Northwest Europe.

GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

242,514 sq km (93,788 sq miles).

59.8 million (official estimate 2004).

244.2 per sq km.

London. Population: 7.43 million (official estimate 2004).

The British landscape can be divided roughly into two kinds of terrain – highland and lowland. The highland area comprises the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and North Wales. The English Lake District in the northwest contains lakes and fells. The lowland area is broken up by sandstone and limestone hills, long valleys and basins such as the Wash on the east coast. In the southeast, the North and South Downs culminate in the White Cliffs of Dover. The coastline includes fjord-like inlets in the northwest of Scotland, spectacular cliffs and wild sandy beaches on the east coast and, further south, beaches of rock, shale and sand sometimes backed by dunes, and large areas of fenland in East Anglia.

The United Kingdom is an hereditary monarchy, with real power being held by the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the largest parliamentary party and the head of the Cabinet. The two main political parties are the Conservatives (Tories) and Labour, although a centre party (the Liberal-SDP Alliance, later merged as the Liberal Democrats) threatened to disturb this old balance in the mid-1980s. None of the major British parties holds seats in Northern Ireland, where the political map is carved up between Unionist and Nationalist parties. Scotland and Wales return a handful of Nationalist MPs. The absence of proportional representation in parliamentary elections does not encourage the prosperity of smaller parties in Britain. Elections must be held every five years, though the timing is at the discretion of the Prime Minister. The legislature is bicameral; the House of Commons is elected, while the House of Lords is a peculiar mixture of appointed members, judges, bishops and hereditary peers. Britain is almost unique in the world in having no written constitution, and the political and administrative machine is powered by a mixture of common and statute law, judicial decisions and archaic convention; the royal assent to an Act of Parliament, for instance, is still proclaimed in Norman French.

Constitutional Monarchy. The United Kingdom is a hereditary Monarchy, with real power being held by the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the largest Parliamentary party and the head of the Cabinet. The two main political parties are the Conservatives (Tories) and Labour, although a centre party (the Liberal-SDP Alliance, later merged as the Liberal Democrats) threatened to disturb this old balance in the mid-1980s. The absence of proportional representation in Parliamentary elections does not encourage the prosperity of smaller parties in Britain. Elections must be held every five years, though the timing is at the discretion of the Prime Minister. The legislature is bicameral; the House of Commons is elected, while the House of Lords is a peculiar mixture of appointed members, judges, bishops and hereditary peers. Britain is almost unique in the world in having no written constitution, and the political and administrative machine is powered by a mixture of common and statute law, judicial decisions and archaic convention; the royal assent to an Act of Parliament, for instance, is still proclaimed in Norman French.
Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953. Head of Government: Prime Minister Tony Blair since 1997.
Recent history: Since his instalment as Prime Minister in 1997, Tony Blair has become the longest-serving Labour Premier of all time, but his tenure has been characterised by a number of controversies as well as what he would claim as achievements.
Blair has enjoyed huge Parliamentary majorities for his party in the face of largely ineffective opposition from the Conservatives, who have undergone a number of leadership changes since the resignation of Margaret Thatcher in 1990, and have failed to regain power since the election defeat of 1997. It remains to be seen how the latest incumbent, David Cameron, will fare since becoming leader in December 2005. One of the principal problems facing Blair at present is the ongoing Iraq situation. His decision to support the US invasion of the Middle Eastern country deeply divided the UK, and opinion as to the wisdom of the action remains polarised.
Related to events in the Middle East, terrorist attacks in July 2005 brought London to a standstill, and security continues to be tight: immigration controls are rigorous, and certain sections of both sides of the political divide are eager to introduce a system of compulsory identity cards for UK citizens, something that rubs against the grain for many people. The debate continues, and is likely to do so for some time.
On the positive side, the Blair Government would claim some credit for Northern Ireland’s current more or less peaceful environment, which has prevailed since the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ of 1998, which established the conditions for the ongoing cease-fire between the Republican and Loyalist factions. The two sides are still unable to agree on a basis for governing the Province, though, and direct rule from London is still in force.
Another achievement of the Blair Government was the 1999 introduction of devolved power for Scotland and Wales, giving the two nations a far greater say in matters directly affecting their parts of the UK. Controversy has dogged even this, though, with the much feted new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh having run vastly over budget, to the consternation of many north of the border. Europe, and the UK’s place within the EU, continues to be another source of headaches for politicians, who are deeply divided on how far the country should commit itself to the institution, and indeed the Euro.
It is also uncertain whether Blair will remain as Prime Minister for the full five-year term of this Government, and speculation is rife as to when he will hand over the reins to Chancellor and Labour Party rival, Gordon Brown.

English. Some Welsh is spoken in parts of Wales, Gaelic in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and French and Norman French in the Channel Islands. The many ethnic minorities within the UK also speak their own languages (eg Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Mandarin, Turkish, Urdu, etc).

Predominantly Protestant (Church of England), but many other Christian denominations also: Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist and other free churches. There are sizeable Hindu, Jewish and Muslim minorities.

The Monarchy, though now only symbolic, is a powerful and often subconscious unifying force. Members of the Royal family are the subject of unceasing fascination, with their every move avidly followed and reported by the popular press, both in Britain and abroad. Handshaking is customary when introduced to someone for the first time. Normal social courtesies should be observed when visiting someone’s home and a small present such as flowers or chocolates is appreciated. It is polite to wait until everyone has been served before eating. Clothing: A tie, trousers and shoes (as opposed to jeans and trainers) are necessary for entry to some nightclubs and restaurants, otherwise casual wear is widely acceptable. Use of public places: Topless sunbathing is allowed on certain beaches and tolerated in some parks. Smoking or non-smoking areas will usually be clearly marked. A complete ban on smoking in bars, restaurants, clubs, pubs and offices came into force in Scotland on 26 March 2006 and a ban is being implemented in Northern Ireland from April 2007. MPs have also voted by a huge margin to ban smoking from all pubs and private members' clubs in England. The change is expected to take effect in summer 2007. Cigarettes should not legally be sold to children under 16 years of age.

240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard and the visitor is unlikely to come across the older round three-pin type.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although they form one administrative unit (with regional exceptions), they have had separate cultures, languages and political histories. The United Kingdom section consists of a general introduction (covering the aspects that the four countries have in common) and sections devoted to the four constituent countries. The Channel Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark and Herm) and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the British Crown. These are included here for convenience of reference.

More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective entries.