UNITED KINGDOM

General Data

Area: 244,046 sq.km (94,226 sq.miles); 29% arable, 48% meadow and pasture, 9% forest and woodland, 14% other.

Coastline: 12,429km (7,732 miles).

Maritime claims: Territorial waters 5.5km (3nm); exclusive fishing zone 370km (200nm); continental shelf 200 miles or to depth of exploitation.

Population: 60,094,648 (July 2003 est.); annual growth rate 0.3% (2003 est.). The population is 81.5% English, 9.6% Scottish, 1.9% Welsh, 2.4% Irish, 2.8% other ethnic immigrants.

Religions: 27 million Anglican, 5.3 million Roman Catholic, 2 million Presbyterians, 760,000 Methodists, 410,000 Jews, and other ethnic religions.

Language: English, Welsh (about 26% of population of Wales), Scots Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland).

Literacy rate: 99%.

Government

Long-form or legal name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Type of government: Constitutional monarchy.

Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions and 3 islands areas.

Legal system: Common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament.

Branches of government: Executive authority lies with collectively responsible Cabinet led by Prime Minister; legislative authority resides in Parliament; House of Lords is supreme judicial authority and highest court of appeal. A constitutional reform in May 1999 has established a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly with different degrees of responsibility for local matters.

Suffrage: Universal over age 18.

Member of: UN, NATO, EU, Commonwealth, OSCE, IAEA, ICAO, Seabeds Committee and others. Signatory of the Adapted CFE Treaty.

Economy

GDP: US$1.52 trillion (2002 est.), US$25,300 per capita; real growth rate 1.6% (2002 est.).

Balance of trade: Imports, US$330.1 billion (f.o.b., 2002); exports, US$286.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001).

Budget: Revenues, US$565 billion; expenditures, US$540 billion (2001).

Defence

Structure:Across defence there is a unified military/civilian staff working to deliver military capability. At the core of defence is the Ministry of Defence 1 leadquartcrs. It acts as both a Department of State and the highest level military headquarters. The secretary of State for Defence (Defence Minister) is responsible for the formation and conduct of defence policy, and for providing the means by which it is conducted. Three junior Ministers support the secretary of State. The Minister of State for the Armed Forces is responsible for operational and policy issues of the Armed Forces; the Minister of Slate for Defence Procurement has...