Facts & Figures

The population of the United Kingdom sits at just over 60 million people. Population growth rate is quite low at just 0.3% per year. Much of the population growth over the next few years will be due to immigration inflows and not birth rate, since this is steadily declining from year to year. On average, British women give birth to less than 2 children in their lifetimes (according to 2003 statistics, the fertility rate sits at 1.66 children per woman).

People are often confused about the various names given to this country. There is, however, a difference between ‘Great Britain’ and ‘the United Kingdom’. The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The full official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain, on the other hand, comprises only England, Scotland and Wales (i.e. just the one island). ‘Britain’ is the term often used informally to refer to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom was itself created by a parliamentary act in 1801.

Scotland originally had its own monarchy as separate from England and the two countries fought many famous battles against each other throughout history. In the 14th century, Scotland was famously led by Robert the Bruce and William Wallace to rid the country of English domination, however, in 1603 when King James I succeeded Queen Elizabeth I to the throne of England, both countries for the first time had the same ruler. In 1707 the two countries were united for the first time. The Scottish resisted English rule during the Jacobite rebellion, the culmination of which was the Battle of Culloden in 1746, which the Scottish lost. To this day the Scots have never regained rule of their own country.

The UK’s climate is cool and temperate and would not seem to have changed much from the days of the Roman invasion when Julius Caesar was heard to remark on his exceptional dislike of the weather. Its reputation for rainy and cloudy skies (more than one-half of its days are overcast) is not always merited, since the climate is generally mild and temperate, ensuring that the land is kept green and fertile for farmers.

Other interesting facts & figures:
Up to the early 1920’s when the British Empire was at its zenith, the Commonwealth extended over one-quarter of the earth's surface.

The UK is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.