United Kingdom (UK) | Geography | People | Economy | Innovation, and Problems.
The United Kingdom (UK) is a beautiful island nation in North-Western Europe. London is the capital city of the UK and is one of the most important cities in the world.
Original Post: United Kingdom (UK) | Geography | People | Economy | Innovation, and Problems
Physical Geography
The United Kingdom is a great country with a total area of 248,532 square kilometers which is formed by four different constituent countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Some people get really confused about the UK and England. Actually, England is one of the four countries which is a part of the UK. However, all these four states have their own capital city and parliament, but all are ruled by a single government under the United Kingdom.
Well, England accounts for just over half of the total territory of the United Kingdom. It is the 7th largest island country in the world. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Leeds are major cities of the United Kingdom. Severn, Thames, and Trent are major rivers in this country. The Thames flows between the City of London.
There are magnificent landscapes, old towns, stunning architecture, and green plain fields all over the country.
Historically, Great Britain was a very large country in the past because they have colonized more than one third of the world.
Fact:- There are no active volcanoes in the U.K.
Demographic
The United Kingdom is the third most populous country on the European continent after Russia and Germany with around 68.2 million people in 2021. The majority of the population is considered to be white British people and there are numerous foreign people from India, China, Africa and the rest of Europe. Christianity is the main religion of this country, and there are numerous non-religious people (around 27%).
English is the main language of this country because it originally originated in England. Culturally Britain is rich and original, they have unique festivals, costumes and weird types of beliefs. In fact The USA, Australia and New Zealand are colonized by the UK, and they have settled there. Currently, British people are everywhere in the world.
The UK is a developed country which offers a very high quality of life to their people. They have an advanced health care system, high-quality education, safety and renowned infrastructure.
Fact: French was the official language in the UK from 1066 to 1362 A.D.
Economy
The UK is the 5th richest country in the world after the USA, China, Japan and Germany with a nominal GDP of 3.12 trillion US dollars. The majority of the UK’s economy depends upon the service sector (80.2%) whereas Industries and agriculture are secondary bases. In terms of employment, the UK has a very low unemployment rate and quite good wages.
Due to high immigration from other European nations and an influenced market, the UK left the European Union on Dec-31, 2020. Currently, the economy is growing at a very good pace.
The UK is a large exporter of machinery, automobiles, agricultural products, electrical appliances, and mineral oil. The UK is known for being the first country of Industrial revolutions in the world.
Fact: the UK is the 5th biggest exporter in the world
Tourism
In terms of tourism, the UK is the 10th most visited country in the world, with nearly 40 million tourists arriving in 2019. London is the major destination in the United Kingdom. There are plenty of tourist places like London Bridge, Buckingham Palace, London Eye, beautiful rural green fields and museums.
London, the capital city of the UK, is equally important tourism, financial and economic center, and it is the third most visited city in the world.
You can explore the beautiful countryside in England and Scotland, which looks historic. Some ancient castles are still preserved for tourism.
There are great opportunities to explore the unique culture, tradition, marvelous nature, historical sites, and modern lifestyle. However, the UK is an expensive country to visit, especially London. Many of the tourists reported that it is very safe to visit the UK.
If you are planning to pack your back towards the UK, don’t forget to put on an umbrella because it can rain anytime there, especially during winter.
Fact: There are over 170 museums in London.
Innovations
We all know, The UK is a country with great history, innovation, and reform in a global context. Sir Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Alan Turing, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking are some world-famous scientists from this country.
Some world-changing innovations like Seed Drill, Steam Engine, Modern Fire Extinguisher, ATM, and Chocolate Bar have evolved in the United Kingdom.
Maybe we all know about the famous sport “Cricket”, it was started in England UK. Now it is the national sport of the UK.
Nature and Wildlife
This country is filled with stunning scenery and landscapes. Some major animals found in Britain are the red deer and the indigenous roe deer, hedgehogs, moles, hares, and badgers.
In terms of landscape, the UK has massive green fields which look overwhelming. About 13% of Britain’s land is covered in forest.
International Relations
Britishers have very good relationships with almost all countries in the world. They have Commonwealth and diplomatic relations with other countries. There are many Commonwealth countries like Australia, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, South Africa, etc. They were colonized by the UK in the past. Nowadays, they have formed an ally of Commonwealth Nations.
The United States is the biggest ally of the UK, and they both support each other on bilateral economical and political aspects.
The UK has great relations with Nepal, they have the Gurkha Regiment in British Army, and they are recruited from Nepal.
Problems
There are some problems with every country in the world. The UK is facing a rise in the aging population, because of that the state pension bill is rising, and the workforce is declining.
Another prevailing problem is increasing homelessness. Nearly 320,000 people are currently homeless in the UK, and it is rising by 4% each year.
