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Introduction
 Britain
forms the greater part of the British Isles, which lie off thenorth-west coast
of mainland Europe. The full name for Britain is the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland. "Great Britain" comprises England, Wales and
Scotland. Britain is just under 1,000 km long from the south coast of England
to the extreme north of Scotland, and covers an area of about 243,000 sq km. At
its widest point, it is 500 km across
About Britain
Area:
Britain is just under 1,000 km long from the south coast of England to the
extreme north of Scotland, and covers an area of about 243,000 sq km. At its
widest point, it is 500 km across.
Population: Britain's population in mid-2001 was projected to be 59.6
million, the 18th largest in the world. It has increased by over 2.4 million
since 1981, and has aged overall as life expectancy has increased. Of the four
lands, England has the highest population density and Scotland the lowest.
Country: People from overseas have settled in Britain for centuries,
either to escape political or religious persecution, or in search of economic
opportunities. The Irish have long formed a large section of the population
while Jewish and other European refugees came to Britain, particularly from the
late 19th century to the immediate post-1945 period. Substantial immigration
from the Caribbean and the South Asian subcontinent dates principally from the
1950s and 1960s. More recently, there has been quite an influx from various
African countries. Manufacturing still plays a significant role, and
high-technology industries - such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, chemicals,
plastics and electronics - have been particularly successful. Offshore oil and
gas have had a major impact on the economy.
'GMT' and 'British Summertime': GMT or 'Greenwich Mean Time' is the local
time of the 0 degree meridian that passes through Greenwich in London. Since
1880 Greenwich Mean Time has been the standard time for Britain and it is from
this that the standard times of different areas of the globe are calculated.
GMT was adopted as the universal meridian in 1884.
Summer time or BST (British Summer Time) runs from the end of March to the end
of October (the last Sunday in each month). In March clocks are advanced one
hour ahead of GMT to gain maximum use of daylight hours and at the end of
October they return to GMT.
Physical GeographyThe United Kingdom includes Great Britain (England, Scotland
and Wales) and Northern Ireland, and lies off the north-west coast of mainland
Europe. The UK is500km wide and nearly 1,000-km long. Its closest continental
neighbours are France and Belgium. It lies between latitudes 50° North and 60°
North London, the capital, is close to the same line of latitude as Berlin,
Vancouver and Warsaw. Great Britain is the largest island in Europe and the
eight largest in the world. It is about the same size as Honshu, the biggest of
the islands that make up Japan, and about twice the size of Iceland and Cuba.
Climate: Although it is as close to the North Pole as eastern Siberia,
the United Kingdom has a milder climate. While the British climate is
changeable, temperatures rarely fall below -10°C (14°F) or go above 32°C
(90°F). Rainfall is fairly well distributed throughout the year. The wettest
parts are the mountainous areas of the west and north. Britain is a densely
populated and industrialised nation, but much of the country is under
cultivation and about 15.6% of England is covered by National Parks and other
countryside conservation areas. The comparable figure for Wales is 4%, Scotland
13% and Northern Ireland.
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