General informations

GENERAL INFORMATIONS


BRitain forms the greatest part of the British Isles,which lies off the northwest coast of mainland Europe.The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Great Britain comprises England,Wales and Scotland.
The area totals some 242,000 sq km.Britain is just under 1,000 km long from the south coast of England to the extreme north of Scotland, nad a little less than 500 km across in the widest part.
The climate is generally mild and temperate.It is subject to frequent changes but to few extremes of temperature.Temperatures rarely exceed 32 C or fall below -10 C.Rainfall is fairly well distributed throughout the year.
With 58,4 mln people ,Britain ranks 17 th in the world in terms of population.The population has remained relatively stable over the last decade,but has aged.Britain is a relatively densely populated country,with England having the highest population density of the four lands and Scotland the lowest.In the 1991 Census, 94,5 percent of the population described themselves as belonging to the “white” group,while just over 3 mln people (5,5 percent) described themselves as belonging to another etnic group.
For centuries people from overseas have settled in Britain, either to escape political or religious persecution or in search of “economic opportunities”.Irish have long formed a large section of the population.Jewish and other European refugees came to Britain, particularly from the late 19 th to the immediate post-1945 period.Substantial immigration from the Caribbean and the South Asian sub-continent dates principally from the 1950s and 1960s.
Most of the world’s religions are represential in Britain,which is predominantly Christian.There are large Hindu,Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities.
Britain’s democratic system of government is long established and has provided considerable political stability.Britain is one of the 15 member states of the European Union.Close ties are maintained with many other countries, notably within the Commonwealth, which links 53 independent nations.
According to a United Nations report on human development published in 1994, Britian ranked tenth out of 173 countries on a human development index that combines life expectancy, education levels and basic purchasing power.Living standards have been raised markedly.More people own their homes, and very few houses now lack basic amenities.Over two-third of househoulds have the use of at least one car.Consumer durables,such as washing machines,freezers and color televisions,are common in most homes, and newer items- such as home computers and compact disc players- have also quickly become popular.almost three-quarters of households own at least one video recorder.
An overall improvement has taken place in the general state of health.The decline in the mortality rate reflects better nutrition,higher living standards, the advance of medical facilities,better working conditions and the smaller size of families.The general level of nutrion remains high.There has been a significant shift in eating patterns in the last decade,reflecting greater emphasis on health,as well as convenience.
There is widespread opportunity for people to learn ,both at school and when older.A growing proportion of the population has at least one educational qualification.Compulsory schooling takes place between the ages of 4 or 5 and 16.Many pupils remain at school beyond the minimum leaving age.An increasing number go on to study at university ar at other further or higher education institutions.
There is a long tradition of voluntary service to the community. There are hundreds of thousands of voluntary organizations,ranging from national bodies to small locall groups.Many volunteers are involved in work ,which improves the quality of life in their local communities, or give their time to to help organize events or groups in areas as diverse as social welfare,education,sport and the arts.There are nearly 179,000 charities in England and Wales registered with the Charity Commission.Britian became the world’s first industrialized country in the late 18 th and early 19^th centuries.Wealth was based on the manufacture of iron and steel,heavy machinery and textiles, and coal mining ,shipbuilding and trade.The economic and industrial pattern has altered considerably in the last few years.As in other industrialized nations,service industries have become much more important and now account for around three-quarters of employees.Financial and other business services have grown in significance as has tourism.The city of London has the greatest concentration of overseas banks in the world and one of the largest stock exchanges.Manufacturing still plays a significant role and many high-technology industries,such as pharmaceuticals,have been developed.Offshore oil and gas have had a major impact on the economy.Britain is the fifth largest trading nation in the world and as a member of the European Union , is part of the world’s largest established trading group.
Communications benefit from a network of motorways and fast inter-city rail services.Links to the continent of Europe were strengthened by the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994.London’s Heathrow Airport is the busiest international airport in the world.
A very broad range of cultural activities are undertaken in Britain, and many Britons engaged in the arts and media enjoy international reputations.English,the main language spoken in Britain, is also one of the most widely used in the world.Recent estimates suggest that 310 mln people speak it as their first language,with a similar number using it as a second language.It is an official language in many overseas countries and is widely used internationally as the main language for purposes such as air traffic control and academic debate.

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