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United
Kingdom
Fact
Sheet :
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Area : 244,820
sq km
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Population :
60,776,238 (July 2007 est.)
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Capital :
London
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Languages :
English,
Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form
of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
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Currency : British
pound (GBP)
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Government type :
constitutional
monarchy
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Elements of History :
Great
Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the
19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary
democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its
zenith, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the
earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the
UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars.
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The
second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the
UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European
nation.
As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council,
a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK
pursues a global approach to foreign policy;
it currently is weighing the degree of its integration with
continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain
outside the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional
reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish
Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter was suspended until May 2007 due to wrangling over the peace process.
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Climate :
temperate;
moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic
Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
