UK COUNTRY (GOVERNMENT, POPULATION & ECONOMY)

Government, population & economy

UK COUNTRY

GOVERNMENT

• The British monarchy is among the oldest in the European continent

• Early in his history, kings' absolute power has been limited by the one of Parliament and Government

• The executive power is exercised by the Government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is responsible for all the major political decisions

• The legislative power is held by Parliament, consisting of the House of Lords and the House of Commons

GOVERNMENT

• The current Royal House is the one of Windsor

• The UK king or queen is the head of:

  • STATE

  • COMMONWEALTH

  • ANGLICAN CHURCH

  • ARMED FORCES

• They formally hold all the powers of a constitutional monarchy (legislative, executive and judicial)

COLONIALISM

• From 1600 onwards, UK started to dominate and control all the seas and the maritime trade

• In less than a couple of centuries, they colonised lots of territories (even very distant) and they created the largest Empire in history

• They had colonies in all of the continents in the world

• After WWII, the British Empire started to collapse and UK granted independence to many of its colonies

COMMONWEALTH

• Between the two World Wars, after a period of maximum expansion, UK had to face a process called "decolonisation", by which colonies became independent of the colonising country

• It is a voluntary association established in 1931 of 56 members

• The main task is the one to maintain relationships with the former colonies and to encourage mutual cooperation in the cultural, social and economic fields, as they have a common heritage

POPULATION

• Uk is among the most populated countries in Europe

• Its population is not evenly distributed, as 85% of citizens reside in England and less than 3% in Northern Ireland

• However, the least densely populated region is Scotland

• Thanks to the Industrial Revolution started from 1700 onwards, most of them live in big cities, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow

MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETY

• Due to its colonial past, UK has experienced lots of immigration flows from its former colonies

• That's why nowadays there are numerous foreign communities (especially from Pakistan, China, India and Africa) and they has created ethnic majority neighbourhoods

• However, even European people moved to UK in order to work or study abroad: many of them are now in a difficult situation after Brexit

• In London, one of the most multi-ethnic cities in the world, the population of British origin is less than its half

SOCIAL ISSUES

• As a result of multi-ethnicity, the country has faced phenomena of cultural intolerance: one of the main issues has been the one related to the integration between different ethnic groups

• While sharing the principle of a single national identity, even among the British people there are cultural conflicts, as many of them are keen to defend their origins, traditions and dialects

• Other social issues are related to the public assistance system: those without economic resources are at risk of not receiving proper assistance and of living marginalised by society

RELIGION

• Clearly, the different origin of the whole population is also reflected in religious customs

• The most widespread religion is Anglican Christianity, represented by the Church of England

• However, despite the close connection between the Crown and the Church, UK guarantees religious freedom

• As a result, 10% of them are Catholics but about one-third of the them declare themselves to be atheist

LANGUAGE

• English makes UK very attractive to immigrants from all over the world, as it is the most widely used language and it has been chosen for the international communication in diplomatic, scientific and cultural fields

• In other words, we can say that it is the lingua franca of the modern era, as well as Latin was the one of the Roman Empire

• However, it is second to Mandarin Chinese in terms of native speakers

• Alongside English, there are several dialects of Celtic origin, which are related to the people who inhabited these lands before the Romans

ECONOMY

• UK is one of the world's leading economic powers and it is second only to Germany in the European continent

• Unemployment is very low and it is a sign of a vibrant economy

• Its economy developed and enriched thanks to energy sources, financial activities and tourism

• After the international crisis of 2008, the country recovered quickly, however, Brexit makes its future uncertain and unpredictable

AGRICULTURE

• 70% of the territory is exploited for agriculture and livestock farming, but only 1% of the labor force is employed in these industries: this means they use lots of machinery and little staff

• Livestock farming is mostly practiced in the hilly and mountainous areas of Scotland or in the meadows of southern England

• Agriculture is practiced on the English plains and provides 60% of the country's food needs: cereals and potatoes are the most produced

ENERGY SOURCES

• The mining industry was one of the most important in the country until the mid-twentieth century and mainly involved the coal mining, which it was used for the production of electricity

• Since the 1970s, most mines have been closed while coal has been replaced by petroleum and natural gas, as major deposits have been discovered at the bottom of the North Sea

• Thanks to them, UK has reached energy self-sufficiency

• Wind power plants, thanks to ocean winds, also provide electricity

MANUFACTURING

• In the past, it has long been the world's greatest industrial power, where the first factories and motor machinery were born

• Nowadays, this industry represents one-fifth of the national wealth and employs only 18% of workers

• Mechanical industries produce cars, engines and trains

• Textile industry is specialised in the processing of Shetland wool while food industry mainly produces whisky and beer

• Industries of recent development are the aerospace, pharmaceutical and electronic ones

FINANCE

• Three-quarters of the UK's wealth comes from the service industry

• It represents 80% of Gross Domestic Product and 81% of labor force

• Financial activities are at the top, especially banking and insurance

• London, and particularly the oldest part called the "City", is the centre of the world finance: this area is home to the historic London Stock Exchange, founded in the mid-sixteenth century

• Regarding insurance, those of Lloyd's are the oldest ones and the most prestigious of the country

TRANSPORT AND TOURISM

• Public services play an important role, from education to healthcare

• Transport industry is highly developed, with the oldest rail network in the world and a really efficient maritime traffic: major ports are located in London, Manchester and Southampton

• Air traffic has 5 airports and the most relevant one is Heathrow Airport

• Transportation efficiency and iconic landmarks boost tourism, as the UK is ranked as the eighth most visited country in the world

• English universities, due to the high level of education imparted, attract students from all over the world