United Kingdom Country & Tourist Information

Location
Northwest Europe.

Area
242,514 sq km (93,788 sq miles).

Population
59.8 million (official estimate 2004).

Population Density
244.2 per sq km.

Capital
London.
Population: 7.43 million (official estimate 2004).

Government
Constitutional Monarchy. The United Kingdom is a hereditary Monarchy, with real power being held by the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the largest Parliamentary party and the head of the Cabinet. The two main political parties are the Conservatives (Tories) and Labor, although a center party (the Liberal-SDP Alliance, later merged as the Liberal Democrats) threatened to disturb this old balance in the mid-1980s. The absence of proportional representation in Parliamentary elections does not encourage the prosperity of smaller parties in Britain. Elections must be held every five years, though the timing is at the discretion of the Prime Minister. The legislature is bicameral; the House of Commons is elected, while the House of Lords is a peculiar mixture of appointed members, judges, bishops and hereditary peers. Britain is almost unique in the world in having no written constitution, and the political and administrative machine is powered by a mixture of common and statute law, judicial decisions and archaic convention; the royal assent to an Act of Parliament, for instance, is still proclaimed in Norman French.
Recent history: Since his instalment as Prime Minister in 1997, Tony Blair has become the longest-serving Labor Premier of all time, but his tenure has been characterized by a number of controversies as well as what he would claim as achievements.
Blair has enjoyed huge Parliamentary majorities for his party in the face of largely ineffective opposition from the Conservatives, who have undergone a number of leadership changes since the resignation of Margaret Thatcher in 1990, and have failed to regain power since the election defeat of 1997. It remains to be seen how the latest incumbent, David Cameron, will fare since becoming leader in December 2005. One of the principal problems facing Blair at present is the ongoing Iraq situation. His decision to support the US invasion of the Middle Eastern country deeply divided the UK, and opinion as to the wisdom of the action remains polarized.
Related to events in the Middle East, terrorist attacks in July 2005 brought London to a standstill, and security continues to be tight: immigration controls are rigorous, and certain sections of both sides of the political divide are eager to introduce a system of compulsory identity cards for UK citizens, something that rubs against the grain for many people. The debate continues, and is likely to do so for some time.
On the positive side, the Blair Government would claim some credit for Northern Ireland’s current more or less peaceful environment, which has prevailed since the ‘Good Friday Agreement’ of 1998, which established the conditions for the ongoing cease-fire between the Republican and Loyalist factions. The two sides are still unable to agree on a basis for governing the Province, though, and direct rule from London is still in force.
Another achievement of the Blair Government was the 1999 introduction of devolved power for Scotland and Wales, giving the two nations a far greater say in matters directly affecting their parts of the UK. Controversy has dogged even this, though, with the much feted new Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh having run vastly over budget, to the consternation of many north of the border. Europe, and the UK’s place within the EU, continues to be another source of headaches for politicians, who are deeply divided on how far the country should commit itself to the institution, and indeed the Euro.
It is also uncertain whether Blair will remain as Prime Minister for the full five-year term of this Government, and speculation is rife as to when he will hand over the reins to Chancellor and Labor Party rival, Gordon Brown.

Language
English. Some Welsh is spoken in parts of Wales, Gaelic in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and French and Norman French in the Channel Islands. The many ethnic minorities within the UK also speak their own languages (eg Cantonese, Greek, Hindi, Mandarin, Turkish, Urdu, etc).

Religion
Predominantly Protestant (Church of England), but many other Christian denominations also: Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist and other free churches. There are sizeable Hindu, Jewish and Muslim minorities.

Time
GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard and the visitor is unlikely to come across the older round three-pin type.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Tony Blair since 1997.

Head of State
HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Although they form one administrative unit (with regional exceptions), they have had separate cultures, languages and political histories. The United Kingdom section consists of a general introduction (covering the aspects that the four countries have in common) and sections devoted to the four constituent countries. The Channel Islands (Alderney, Guernsey, Jersey and Sark and Herm) and the Isle of Man are dependencies of the British Crown. These are included here for convenience of reference.

More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective entries.

Telephone
Country code: 44. There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards.

Mobile Telephone
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in rural areas.

Internet
There are Internet cafes and centers in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Media
The UK has a strong tradition of public-service broadcasting and an international reputation for creative program-making. The BBC began daily radio broadcasts in 1922 and quickly came to play a pivotal role in national life. The Empire Service, which became the BBC World Service, established a reputation worldwide. The BBC is funded by a license fee, which all households with a TV set must pay. There is no advertising on BBC1 and BBC2. Commercial TV began in 1955 with the launch of ITV.

Post
Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good. Post office hours: Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.

Press
Dominated by about 10 major newspapers, UK circulation figures areamongst the highest in the world. The most influential newspapers are The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Observer (on Sunday) and The Times. The more popular ‘tabloid’ newspapers are The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, The Daily Mirror and The Sun.Most papers have an associated Sunday newspaper, though there are someindependents. There are also daily regional newspapers, particularly inScotland and the north. The London Evening Standard is produced in several editions daily, the first being at midday.

Radio
BBC Radio’s national services include music station Radio 1, adult music station Radio 2, cultural network Radio 3, flagship speech station Radio 4 and news and sport station Five Live. BBC Radio also has regional broadcasts (see individual Country sections). BBC Asian Network targets Asian communities in the UK. BBC World Servicecan be heard worldwide via shortwave and increasingly on FM relays; ithas programs in more than 40 languages. Commercial stations includemusic station Virgin Radio, sports station Talk Sport and classical music station Classic FM. There are hundreds of privately-owned radio stations.


Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2007-December 2008 period.

2007
1 Jan New Year’s Day.
6 Apr Good Friday.
9 Apr Easter Monday (except Scotland). 
7 May Early May Bank Holiday.
28 May Spring Bank Holiday.
27 Aug Summer Bank Holiday (except Scotland).
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

2008
1 Jan New Year’s Day. 
21 Mar Good Friday. 
24 Mar Easter Monday (except Scotland). 
5 May Early May Bank Holiday. 
26 May Spring Bank Holiday.
25 Aug Summer Bank Holiday (except Scotland).
25 Dec Christmas Day.
26 Dec Boxing Day.

Note
Public holidays are usually referred to as ‘bank holidays’ in the UK.

Please see the individual Public Holiday sections for details of additional holidays in each country.

Contact Information:

VisitBritain
Thames Tower, Blacks Road, Hammersmith, London W6 9EL, UK
Tel: (020) 8846 9000.
Website: www.visitbritain.com or www.visitbritain.com/ukindustry (trade).

Britain and London Visitor Center
1 Regent Street, London SW1Y 4XT, UK
Personal callers only.
For more information, see the regional sections.

UK Visas
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH, UK
Tel: (020) 7008 8438.
Website: www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 0930-1330

British Embassy in the USA
3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 588 7800.
Website: www.britainusa.com

British Consulate in the USA
845 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA
Tel: (212) 745 0200.
Website: www.britainusa.com

VisitBritain in the USA
551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, New York, NY 10176, USA
Tel: (800) 462 2748 (general information line, toll-free in the USA) or (212) 986 2266 (executive offices).
Website: www.visitbritain.com/usa


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