world by nominal GDP.

Britain was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th century,[15] but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains major economic, cultural, military and political influence today and is a nuclear power, with the second highest defence spending in the world. It holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the G8, NATO, the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
* 2 Government and politics
o 2.1 Administrative subdivisions
o 2.2 Law
o 2.3 Foreign relations
* 3 Geography
o 3.1 Topography
o 3.2 Climate
o 3.3 Cities and urban areas
+ 3.3.1 Cities
+ 3.3.2 Largest cities/towns
+ 3.3.3 Urban areas
+ 3.3.4 Larger Urban Zones
* 4 Demography
o 4.1 Population
o 4.2 Migration and ethnicity
o 4.3 Language
o 4.4 Religion
+ 4.4.1 Christianity
+ 4.4.2 Islam
+ 4.4.3 Other religions
+ 4.4.4 No religion
* 5 Economy
o 5.1 Currency
* 6 Infrastructure
* 7 Armed forces
* 8 Culture
o 8.1 Cinema
o 8.2 Education
o 8.3 Literature
o 8.4 Media
+ 8.4.1 Broadcasting
+ 8.4.2 Print
o 8.5 Music
o 8.6 Philosophy
o 8.7 Science, engineering and innovation
o 8.8 Sport
o 8.9 Visual art
* 9 Symbols
* 10 Miscellaneous data
* 11 See also
* 12 References
* 13 External links

History

Main article: History of the United Kingdom

The Battle of Waterloo marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.
The Battle of Waterloo marked the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

England and Scotland had existed as separate sovereign and independent states with their own monarchs and political structures since the 9th century. The once independent Principality of Wales fell under the control of English monarchs from the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284. Under the Acts of Union 1707, England (including Wales) and Scotland, which had been in personal union since the Union of the Crowns in 1603, agreed to a political union in the form of a unified Kingdom of Great Britain.[16] The Act of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland, which had been gradually brought under English control between 1541 and 1691, to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801.[17] Independence for the Irish Free State in 1922 followed the partition of the island of Ireland two years previously, with six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster remaining within the UK, which then changed to the current name in 1927 of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.[18]

Britain played an important part in the Age of Enlightenment with philosophical and scientific input and a literary and theatrical tradition. Over the next century the United Kingdom played an important role in developing Western ideas of parliamentary democracy with significant contributions to literature, the arts and science.[19] The UK-led Industrial Revolution transformed the country and fuelled the British Empire. During this time, like other Great Powers, the UK was involved in colonial exploitation, including the slave trade, while the passing of the 1807 Slave Trade Act also made the UK the first nation to prohibit trade in slaves.
The British Empire in 1897
The British Empire in 1897

After the defeat of Napoleon in the Napoleonic Wars, Britain became the principal naval power of the 19th century. At its peak the British Empire controlled large amounts of territory in Asia, Africa, Oceania and America.

In the 19th century the country played an important role in the development of parliamentary democracy, partly through the emergence of a multi-party system. At the end of the Victorian era the United Kingdom lost its industrial leadership, particularly to the German Empire, which surpassed the UK in industrial production and trade in the 1890s, and to the United States. Britain remained an eminent power and its empire expanded to its maximum size by 1921, gaining the League of Nations mandate over former German and Ottoman colonies after World War I.

After World War I, the world's first large-scale international broadcasting network, the BBC, was created. In 1924 the country's Labour movement, which had been gaining strength since the late 1890s, formed the first Labour government. Britain fought Nazi Germany in World War II, with its Commonwealth allies including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and India, later to be joined by further allies such as the United States. Wartime leader Winston Churchill and his peacetime successor Clement Atlee helped create the post-war world as part of the "Big Three". World War II left the United Kingdom financially damaged. Loans taken out during and after World War II from both Canada and the United States were economically costly but, along with post-war Marshall aid, the UK began the road to recovery.

The immediate post-war years saw the establishment of the British Welfare State and one of the world's first and most comprehensive health services, while the demands of a recovering economy brought people from all over the Commonwealth to create a multi-ethnic Britain. Although the new post-war limits of Britain's political role were confirmed by the Suez Crisis of 1956, the international spread of the language meant the continuing impact of its literature and culture, while at the same time from the 1960s its popular culture found influence abroad. Following a period of economic stagnation and industrial strife in the 1970s after a global economic downturn, the 1980s saw the inflow of substantial oil revenues, and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher, under whom there was a marked break with the post-war political and economic consensus. Her supporters credit her with economic success, but her critics blame her for greater social division. From 1997 onward these trends of growth largely continued under the leadership of Tony Blair.

The United Kingdom has been a member of the European Union since 1973. The attitude of the present Labour government towards further integration with this organisation is mixed,[20] with the Conservative Party favouring a return of some powers and competencies to the state,[21] and the Liberal Democrats supportive of current engagement.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of the United Kingdom

Queen Elizabeth II.
Queen Elizabeth II.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as head of state; the monarch of the UK also serves as head of state of fifteen other Commonwealth countries, putting the UK in a personal union with those other states. The UK has a parliamentary government based on strong democratic traditions: the Westminster system has been emulated around the world—a legacy of the British Empire.

The UK's constitution governs the legal framework of the country and consists mostly of written sources, including statutes, judge made case law, and international treaties. As there is no technical difference between ordinary statutes and law considered to be "constitutional law," the British Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts of Parliament and thus has the power to change or abolish almost any written or unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.[22] The United Kingdom is one of the three countries in the world today that does not have a codified constitution (the other two being New Zealand and Israel).[23]

The position of Prime Minister, the UK's head of government, belongs to the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and their Cabinet are formally appointed by the Monarch to form Her Majesty's Government. However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, the Queen respects the Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the Prime Minister's party in both legislative houses, and mostly from the House of Commons, to which they are responsible. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet, all of whom are sworn into Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and become Ministers of the Crown. Gordon Brown, leader of the Labour Party, has been Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service since 27 June 2007.

The Parliament is the national legislature of the United Kingdom; housed in the Palace of Westminster, it is the ultimate legislative authority in the UK, according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty. However, questions over sovereignty have been brought forward due to the UK's membership within the European Union.[24] The parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed House of Lords. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in a constituency; general elections are called by the Monarch when the Prime Minister so advises. There is no minimum term for a Parliament, but a new election must be called within five years of the last general election.
The Houses of Parliament
The Houses of Parliament

The UK's three major political parties are the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats. Other parties such as the Democratic Unionist Party, the Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Social Democratic and Labour Party, the Ulster Unionist Party, and Sinn Féin (from Northern Ireland) hold most of the remaining seats in the House. In accordance with party policy, no elected Sinn Féin Member of Parliament has ever attended the House of Commons to speak in the House on behalf of their constituents. However, the current five Sinn Féin MPs have since 2002 made use of the offices and other facilities available at Westminster.[25]

Administrative subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is divided into four home nations or constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The latter three each has a unicameral legislature, devolved from the United Kingdom Parliament, which relates specifically to each constituent country: the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Each also has its own Executive, led by a First Minister, which controls separate law making and constitutional powers devolved from Westminster. However, despite being the largest of the United Kingdom's four constituent countries, England, (with the exception of the Greater London Authority) , has no devolved executive; it is ruled directly by the UK government.

Each nation is further subdivided for the purposes of local government. The Queen appoints a Lord-Lieutenant as her personal representative in lieutenancy areas across the UK; this is little more than a ceremonial role. The following table highlights the arrangements for local government, lieutenancy areas and cities across the home nations:
Manchester Town Hall. Many towns and cities reflect their "civic pride" with public buildings.
Manchester Town Hall. Many towns and cities reflect their "civic pride" with public buildings.
Constituent Country Population Subdivisions Cities
England 50,431,700

Regions
Metropolitan and
non-metropolitan counties
Lieutenancy areas
English cities
Scotland 5,094,800

Council areas
Lieutenancy areas
Scottish cities
Wales 2,958,600

Unitary authorities
Lieutenancy areas
Welsh cities
Northern Ireland 1,724,400

Districts
Traditional counties
Northern Ireland cities

Historically, the four nations were divided into counties as areas for local government administration. Although these are still used to some extent for this purpose and as geographical areas, they are no longer the sole basis for local government administration.

In recent years, England has, for some purposes, been divided into nine intermediate-level Government Office Regions. Each region is made up of counties and unitary authorities, apart from London, which consists of London boroughs. Although at one point it was intended that these regions would be given their own elected regional assemblies, the plan's future is uncertain following a rejection, by referendum, of a proposed assembly in the North East region.

City status is governed by Royal Charter. There are sixty-six British cities: fifty in England; six in Scotland; five in Wales; and five in Northern Ireland.

The Crown has sovereignty over the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. Collectively, these three territories are known as the Crown dependencies, lands owned by the British monarch but not part of the United Kingdom. They are also not part of the European Union. However, the Parliament of the United Kingdom has the authority to legislate for the dependencies, and the British government manages their foreign affairs and defence.

The UK also has fourteen overseas territories around the world, the last remaining territories of the British Empire. The overseas territories are also not considered part of the UK, but in most cases the local populations have British citizenship and the right to abode in the UK. This has been the case since 2002.

Law

Main article: Law of the United Kingdom

Scottish Parliament is the national legislature of Scotland
Scottish Parliament is the national legislature of Scotland

The United Kingdom has three distinct systems of law. English law, which applies in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland law, which applies in Northern Ireland, are based on common-law principles. Scots law, which applies in Scotland, is a hybrid system based on both common-law and civil-law principles. The Act of Union 1707 guarantees the continued existence of a separate law system for Scotland.

The Appellate Committee of the House of Lords (usually just referred to, as "The House of Lords") is the highest court in the land for all criminal and civil cases in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and for all civil cases in Scots law. Recent constitutional changes will see the powers of the House of Lords transfer to a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.[26]

In England and Wales, the court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice (for civil cases) and the Crown Court (for criminal cases). In Scotland the chief courts are the Court of Session, for civil cases, and the High Court of Justiciary, for criminal cases, while the sheriff court is the Scottish equivalent of the county court.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, comprising the same members as the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords, is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the G8 and NATO, and a member state of the European Union. The UK has a "Special Relationship" with the United States. Apart from the US and Europe, Britain's close allies include Commonwealth nations and other English speaking countries. Britain's global presence and influence is further amplified through its trading relations and its armed forces, which maintain approximately eighty military installations and other deployments around the globe.[27]

Geography

Main article: Geography of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is in Western Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain (most of England, Scotland and Wales) and the north-eastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland) , together with many smaller islands. The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49° and 59° N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61° N) , and longitudes 8° W to 2° E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, near London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian. The United Kingdom has a total area of approximately 245,000 square kilometres (94,600 sq mi). The UK lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, and comes within 35 kilometres (22 mi) of the north-west coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 kilometres (224 mi) land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel ("Chunnel") now links the UK with France beneath the English Channel.

Topography
Map of the United Kingdom.
Map of the United Kingdom.
Ben Nevis in the Grampian Mountains, is the highest point in the British Isles
Ben Nevis in the Grampian Mountains, is the highest point in the British Isles

Most of England consists of lowland terrain, with some mountainous terrain in the north-west (Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District) , north (the upland moors of the Pennines and limestone hills of the Peak District) and south-west (Exmoor and Dartmoor) by the Tees-Exe line. Lower ranges include the limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck, Cotswolds and Lincolnshire Wolds, and the chalk downs of the Southern England Chalk Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn and the Humber Estuary. The largest urban area is Greater London. England's highest mountain is Scafell Pike, which is in the Lake District 978 metres (3,209 ft).

Scotland's geography is varied, with lowlands in the south and east and highlands in the north and west, including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344 metres (4,409 ft). There are many long and deep sea arms, firths, and lochs. There are nearly eight hundred islands in Scotland, mainly west and north of the mainland, notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. In total, it is estimated that the UK includes around one thousand islands.[28]

Wales is mostly mountainous, the highest peak being Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, however South Wales is less mountainous than North and Mid Wales. North of the mainland is the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn).
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula.
Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula.

Northern Ireland, making up the north-eastern part of Ireland, is mostly hilly. It includes Lough Neagh, at 388 square kilometres (150 sq mi), the largest body of water in the UK and Ireland.[29] The highest peak is Slieve Donard at 849 metres (2,785 ft) in the province's Mourne Mountains.

The greatest distance between two points on the UK mainland of Great Britain is 1,350 kilometres (840 mi) between Land's End in Cornwall (near Penzance) and John O'Groats in Caithness (near Thurso) , a two day journey by car. When measured directly north-south it is a little over 1,100 kilometres (700 mi) in length and is a fraction under 500 kilometres (300 mi) at its widest.

Climate

Main article: Climate of the United Kingdom

All parts of the United Kingdom have a temperate climate, with plentiful rainfall all year round. The temperature varies with the seasons but seldom drops below −10 °C (14 °F) or rises above 35 °C (95 °F). The prevailing wind is from the south-west, bearing frequent spells of mild and wet weather from the Atlantic Ocean. Eastern parts are most sheltered from this wind and are therefore the driest. Atlantic currents, warmed by the Gulf Stream, bring mild winters, especially in the west, where winters are also wet, especially over high ground. Summers are warmest in the south east of England, being closest to the European mainland, and coolest in the north. Snowfall can occur in winter and early spring, though it rarely settles to any great depth away from high ground.

Absolute temperature ranges:

* England: 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) on 10 August 2003 at Brogdale, near Faversham, Kent, to −26.1 °C (−15 °F) on 10 January 1982 at Edgmond, near Newport, Shropshire.
* Wales: 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) in Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2 August 1990, to −23.3 °C (−9.9 °F) in Rhayader, Radnorshire on 21 January 1940.
* Scotland: 32.9 °C (91.2 °F) at Greycrook, Scottish Borders on 9 August 2003 to −27.2 °C (−17 °F) recorded at Braemar, Aberdeenshire, on 11 February 1895 and 10 January 1982 and also at Altnaharra, Sutherland, on 30 December 1995.
* Northern Ireland: 30.8 °C (87.4 °F) at Knockarevan, near Belleek, County Fermanagh on 30 June 1976 and at Belfast on 12 July 1983, to −17.5 °C (0.5 °F) at Magherally, near Banbridge, County Down on 1 January 1979.

Cities and urban areas

Further information: List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population

Cities

Main article: City status in the United Kingdom

The skyline of Canary Wharf, London.
The skyline of Canary Wharf, London.

London is the capital of the UK as a whole. Several cities lay claim to the title "second city".

The capitals of the United Kingdom's constituent countries are:

* Belfast (Northern Ireland)
* Cardiff (Wales)
* Edinburgh (Scotland)
* London (England)

Largest cities/towns

Main article: List of largest United Kingdom settlements by population

* above 7 million: London
* around 1 million: Birmingham
* above 500,000: Glasgow
* 400,000 – 500,000: Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Bristol
* 300,000 – 400,000: Manchester, Leicester, Coventry, Kingston upon Hull
* 250,000 – 300,000: Bradford, Cardiff, Belfast, Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton
* 200,000 – 250,000: Nottingham, Plymouth, Southampton, Reading, Derby

Urban areas

Further information: List of conurbations in the United Kingdom

* Greater London Urban Area - 8.5 million
* West Midlands conurbation - 2.28 million
* Greater Manchester Urban Area - 2.24 million
* West Yorkshire Urban Area - 1.5 million
* Greater Glasgow - 1.16 million

Larger Urban Zones

Further information: Larger Urban Zones (LUZ) in the European Union

A European Union measurement of urbanisation, the Larger Urban Zone is a harmonised definition of metropolitan area. Eurostat's objective was to have an area from which a significant share of the residents commute into the city, a concept known as the “functional urban region”. To ensure good data availability, Eurostat works with administrative boundaries that approximate the functional urban region.

Seven UK Zones feature in the top 50 in the EU.

* London - 11.62 million
* Manchester - 2.51 million
* Leeds - Bradford - 2.36 million
* Birmingham - 2.34 million
* Glasgow - 1.75 million
* Liverpool - 1.36 million
* Sheffield - 1.26 million

Demography

Main article: Demography of the United Kingdom

The populations and percentage of total population in the four nations of the United Kingdom.
The populations and percentage of total population in the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Population

At the April 2001 UK Census, the United Kingdom's population was 58,789,194, the third largest in the European Union (behind Germany and France) , the fifth largest in the Commonwealth and the twenty-first largest in the world. This had been estimated up to 60,587,300 by the Office for National Statistics in 2006.[30] In August 2006 it was confirmed that the UK's population had reached 60 million, then rapidly increased to 60.2 million, largely from net immigration, but also because of a rising birth rate and increasing life expectancy.[31]

The UK's overall population density is one of the highest in the world. About a quarter of the population lives in England's prosperous south-east and is predominantly urban and suburban,[32] with an estimated 7,517,700 in the capital of London.[33] The population of the United Kingdom has now reached 60,587,000 (mid 2006 estimate).[34]

In 2006 the UK's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.86 children per woman, below the replacement rate of 2.1. In 2001, the TFR was at a record low of 1.63, but it has increased each year since, and will continue to do so as the share of births from immigrant mothers continues to prod the fertility rate. The TFR was considerably higher during the 1960s 'baby boom', peaking at 2.95 children per woman in 1964.[35]

Migration and ethnicity

Main article: Ethnic groups of the United Kingdom

Located as they are on a group of islands close to Continental Europe, the lands now constituting the United Kingdom have historically been subject to many invasions and migrations, especially from Scandinavia and the continent - including Roman occupation for several centuries. Present day Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the eleventh century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended in Great Britain under the Normans, Scandinavian Vikings who had lived in northern France (Normandy). Since 1945, international ties forged by the British Empire have contributed to substantial immigration, especially from Africa and South Asia, and, most recently, the accession of new EU members in 2004 has fuelled more immigration from continental Europe. As of 2001, 13.1% (5.2% white, 7.9% non-white[36] ) of the UK population identified themselves as an ethnic minority.
Trafalgar Square in London is one of the most famous public places in the United Kingdom.
Trafalgar Square in London is one of the most famous public places in the United Kingdom.
Ethnic group ↓ Population ↓ % of total* ↓
White British &&&&&&&050366497.&&&&&050,366,497 85.7%
White Irish &&&&&&&&&0691232.&&&&&0691,232 1.2%
White (other) &&&&&&&&03096169.&&&&&03,096,169 5.3%
Mixed race &&&&&&&&&0677117.&&&&&0677,117 1.2%
Indian &&&&&&&&01053411.&&&&&01,053,411 1.8%
Pakistani &&&&&&&&&0747285.&&&&&0747,285 1.3%
Bengali &&&&&&&&&0283063.&&&&&0283,063 0.5%
Other Asian (non-Chinese) &&&&&&&&&0247644.&&&&&0247,644 0.4%
Black Caribbean &&&&&&&&&0565876.&&&&&0565,876 1.0%
Black African &&&&&&&&&0485277.&&&&&0485,277 0.8%
Black (others) &&&&&&&&&&097585.&&&&&097,585 0.2%
Chinese &&&&&&&&&0247403.&&&&&0247,403 0.4%
Other &&&&&&&&&0230615.&&&&&0230,615 0.4%
* Percentage of total UK population

Cities with high proportions of people from ethnic minorities include London with 40.1% of its population coming from minority groups, Leicester with 39.5% and Birmingham with 34.4%, according to the 2001 census.

In contrast with some other European countries, high foreign-born immigration is contributing to a rising population,[37] accounting for about half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001. The latest official figures (2006) show net immigration to the UK of 191,000 (591,000 immigrants and 400,000 emigrants) up from 185,000 in 2005 (overall, there was a loss of 126,000 Britons and a gain of 316,000 foreign citizens).[38][39][40] Only one in six were from Eastern European countries. They were outnumbered by immigrants from New Commonwealth countries.[41] Immigration from the Indian subcontinent, mainly fuelled by family reunion, accounted for two-thirds of net immigration.[42] By contrast, at least 5.5 million British-born people are living abroad.[43][44][45] The most popular emigrant destinations were Australia, Spain, France, New Zealand and the U.S.[46][47][48]

A study by a city forecaster, however, contends that the above immigration figures are unreliable and that net immigration for 2005 was circa 400,000.[49] Nonetheless, the proportion of foreign-born people in the UK population remains slightly below that of some other European countries.[50]

In 2004 the number of people who became British citizens rose to a record 140,795 - a rise of 12% on the previous year. This number had risen dramatically since 2000. The overwhelming majority of new citizens come from Africa (32%) and Asia (40%) , the largest three groups being people from Pakistan, India and Somalia.[51] In 2006, there were 149,035 applications for British citizenship, 32% fewer than in 2005. The number of people granted citizenship during 2006 was 154,095, 5% fewer than in 2005. The largest groups of people granted British citizenship were from India, Pakistan, Somalia and the Philippines.[52] 21.9% of babies born in the UK in 2005 were born to foreign-born mothers, according to official statistics released in 2007 that also show the highest birth rates in Britain for 26 years.[53]

Figures published in August 2007 indicate that 682,940 people applied to the Worker Registration Scheme (for nationals of the central and eastern European states that joined the EU in May 2004) between 1 May 2004 and 31 June 2007, of whom 656,395 were accepted.[54] Self-employed workers and people who are not working (including students) are not required to register under the scheme so this figure represents a lower limit on immigration inflow. These figures do not indicate the number of immigrants who have since returned home, but 56 per cent of applicants in the 12 months ending 30 June 2007 reported planning to stay for a maximum of three months. Of the 2.5million foreign workers who moved to the UK to work, the majority were from EU countries,[55] but net migration in 2005 from the new EU states stood at 64,000.[39]

Language

Main article: Languages of the United Kingdom

Countries where English has de facto official or official language status.
Countries where English has de facto official or official language status.

Though the UK does not have a de jure official language, the predominant spoken language is English, a West Germanic language descended from Old English, featuring a large number of borrowings from Old Norse and Norman. The other indigenous languages are Scots (which is closely related to English) and the Insular Celtic languages. The latter fall into two groups: the P-Celtic languages (Welsh and Cornish) ; and the Q-Celtic languages (Irish and Scottish Gaelic and Manx). Celtic dialectal influences from Cumbric persisted in Northern England for many centuries, most famously in a unique set of numbers used for counting sheep (see Yan Tan Tethera).

The English language has spread to all corners of the world (largely due to the British Empire) and has thus become the business language of the world. Worldwide, it is taught as a second language more than any other.[56] The United Kingdom's Celtic languages are also spoken by small groups around the globe, mainly Gaelic in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Welsh in Patagonia, Argentina.

Recently it has acquired many speakers of Eastern European languages, notably Polish.

Religion

Main article: Religion in the United Kingdom

While the United Kingdom has a long tradition of Christianity and link between church and state still remains, in practice the UK has a predominantly secular society with only 38%[57] proclaiming a belief in a God. People identify themselves with religion in the UK for both cultural and religious reasons and this is reflected by the disparity between the figures for those proclaiming a belief in a God and those identifying themselves with a particular religion. Christianity has the largest number of adherents followed by Islam, Hinduism and Sikhism.

Christianity
Westminster Abbey is used for the coronation of all British Monarchs, who are also made the head of the Church of England.
Westminster Abbey is used for the coronation of all British Monarchs, who are also made the head of the Church of England.

Christianity is the majority religion, there are many Christian churches, denominations, and sects. However, Christianity in the UK is on the decline. The Tearfund Survey[58] in 2007 revealed 53% identifying themselves as Christian compared to 71.6% in the 2001 UK Census.[59] Only 7% of people in the UK are actually practicing Christians. Christianity was first introduced to Britain by the Romans. The direct influence of the Anglican Communion has been on the decline for many years but the Church of England retains a representation in Parliament and the right to draft legislative measures (usually related to religious administration) , through the General Synod, that can be passed into law, but not amended by Parliament. The churches of the Anglican Communion in the rest of the UK were disestablished in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Scotland and northern England were evangelised first, by Celtic missionaries from Ireland, such as Ninian, Columba and Aidan. Augustine was subsequently sent to southern England by Pope Gregory I in 597.

The English Church split from Rome in 1534, during the reign of Henry VIII of England (see English Reformation). Today, the Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The British monarch is required to be a member of the Church of England under the Act of Settlement 1701 and is the Supreme Governor. The senior bishop of Church of England is the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Church of Scotland (known informally as the Kirk) broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1560 (see Calvinism and Scottish Reformation). Today it is a Presbyterian church, recognised as the national church of Scotland, and not subject to state control. The British monarch is an ordinary member, and is required to swear an oath to "defend the security" of the Church at the coronation. The Scottish Episcopal Church, which is part of the Anglican Communion, dates from the final establishment of Presbyterianism in Scotland in 1690. Further splits in the Church of Scotland, especially in the nineteenth century, led to the creation of various other Presbyterian churches in Scotland, including the Free Church of Scotland.

In the 1920s, the Church in Wales was separated from the Church of England and became disestablished (lost its status as the state religion). However the Church in Wales remains in the Anglican Communion. Methodism and other independent churches are traditionally strong in Wales.

The Anglican Church of Ireland was disestablished in the nineteenth century. It covers the entire island of Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland). In Northern Ireland the Catholic Church in Ireland is the largest single denomination, although Protestants are in the majority overall. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the largest Protestant denomination and is in terms of theology and history closely linked to the Church of Scotland

The Roman Catholic Church is the second largest denomination of Christianity in the UK. After the Protestant Reformation, strict laws were passed against Catholics; these were removed by the Catholic Emancipation laws in 1829. There are separate Catholic hierarchies for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

Other large Christian groups include the Methodists (founded by John Wesley in London) and the Baptists. There are also growing Evangelical or Pentecostal churches, many of which have flourished with immigration from around the Commonwealth and beyond.

Islam

Muslims in the United Kingdom are believed to number 1.8 million .[60] Mosques are present in most regions: The biggest groups are of Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi origin. More recently, refugees from Somalia, Northern Cyprus, the Balkans and Arab countries have increased Britain's Muslim population. The 2006 controversy over the burqa, brought up in comments by politician Jack Straw, reflects a split between some Britons questioning the extent to which traditionalist forms of Islam are compatible with British society, and others who believe that wearing the veil is compatible with Muslim integration in Britain.[61]

Other religions

Religions of Indian origin, such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism are followed in Britain. As of the 2001 census, there are about 560,000 Hindus and 340,000 Sikhs. Buddhism is practised by about 150,000[62] It is likely that these figures have increased since 2001. One non-governmental organisation estimates that there are 800,000 Hindus in the UK.[63] Leicester houses one of the world's few Jain temples that are outside of India. There are approximately 270,000 Jews in England and Wales, according to the 2001 census. 390,127 individuals proclaimed themselves as "Jedi Knight" in the 2001 census, though this is largely due to an Internet campaign to make it an official religion[citation needed].

No religion

The United Kingdom has a large and growing atheist and agnostic population with 13,626,000 (23.2% of the UK population) either claiming no religion or not answering the question on religion at the 2001 census.[64]

Economy

Main article: Economy of the United Kingdom

London is a major centre for international business and commerce and is the leader of the three "command centres" for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo).[65] For over twenty-five years, the British economy has corresponded with what has been described by some since the 1980s as the Anglo-Saxon model, focusing on the principles of liberalisation, the free market, and low taxation and regulation. Based on market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is the fifth largest economy in the world,[66] and the second largest in Europe after Germany.

The British started the Industrial Revolution, and, like most industrialising countries at the time, initially concentrated on heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel production, and textiles. The empire created an overseas market for British products, allowing the United Kingdom to dominate international trade in the 19th century. However, as other nations industrialised and surplus labour from agriculture began to dry up, coupled with economic decline after two world wars, the United Kingdom began to lose its economic advantage. As a result, heavy industry declined, by degrees, throughout the 20th century. The British service sector, however, has grown substantially, and now makes up about 73% of GDP.[67]
The Bank of England; the central bank of the United Kingdom.
The Bank of England; the central bank of the United Kingdom.

The service sector of the United Kingdom is dominated by financial services, especially in banking and insurance. London is the world's largest financial centre with the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, and the Lloyd's of London insurance market all based in The City. It also has the largest concentration of foreign bank branches in the world. In the past decade, a rival financial centre in London has grown in the Docklands area, with HSBC and Barclays Bank relocating their head offices there. Many multinational companies that are not primarily UK-based have chosen to site their European or rest-of-world headquarters in London: an example is the US financial services firm Citigroup. The Scottish capital, Edinburgh, also has one of the large financial centres of Europe.[68]

Tourism is very important to the British economy. With over 27 million tourists a year, the United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world.[69]

The British manufacturing sector, however, has greatly diminished, relative to the economy as a whole, since World War II. It is still a significant part of the economy, but only accounted for one-sixth of national output in 2003.[70] The British motor industry is a significant part of this sector, although it has diminished with the collapse of MG Rover and most of the industry is foreign owned. Civil and defence aircraft production is led by the United Kingdom's largest aerospace firm, BAE Systems, and the continental European firm EADS, the owner of Airbus. Rolls-Royce holds a major share of the global aerospace engines market. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is also strong in the UK, with the world's second and sixth largest pharmaceutical firms (GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, respectively) [71] being based in the UK.

The creative industries accounted for 7.3% GVA in 2004 and grew at an average of 5% per annum between 1997 and 2004.[72]

The United Kingdom's agriculture sector accounts for only 0.9% of the country's GDP.[73]

The UK has a small coal reserve along with significant natural gas, and oil reserves, although the natural gas and oil reserves are diminishing.

Government involvement throughout the economy is exercised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (currently Alistair Darling) who heads HM Treasury, but the Prime Minister (currently Gordon Brown) , is First Lord of the Treasury; the Chancellor of the Exchequer is the Second Lord of the Treasury. However since 1997, the Bank of England, headed by the Governor of the Bank of England, has control of interest rates and other monetary policy.

Currency

See also: Banknotes of the pound sterling and pound sterling

The currency of the UK is the pound sterling, represented by the symbol £. The Bank of England is the central bank, responsible for issuing currency. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland retain the right to issue their own notes, subject to retaining enough Bank of England notes in reserve to cover the issue. The UK chose not to join the Euro at the currency's launch, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ruled out membership for the foreseeable future, saying that the decision not to join had been right for Britain and for Europe.[74] The government of former Prime Minister Tony Blair had pledged to hold a public referendum for deciding membership should "five economic tests" be met. In 2005, more than half (55%) of the UK were against adopting the currency, whilst 30% were in favour.[75]

Infrastructure

Main articles: Transport in the United Kingdom and Telecommunications in the United Kingdom

Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest airport in terms of numbers of international passengers.
Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest airport in terms of numbers of international passengers.

The government's Department for Transport oversees the well-developed transport system in the United Kingdom. A radial road network of 46,904 kilometres (29,145 mi) of main roads is centred on London, Edinburgh and Belfast, whilst, in Great Britain, a motorway network of 3,497 kilometres (2,173 mi) is centred on Birmingham, Manchester and London. There are a further 213,750 kilometres (132,818 mi) of paved roads.

The National Rail network of 16,116 route km (10,072 route miles) in Great Britain and 303 route km (189 route mi) in Northern Ireland carries over 18,000 passenger trains and 1,000 freight trains daily. Urban rail networks are also well developed in London and several other cities. There was once over 48,000 route km (30,000 route mi) of rail network in the UK, however most of this was reduced over a time period from 1955 to 1975, much of it after a report by a government advisor Richard Beeching in the mid 1960s (known as the Beeching Axe).

Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest international airport, and being an island nation the UK has a considerable network of sea ports, which received over 558 million tonnes of goods in 2003–04.

Armed forces

Main article: British Armed Forces

HMS Illustrious. Two Invincible class aircraft carriers are currently in service. A third carrier is in reserve.
HMS Illustrious. Two Invincible class aircraft carriers are currently in service. A third carrier is in reserve.

The Army, Navy and Air Force are collectively known as the British Armed Forces (or Her Majesty's Armed Forces) and officially the Armed Forces of the Crown. The commander-in-chief is the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Ministry of Defence. The armed forces are controlled by the Defence Council, chaired by the Chief of the Defence Staff.

The United Kingdom fields one of the most technologically advanced and best trained armed forces in the world. According to various sources, including the Ministry of Defence, the UK has the second highest military expenditure in the world,[76][77] despite only having the 28th largest military in terms of manpower. Total defence spending currently accounts for 2.2% of total national GDP, compared to 4.4% at the end of the Cold War.[78] It is also the second largest spender on military science, engineering and technology.[79] The Royal Navy is considered to be the only other blue-water navy along with those of France and the United States.[80] The British Armed Forces are equipped with many advanced weapons systems, including the Challenger 2 tank and the Eurofighter Typhoon jet fighter. The Ministry of Defence also confirmed the acquisition of two new Aircraft Carriers on 25 July 2007.
A Trident II SLBM being launched from one of the Royal Navy's 4 Vanguard class submarines as a test launch.
A Trident II SLBM being launched from one of the Royal Navy's 4 Vanguard class submarines as a test launch.

The United Kingdom is one of the five recognised countries possessing nuclear weapons, utilising the Vanguard class submarine-based Trident II ballistic missile system.

The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promoting the United Kingdom's global security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They are active and regular participants in NATO, including the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps, as well as the Five Power Defence Arrangements and other worldwide coalition operations. Overseas garrisons and facilities are maintained at Ascension Island, Belize, Brunei, Canada, Diego Garcia, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kenya, and Cyprus.[81][82]

The British Army had a reported strength of 102,440 in 2005,[83] the Royal Air Force a strength of 49,210 and the 36,320-strong Royal Navy, which includes the Royal Marines, who provide commando units specialising in amphibious warfare.

The United Kingdom Special Forces, provide troops trained for quick, mobile, military responses in counter-terrorism, land, maritime and amphibious operations, often where secrecy or covert tactics are required.

There are also reserve forces supporting the regular military. These include the Territorial Army, the Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Marines Reserve and the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. This puts total active and reserve duty military personnel at approximately 429,500, deployed in over eighty countries.

Despite the United Kingdom's military capabilities, recent pragmatic defence policy has a stated assumption that "the most demanding operations" would be undertaken as part of a coalition.[84] Setting aside the intervention in Sierra Leone, operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq may all be taken as precedent. Indeed the last war in which the British military fought alone was the Falklands War of 1982, in which they were victorious.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the United Kingdom

Cinema

Main article: Cinema of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has been influential in the development of cinema, with the Ealing Studios claiming to be the oldest studios in the world. Despite a history of important and successful productions, the industry is characterised by an ongoing debate about its identity, and the influences of American and European cinema. Famous films include the Harry Potter and Ian Fleming's James Bond series which, although now made by American studios, used British source materials, locations, actors and filming crew.

Education
King's College, part of the University of Cambridge, England.
King's College, part of the University of Cambridge, England.

Further information: Education in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's official literacy rate (99%) is normal by developed country standards. Universal state education was introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900 (except in Scotland where it was introduced in 1696, see Education in Scotland).[85] Education is mandatory from ages five to sixteen (15 if born in late July or August).

The majority of children in the UK are educated in state-sector schools, only a small proportion of which select on the grounds of academic ability. Around 7% of children in the UK are educated privately, the vast majority at the anachronistically named public schools. The products of public schools make up about 50% of students at the leading universities of Cambridge and Oxford, as well as the majority of doctors, judges and business leaders. State schools which are allowed to select pupils according to intelligence and academic ability can achieve comparable results to public schools: out of the top ten performing schools in terms of GCSE results in 2006 two were state-run grammar schools.

Some of the UK's 138 university level institutions are internationally renowned, especially those of Cambridge, Oxford, and London.[86] In the 2006 THES - QS World University Rankings,[87] 30 UK institutions were ranked amongst the top 200 universities in the world.

Fewer citizens of the UK are able to speak a foreign language than in any other EU country except Ireland. This has caused fear that the poor language skills in the UK will have a negative effect on business, and has led to calls for languages to be given priority in education.[88][89]

Literature

Main article: British literature

The Chandos portrait, believed to depict the famed playwright William Shakespeare.
The Chandos portrait, believed to depict the famed playwright William Shakespeare.

The English playwright and poet William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.[90][91][92]

Among the earliest British writers are Geoffrey of Monmouth (12th century) , Geoffrey Chaucer (14th century) , and Thomas Malory (15th century). In the 18th century, Samuel Richardson is often credited with inventing the modern novel. In the 19th century, there followed further innovation by Jane Austen, the Brontë sisters, the social campaigner Charles Dickens, the naturalist Thomas Hardy, the visionary poet William Blake and romantic poet William Wordsworth. Twentieth century writers include the science fiction novelist H. G. Wells, the controversial D. H. Lawrence, the modernist Virginia Woolf, the prophetic novelist George Orwell and the poet John Betjeman. Most recently, the children's fantasy Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling has recalled the popularity of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Scotland's contribution includes the detective writer Arthur Conan Doyle, romantic literature by Sir Walter Scott, the epic adventures of Robert Louis Stevenson and the celebrated poet Robert Burns. More recently, the modernist and nationalist Hugh MacDiarmid and Neil M. Gunn contributed to the Scottish Renaissance. A more grim outlook is found in Ian Rankin's stories and the psychological horror-comedy of Iain Banks. Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, is UNESCO's first worldwide city of literature.

In the early medieval period, Welsh writers composed the Mabinogion. In modern times, the poets R.S. Thomas and Dylan Thomas have brought Welsh culture to an international audience.

Many authors from other nationalities, particularly from Ireland, or from Commonwealth countries, have also lived and worked in the UK. Significant examples through the centuries include Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, Bram Stoker, George Bernard Shaw, Joseph Conrad, T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound, and more recently British authors born abroad such as Kazuo Ishiguro and Sir Salman Rushdie.

In theatre, Shakespeare's contemporaries Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson added depth. More recently Alan Ayckbourn, Harold Pinter, Michael Frayn, Tom Stoppard and David Edgar have combined elements of surrealism, realism and radicalism.

Further information: English literature, Scottish literature and Welsh literature

Media

Main article: Media of the United Kingdom

The prominence of the English language gives the UK media a widespread international dimension.

Broadcasting

The BBC is the UK's publicly funded radio, television and internet broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest and largest broadcaster in the world. It operates several television channels and radio stations both in the UK and abroad. The BBC's international television news service, BBC World, is broadcast throughout the world and the BBC World Service radio network is broadcast in thirty-three languages globally.

The domestic services of the BBC are funded by the television licence, a legal requirement for any British household with a television receiver that is in use to receive broadcasts, regardless of whether or not the householders watch BBC channels. Households which are the principal residence of any person over 75 are exempt[93] and the requirement does not extend to radio listeners. The BBC World Service Radio is funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the television stations are operated by BBC Worldwide on a commercial subscription basis over cable and satellite services. It is also this commercial arm of the BBC that forms half of UKTV along with Virgin Media.

There are five major nationwide television channels in the UK: BBC One, BBC Two, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five - all currently transmitted by analogue terrestrial, free-to-air signals with the latter three channels funded by commercial advertising.

The UK now also has a large number of digital terrestrial channels including a further six from the BBC, five from ITV and three from Channel 4 among a variety of others.

The vast majority of digital cable services are provided by Virgin Media with satellite being provided by BSkyB and free-to-air digital terrestrial television by Freeview. The entire country will switch to digital by 2012.

Radio in the UK is dominated by BBC Radio, which operates ten national networks and over forty local radio stations. The most popular radio station, by number of listeners, is BBC Radio 2, closely followed by BBC Radio 1. There are also many hundreds of mainly local commercial radio stations across the country offering a variety of music or talk formats.

Print

Traditionally, British newspapers could be split into quality, serious-minded newspaper (usually referred to as "broadsheets" due to their large size) and the more populist, tabloid varieties. For convenience of reading, many traditional broadsheets have switched to a more compact-sized format, traditionally used by tabloids. The Sun has the highest circulation of any daily newspaper in the UK, with approximately a quarter of the market; its sister paper, The News of The World similarly leads the Sunday newspaper market,[94] and traditionally focuses on celebrity-led stories. The Daily Telegraph, a right-of-centre broadsheet paper, has overtaken The Times (tabloid size format) as the highest-selling of the "quality" newspapers .[95] The Guardian is a more liberal (left-wing) "quality" broadsheet. The Financial Times is the main business paper, printed on distinctive salmon-pink broadsheet paper. Scotland has a distinct tradition of newspaper readership (see List of newspapers in Scotland). First printed in 1737, the Belfast News Letter is the oldest known English-speaking daily newspaper still in publication today. One of its fellow Northern Irish competitors, The Irish News, has been twice ranked as the best regional newspaper in the United Kingdom, in 2006 and 2007.[96] Aside from newspapers, a number of British magazines and journals have achieved world-wide circulation including The Economist and Nature.

Music

Main article: British Music

Classical music: Notable composers from the United Kingdom have included William Byrd, Henry Purcell, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Arthur Sullivan (most famous for working with librettist Sir W. S. Gilbert) , Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Benjamin Britten, pioneer of modern British opera. London remains one of the major classical music capitals of the world.

Popular music: Prominent among the UK contibutors to the development of rock music in the 1960s and 1970s were The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Queen and Black Sabbath. Heavy metal, hard rock, punk rock and New Wave were among the variations that followed. In the early 1980s UK bands from the New Romantic scene such as Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Soft Cell and Ultravox were prominent. In the 1990s, Britpop bands and electronica music also attained international success. More recent pop acts, including The Smiths, Oasis and the Spice Girls, have ensured the continuation of the UK's massive contribution to popular music.

Philosophy
David Hume (1711 – 1776).
David Hume (1711 – 1776).

Eminent philosophers from the UK include William of Ockham, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, David Hume, Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell, Adam Smith and Alfred Ayer. Foreign born philosophers who settled in the UK include Isaiah Berlin, Karl Marx, Karl Popper, and Ludwig Wittgenstein

Science, engineering and innovation

See also: Category:British inventors and Category:British inventions

The modern scientific method was promoted by the English philosopher Francis Bacon in the early seventeenth century, and subsequent advances credited to British scientists and engineers include:

* The laws of motion and illumination of gravity, by Sir Isaac Newton in the late 17th century
* The unification of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell
* The discovery of hydrogen, by Henry Cavendish
* The steam locomotive, by Richard Trevithick and Andrew Vivian
* The telephone, by Alexander Graham Bell
* Evolution by natural selection, by Charles Darwin
* The Turing machine, by Alan Turing, the basis of modern computers
* The structure of DNA, by Francis Crick and others
* The development of the World Wide Web, largely attributed to Tim Berners-Lee

Notable civil engineering projects, whose pioneers included Isambard Kingdom Brunel, contributed to the world's first national railway transport system. Other advances pioneered in the UK include the marine chronometer, television, the jet engine, the modern bicycle, electric lighting, the electric motor, the screw propeller, the internal combustion engine, military radar, the electronic computer, vaccination and antibiotics.

Scientific journals produced in the UK include Nature, the British Medical Journal and The Lancet. In 2006, it was reported that the UK provided 9% of the world's scientific research papers and a 12% share of citations.[97]

Sport

Main article: Sport in the United Kingdom

The Wimbledon Championships, a Grand Slam tournament, is held in Wimbledon, London every July.
The Wimbledon Championships, a Grand Slam tournament, is held in Wimbledon, London every July.

A number of major sports originated in the United Kingdom, including football, rugby, cricket, tennis and golf.

The most popular sport in the UK is football. The UK does not compete as a nation in any major football tournaments. Instead, the home nations compete individually as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Because of this four-team arrangement, the UK does not compete in football events at the Olympic Games. However, there are proposals for a united team taking part in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, which are to be held in London. The English and Northern Irish football associations have confirmed participation in this team while the Scottish FA and the Welsh FA have declined to participate, fearing that it would undermine their independent sport status.

The UK is home to many world-renowned football clubs, such as Rangers, Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Celtic. Clubs compete in national leagues and competitions and some go on to compete in European competitions. British teams have been successful in European Competitions including some who have become European Cup/UEFA Champions League winners: Liverpool (five times) , Manchester United (twice) , Nottingham Forest (twice) , Aston Villa, and Celtic. More clubs from England have won the European Cup than any other country (four compared to three from Italy, Germany and the Netherlands). Moreover, England ranks second in the all time list of European club trophies won with 35, one behind Italy's 36. The European Cup competition itself was brought about due to the success of another UK club, Wolverhampton Wanderers, against top European sides[98] in the 1950s. The Premiership is also the most-watched football league in the world and is particularly popular in Asia; in the People's Republic of China, matches attract television audiences between 100 million and 360 million, more than any other foreign sport.[99][100]
The new Wembley Stadium is the most expensive stadium ever built costing £793 million ($1.6 billion).
The new Wembley Stadium is the most expensive stadium ever built costing £793 million ($1.6 billion).

The 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium is the principle sporting stadium of the UK. Between the demolition of the former 'twin towers' stadium and construction of the new one (completed in March 2007) , Cardiff's 73,000 seater Millennium Stadium briefly served this role.

The early reference to the separate national identities in the UK is perhaps best illustrated by the game of cricket. Cricket was invented in England. There are league championships but the English national team dominates the game in Britain. There is no UK team. Some Irish and Scottish players have played for England because neither Scotland nor Ireland have Test status and only play in One Day Internationals.

The UK has proved successful in the international sporting arena in rowing. It is widely considered that the sport's most successful rower is Steven Redgrave who won five gold medals and one bronze medal at five consecutive Olympic Games as well as numerous wins at the World Rowing Championships and Henley Royal Regatta.

Both forms of rugby are national sports. Rugby League originates from and is generally played in the North of England, whilst Rugby Union is played predominantly in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and Southern England. Having supposedly originated from the actions of William Webb Ellis at the School at Rugby, it is considered the national sport of Wales. In rugby league the UK plays as one nation — Great Britain — though in union it is represented by four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (which consists of players from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). Every four years the British and Irish Lions tour either Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. Here, rugby football differs internationally to association football, as the England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (including the Republic of Ireland) teams combine to form the British and Irish Lions although they compete separately in all other international competitions.

The game of tennis first originated from the UK's second city of Birmingham between 1859 and 1865. The Wimbledon Championships are international tennis events held in Wimbledon in south London every summer and are regarded as the most prestigious event of the global tennis calendar.

Thoroughbred racing is also very popular throughout the UK. It originated under Charles II of England as the "Sport of Kings" and is a royal pastime to this day. World-famous horse races include the Grand National, the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot. The town of Newmarket is considered to be the centre of English racing, largely due to the famous Newmarket Racecourse.
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, generally regarded as the world's "Home of Golf".
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, generally regarded as the world's "Home of Golf".

Golf is one of the most popular participation sports played in the UK, with St Andrews in Scotland being the sport's home course. Cricket is also popular, although the popularity of the game is dramatically greater in England than in other parts of the UK, all four constituent nations as of 2006 compete at the One-Day International level — Scotland independently, Wales as part of the English team, and Northern Ireland as part of all-Ireland.

Shinty (or camanachd) (a sport derived from the same root as the Irish hurling and similar to bandy) is popular in the Scottish Highlands, sometimes attracting crowds numbering thousands in the most sparsely populated region of the UK.

The country is closely associated with motorsport. Many teams and drivers in Formula One (F1) are based in the UK and drivers from Britain have won more world titles than any other country. The country also hosts legs of the F1 and World Rally Championship and has its own Touring Car Racing championship, the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). The British Grand Prix takes place at Silverstone each July.

Visual art

Main article: Art of the United Kingdom

Flint Castle, by J. M. W. Turner (c.1775 – 1851).
Flint Castle, by J. M. W. Turner (c.1775 – 1851).

The Royal Academy is located in London. Other major schools of art include the Slade School of Art; the six-school University of the Arts, London, which includes the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and Chelsea College of Art and Design; the Glasgow School of Art, and Goldsmiths, University of London. This commercial venture is one of Britain's foremost visual arts organisations. Major British artists include Sir Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable, William Blake, J. M. W. Turner, William Morris, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, David Hockney, Gilbert and George, Richard Hamilton, Peter Blake, Howard Hodgkin, Antony Gormley, and Anish Kapoor. During the late 1980s and 1990s, the Saatchi Gallery in London brought to public attention a group of multigenre artists who would become known as the Young British Artists. Damian Hirst, Chris Ofili, Rachel Whiteread, Tracy Emin, Mark Wallinger, Steve McQueen, Sam Taylor-Wood, and the Chapman Brothers are among the better known members of this loosely affiliated movement.

Symbols
The Statue of Britannia in Plymouth.
The Statue of Britannia in Plymouth.

* The flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag commonly known as the "Union Jack". It was created by the superimposition of the flags of England (St George's Cross) and Scotland (Saint Andrew's Cross) , with the Saint Patrick's cross, representing Ireland, being added to this in 1801.

Flag Country Patron saint Flower
Flag of England England St. George Red and White Rose
Flag of Scotland Scotland St. Andrew Thistle
Flag of Wales Wales St. David Leek/Daffodil
Northern Ireland St. Patrick Shamrock/Flax

There is no official flag of Northern Ireland following the Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973 or any unofficial flag universally supported in Northern Ireland. The use of various flags in Northern Ireland is contentious. However, the Ulster Banner is often used for sporting events. See Northern Ireland flags issue and The Union Flags and flags of the United Kingdom

* The national anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the King", with "King" replaced with "Queen" in the lyrics whenever the monarch is female. The anthem's name, however, remains "God Save the King".[101]

* Britannia is a personification of the United Kingdom, originating from the Roman occupation of southern and central Great Britain.[102] Britannia is symbolised as a young woman with brown or golden hair, wearing a Corinthian helmet and white robes. She holds Poseidon's three-pronged trident and a shield, bearing the Union Flag. Sometimes she is depicted as riding the back of a lion. At and since the height of the British Empire, Britannia has often associated with maritime dominance, as in the patriotic song Rule Britannia.
* The lion has also been used as a symbol of the United Kingdom; one is depicted behind Britannia on the 50 pence piece and one is shown crowned on the back of the 10 pence piece. It is also used as a symbol on the non-ceremonial flag of the British Army. Lions have been used as heraldic devices many times, including in the royal arms of both the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Kingdom of Gwynedd in Wales. The lion is featured on the emblem of the England national football team, giving rise to the popular football anthem Three Lions, and the England national cricket team. The "three lions" on the English coat of arms were originally two leopards. An extra leopard was added by Richard the Lionheart and with the help of his name, they became known as three lions. They are now drawn to look more like lions. Leopards are traditionally depicted lying down whereas lions were drawn standing on all fours or up on their hind legs attacking, as in the Scottish Lion Rampant.
* The bulldog is sometimes used as a symbol of Great Britain, and is often associated with Winston Churchill's defiance of Nazi Germany.
* Britain (especially England) has been personified as the character John Bull, although this character is rarely used in modern times.
* The ancient British landscape, and especially some of its distinctive flora such as the oak tree and the rose, have long been a widely used proxy for the visual representation of British identity. The red rose is the emblem of the Labour Party, the England national rugby union team, the Rugby Football Union and Lancashire.

Miscellaneous data

* Cellular frequency: GSM 900, GSM 1800, UMTS 2100
* Cellular technology: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSDPA
* Date format: DD/MM/YY (example: 22/12/05) or 22 December 2005 (22nd December 2005 widely used also if date is written in words)
* Time format: Generally 12-hour format when spoken or in writing (example: 5:15 pm) , 24-hour format is used in some official documentation, timetables and by the military (example: 17:15 or 1715). A full stop may also be used instead of the colon when writing the time; for instance, 5.15 pm.
* Decimal separator is a full stop: 123.45
* Thousands are separated by a comma - 10,000 - or with a space - 10 000.
* In Britain, a billion used to be represented as 1,000,000,000,000 (or one million million) but this has fallen into disuse and a billion is now commonly seen as 1,000,000,000 (or a thousand million).
* Voltage: 230V (+10% / -6%) , 50 Hz; British 3-pin power plugs and sockets
* Postal code: UK postcodes
* Driving is on the left.

See also
[hide]
v • d • e
Topics on the United Kingdom
Subdivisions England · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Wales · Crown dependencies · Overseas territories · British Isles (terminology)
History Timeline · England · Scotland · Wales · Ireland · British Empire · Social history · Foreign relations
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Politics Parliament · House of Commons · House of Lords · The Crown · Prime Minister · Cabinet · Government departments · Constitution · Local government · Elections · Political parties
Geography Geology · Mountains · Lakes · Rivers · Transport
Economy Economic history · Stock Exchange · Pound Sterling · Banks · Bank of England · Taxation
Military Military history · Royal Navy · British Army · Royal Air Force · Nuclear weapons
Demographics Languages · Religion · Subdivision · Cities · Towns
Culture Art · Cinema · Identity · Literature · Media · Music · Sport · Television · Holiday
United Kingdom Portal

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88. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/4442223.stm
89. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6960432.stm
90. ^ Encyclopedia Britannica article on Shakespeare. Retrieved on 2006-02-26.
91. ^ MSN Encarta Encyclopedia article on Shakespeare. Retrieved on 2006-02-26.
92. ^ Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia article on Shakespeare. Retrieved on 2006-02-26.
93. ^ TV licencing: aged over 74
94. ^ ABC Newspaper Circulation Figures. The Times (2006-05-12). Retrieved on 2006-05-16.
95. ^ Audit Bureau of Circulation Interactive Analysis National Newspaper Selection - Average Net Circulation (UK) 03-Jul-2006 to 30-Jul-2006. Retrieved on 2006-09-04. Lists the circulation of Daily Telegraph as 844,929 and The Times as 620,456.
96. ^ The Newspaper Awards. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
97. ^ Britain second in world research rankings. The Guardian (2006-03-21). Retrieved on 2006-05-14.
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100. ^ "Chinese phone maker's fancy footwork", BBC News, 27 October 2003. Retrieved on 2006-08-09.
101. ^ It is sometimes asserted by those used to a legislative tradition that "God Save the Queen" is not the actual national anthem of the United Kingdom — or sometimes that it is the de facto national anthem — because no law has ever been passed to say that that is the case. In the United Kingdom, however, such laws are unnecessary; custom, practice and proclamation are sufficient to establish it as the official national anthem.
102. ^ Britannia on British Coins. Chard. Retrieved on 2006-06-25.

External links
Find more information on United Kingdom by searching Wikipedia's sister projects
Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews
Learning resources from Wikiversity

* Wikimedia Atlas of United Kingdom, holding maps related to United Kingdom.
* Official website of the British Monarchy
* Official website of the United Kingdom Government
* Official tourist guide to Britain
* Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom
* Economic & Social Data Ranking/ United Kingdom
* United Kingdom travel guide from Wikitravel

Geog

The International Gateways to Brazil
Rio de Janeiro
Known as the cidade maravilhosa (the marvelous city), Rio has one of the most beautiful settings in the world. The city’s spectacular harbor is dominated by the famous rocky outcrop, Pão de Açúcar (Sugar Loaf), and, further up, the Corcovado (Hunchback) peak, rising 709m (2326ft) above the Baía de Guanabara and providing the focal point for the classic Rio skyline. The Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer) statue stands on top of Corcovado. Pão de Açúcar can be reached by two cable cars ascending 396m (1300ft) above Rio and the Baía de Guanabara (one leaves approximately every 30 minutes). Flocks of tourists arriving by tour buses can sometimes spoil the view, so visitors should avoid the busiest times (between 1000-1100 and 1400-1500). The Corcovado peak is located within the Parque Nacional da Tijuca, and is accessible by cog train (leaving from the Rua Cosme Velho). From the top there are magnificent views of Rio. Taxis also take visitors up to the peak and driving there will take up to an hour. Rio’s other landmarks are its numerous beaches, most notably the infamous Copacabana and Ipanema. Beach life is a ritual in Brazil and different beach sections reflect different ways of life and fashions. The Girl from Ipanema beach is particularly popular with young people and is located at Posto Nine in Ipanema. Owing to strong waves and undertows, swimming off Ipanema can be dangerous. Rio’s other main beaches include Arpoador, Barra da Tijuca, Botafogo, Flamengo, Leblon, Leme, Pepino and Vidigal.
Rio has many interesting museums, including the Museu Histórico Nacional, located in the São Tiago Fortress. The Museu de Arte Moderna do Rio de Janeiro contains Brazil’s most important collection of modern art. The Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói, designed by famous architect Oscar Niemeyer and overlooking Boa Viagem beach, showcases contemporary Brazilian art. The Museu do Folclore Edison Carneiro displays folk art and art naif. The Museu do Índio contains some 14,000 objects made by Brazilian Indians and is one of the nation’s most important Indian heritage museums. The Museu da República is set in the well-restored Palácio do Catete and reveals a fascinating insight into Brazilian history.

São Paulo
The view from the top of São Paulo’s tallest building, the Edificio Italiano reveals South America’s largest city (over 10 million inhabitants) and Brazil’s financial, commercial and industrial heartland. Famed throughout the continent for its abundant nightlife and shopping, São Paulo’s rapidly growing population resides in a sprawling urban maze characterized by perpetual traffic jams and a chronic lack of space. While São Paulo’s concrete jungle is a far cry from the color and charm of other Brazilian cities, there are some cultural attractions on offer, notably the MASP – Museu de Arte de São Paulo with an internationally renowned collection of impressionist paintings (with works by Van Gogh and Degas amongst many others).

The Brazilian Northeast
The Northeast of Brazil is famed for its beautiful beaches and distinct history and folklore. Known as the ‘Golden Coast’, this region contains the states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Piauí, Rio Grande do Norte and Sergipe.

Salvador da Bahia
The state capital is split into upper and lower sections. Cidade Alta, the heart of the old city, is perched at the top of a 50m-high cliff, linked to Cidade Baixa by steep streets, a funicular railway and the marvelous Art-Deco Elevador Lacerdo. The majority of Salvador’s museums, palaces and churches are concentrated within Cidade Alta and thus the city is ideal for exploring on foot. This UNESCO World Heritage Site boasts a staggering number of churches, including the impressive Church of São Francisco and the fascinating Church of Bonfim, where middle-class matrons rub shoulders with the peasantry as they gather to worship. However, religion in Bahia is not limited to the established church. The state’s African legacy extends to candomble, a fusion of African and Catholic religions. Candomble followers dress in white and honor hundreds of native deities in terreiros (or cult houses) all over the city, it is possible to witness ceremonies as some terreiros accept visitors as long as they dress accordingly and are respectful.
Salvador has some of the best museums in Brazil and next to the opulent Catedral Basilica is the Museu Afro-Brasileiro, a fascinating insight into afro-Brazilian culture, with sections on candomble, capoeira and Carnaval. Other interesting museums include the Casa de Jorge Amado, Bahia’s best-known novelist, the Museu da Cidade and the Museu de Arte Sacra, the latter housed in a 17th-century convent.
Avid shoppers should head for the Mercado Modelo for a wide variety of goods including many examples of local handicrafts. The local cuisine (comida bahiana) is among the best in Brazil, focusing on rich African flavors.
Salvador is also renowned for being the hub of Brazilian music and Salvador’s central district of Pelourinho is home to numerous bars and clubs showcasing live music and afoxé (Salvador’s carnival bands).

Elsewhere
Also in Bahia state, the Diamantina National Park is also well worth a visit; it contains several underground lakes (such as Lago Azul) and spectacular waterfalls (such as Veu da Noiva). The towns of Ilhéus and Aracaju with their ornate churches and colonial architecture are also worth a visit.
Piauí State contains the UNESCO World Heritage site of the Serra da Capivara National Park, which contains ancient cave paintings estimated to be over 25,000 years old.
Alagoas state capital, Maceiô, is deservedly proud of its fantastic beaches, reputedly the finest in all of Brazil.
Pernambuco state capital, Recife, has been the beneficiary of sizeable investment to promote tourism. However despite being one of the most visited cities in the Brazilian Northeast, it still suffers from a poor infrastructure and the influx of rich, foreign tourists has made begging and street crime a real problem in the city. A world away is the nearby historical town of Olinda, infamous for its Carnaval celebrations and one of Brazil’s eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Rio Grande do Norte’s state capital, Natal, is divided between the commercial section of the city and its beach suburbs – clean, safe and good for surfing. Natal has several large markets and is famous for its cotton and leather handicrafts.
Ceara’s capital, Fortaleza, sprawls lazily along a spectacular coastline. Blessed with excellent restaurants and an abundance of attractions for the visitor, the city is also a great place to organize a trip to Jericocoara. Just four hours by car, this heavenly village is nestled between a dazzling white sand-dune desert and a balmy turquoise sea.

The Interior
Few tourists venture far from Brazil’s spectacular beaches but a trip into the interior reveals a different Brazil, one with a great deal to offer the visitor.

Minas Gerais
As its name suggests, this was so called after the abundant gold and diamond mines that transformed the state into a treasure trove of gold and also of baroque art. During the 18th century, the stream of riches from this region was so relentless that the Portuguese lacked sufficient ships to transport it to Europe. Almost all the gold that gilded altars in cathedrals and churches from as far north as Olinda came from Minas. In towns such as Ouro Preto, Tiradentes, Sabará and Mariana, this tidal wave of wealth resulted in the construction of hundreds of churches and civic buildings in lavish baroque style. All of the cidades históricas are immaculately preserved examples of Brazil’s colonial heritage and are accessible by road from the state capital Belo Horizonte. This region’s highlight for art-lovers is Aleijadinho’s interpretation of ‘The Passion’ at the Basilica de Bom Jesus de Matosinhos. Set in gardens that gently slope towards Matosinhos town, the work is positioned in six small domed chapels filled with life-size statues that dramatize the scenes. All of the figures, including the 12 magnificent soapstone statues of prophets from the Old Testament, are more poignant for being sculpted by an artist almost completely disabled by the advanced stages of leprosy and who, therefore, knew it to be his final work.

Elsewhere
Brasília, the country’s capital, was built on land originally covered by cerrado (sub-tropical forest) and is renowned for its futuristic architecture, most notable in the Praça dos Três Poderes, Palácio do Planalto and the National Congress. Attracting far fewer visitors than the huge cities of Rio and São Paulo or the tropical paradise of the Northeast, Brasília has little to offer the visitor interested in Brazilian history and culture. However, it is Brazil’s future and it is up to the individual to decide whether it is as attractive as Brazil’s colorful past.
Mato Grosso is the gateway to the Pantanal, a vast area of wetlands approximately half the size of France and Brazil’s largest ecological reserve. Flooded by the Rio Paraguai during the wet season (October to March), this region is the best place in Brazil to see wildlife. However, the region is sparsely populated, with few towns or villages and only one major road (the ‘Transpantaneira’). Therefore, in order to get the most out of the area, wildlife enthusiasts should choose an organized tour with experienced guides.

The South
Porto Alegre
In the rich southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, this city caters for thousands of tourists each year, the majority of whom come from nearby Argentina. The capital has excellent museums, art galleries and restaurants to entertain the visitor, as well as delightful surrounding countryside. To the west, travelers can visit the ruins of the 300-year-old Jesuit missions, abandoned when the Jesuits were expelled from Spain. One of the most fascinating is Saõ Miguel das Missões, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site, located 58km (36 miles) from the town of Santo Angelo (a good starting point for visiting the missions). The most popular beaches in this area are the Tramandai and Torres, respectively 126km (78 miles) and 209km (130 miles) from Pôrto Alegre. In addition, the region’s Gramado and Canela Mountains provide ample opportunities for walking and trekking.

Elsewhere
The state of Santa Catarina, with its island capital of Florianópolis, has superb beaches at Laguna, Itapena and Camburiu. The island is famous for its excellent surfing and watersports facilities are particularly good in the area. Further inland Blumenau and Joinville are both living testaments to the last century’s massive influx of German immigration with both towns constructed in predominantly German architecture. Germanic culture is still vibrant in small towns like Pomerode (near Blumenau) where German remains the lingua franca with Portuguese only used in government offices. Blumenau’s annual three-week Oktoberfest is not to be missed.
Paraná is a prime coffee-producing state with a bright modern capital, Curitiba, whose public transport system could be the envy of European capitals like London or Paris. Efficient trams run throughout the city and travelers are encased in glass tunnels that protect them from the elements as they wait for the next tram. However, Curitiba is relatively compact and (weather permitting) easy to explore on foot with most areas of interest found in the historic center. Curitiba is famous for its parks, two of which are worth seeking out; visitors will be fascinated by the riot of vivid plumage in the aviaries of the Passeio Público, where several species of local birds are kept. A fascinating insight into frontier life and the endeavours of countless European immigrants, who moved here during the last 150 years, is the Museu de Imigração Polenesa in the center of Bosque João Paulo. The museum’s best exhibits are the log cabins, built by Polish immigrants in the 1880s and relocated here over 100 years later.
The train journey between Curitiba and Paranaguá is a spectacular journey through dense jungle, its route strewn with memorials for the many workers who perished from tropical diseases as they constructed the tracks. Accessible by road or air from Curitiba are the world-famous Iguazu Falls, a spectacular set of 70m waterfalls, including the impressive Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat). Standing near the waterfalls is a humbling experience. The deafening roar of 5000 cubic meters of water cascading down each second accompanies a perpetual (and in summer temperatures, welcoming) mist that envelopes visitors. The area encompasses two national parks, each boasting hundreds of species of plant and animal life, and spans the borders of two countries, Argentina and Brazil, divided by the River Paraná. For a good view of the entire set of falls, visit the Brazilian side of the Park in Foz de Iguazu and photograph the spectacle. To get close enough to stare into the watery abyss, visit the Argentine side. Unfortunately, there is no access to Brazil from the Argentine Park or vice versa, so visitors wishing to see both parks must travel overland to the border crossing, about 10km south. Due to Foz de Iguazu’s proximity to both the Argentine and Paraguayan borders, it is possible to visit both countries in a day trip from Foz.

The Northern Interior and Amazon
Almost entirely covered with dense rainforest, Brazil’s northern interior is split into the vast regions of Amazonas, Pará, Acre and Rondônia. These massive federal states easily outstrip the land resources of many European countries and, combined, cover over 3,400,000 sq km (1,300,000 sq miles) of endless jungle filled with countless species of life.

Rondônia and Acre
Created in 1991 Rondônia has suffered extensive deforestation. There are still natural wonders hidden away such as the stunning Teotonio and Santo Antônio Falls, accessible from capital Porto Velho. Other attractions include river trips to the Forte Principe de Beira or to Bolivia, where air taxis operate to La Paz from Guayaramerin.
Territorially annexed from Bolivia in the early 20th century, Acre is a state of contrasts with a funky capital in Rio Branco, a thriving market and university town on the river. Because of its student population, Rio Branco has good nightlife and its geographical position as a trading post has made the town an important handicrafts center.

Amazonas
The state capital, Manaus, was transformed by the 19th-century rubber boom and nowhere is this more evident than in the Teatro Amazonas, built in 1896 in the elaborate style of the Italian Renaissance. In front of the theater, a marble square is designed to reflect the four continents represented by four great ships. Along Avenida Sete de Setembro are numerous museums worth a visit; the Museo do Indio, Museo de Amazonas and the marvelous colonial mansion that houses the Centro Cultural de Palacio Rio Negro, an extensive archive of naturalist Alexandre Ferreira. The city is easy to navigate and offers the visitor both fine restaurants and tax-free bargains in the free trade zone. As a major port for river-traffic with arrivals and departures to Colombia, Peru and Venezuela, Manaus is an excellent starting point for river trips and guided tours into the rainforest. 25 million years ago, the volcanic activity that created the Andes blocked the Amazon’s path to the Pacific, sending it on the 6400km journey to the Atlantic and thus creating the vast Amazon basin. Upriver from Manaus, the rivers Amazon and Negro meet but their waters (yellow and black respectively) run parallel for many miles in different-colored channels.

Para and Amapa
The Eastern Amazon region is split between the states of Para and Amapa. Para’s state capital Belem was founded in 1616. Situated at the Atlantic end of the Amazon estuary at the mouth of the Rio Tocantins, Belem is a thriving port city with an exquisite historical center, dotted with splendid churches and elegant parks. The Goeldi Museum boasts the largest collection of tropical plants in the world. The docks are the location of the early-morning Ver O Peso (See the Weight) market, which was originally a slave market but still exists these days although the stalls now mostly sell fruit and produce.


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