United Kingdom Travel Guide

Country Facts

Location

Northwest Europe.

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). In the 2001 census, 390,127 people put down their religion as ‘Jedi'.

Area

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

Time Zone

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

Electricity

240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard.

Population

62.1 million (2010).

Population Density

254.7 per sq km.

Capital City

London. Population: 7.5 million (2007).

Government

Constitutional monarchy.

Head of Government

Prime Minister David Cameron since 2010.

Head of State

HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953.

Religion

Predominantly Christian (Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist), sizeable Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and Hindu minorities. Around 15% of the population have no religion.

Recent History

On the passport of a British citizen are the words: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This rather clumsy title reflects the long and complicated history of this awkwardly positioned archipelago, splashed by the North Sea to the east and the North Atlantic to the West.

The history of the British Isles has been one of constant flux. Over the last 2,000 years, a long list of invaders and invitees have made their home on the islands including the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, Huguenots, German nobility and latterly, émigrés from Commonwealth countries and former colonies such as Jamaica, India, Pakistan and across Africa.

Northern Ireland's Troubles (elongated enough to deserve a capital letter), between unionists loyal to the United Kingdom and nationalists who want Northern Ireland to be incorporated into Ireland, is well documented. The violence has subsided substantially, thanks to a power sharing agreement.

The Labor Party headed the government from 1997-2010, when Tony Blair and ‘New Labor' won a landslide victory over the Conservative Party. For the first term Blair enjoyed huge parliamentary majorities for his party in the face of largely ineffective opposition from the Conservatives. However, during the second term, especially post 9/11, the Iraq War dominated the remaining Blair's time in office and his legacy. Critics argue at the expense of domestic policy movements. Blair's 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.

A prominent 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.

Blair stood down on 27 June 2007 and his incumbent Chancellor of the Excheckr Gordon Brown took over the role.

The global financial crisis affected the United Kingdom particularly badly, and was the last country of the G8 to come out of recession (and it may dip down again).

Labor however was ousted during the general election of May 2010, which led to the UK's first hung parliament since 1974. The Conservatives won the most MPs but fell short of a majority for an outright victory. As a result, a coalition government is now in place, with Conservative leader David Cameron as Prime Minister, and Liberal Democrat's Nick Clegg as his deputy.

Communications

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

Media

The British media are free and able to report on all subjects. The variety of publications reflects the full spectrum of political opinion.

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.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 are amongst the highest in the world. Broadsheets 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 some independents. There are also daily regional newspapers. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) is funded by a license fee, which all households with a TV set must pay. There is no advertising on BBC1, BBC2, BBC3 and BBC4. Commercial TV began in 1955 with the launch of ITV.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday (except Scotland)
28 Apr - 29 Apr Royal Wedding
2 May Early May Bank Holiday
30 May Spring Bank Holiday
29 Aug Summer Bank Holiday (except Scotland)
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday (except Scotland)
7 May Early May Bank Holiday
4 Jun - 5 Jun Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
4 Jun Spring Bank Holiday
27 Aug Summer Bank Holiday (except Scotland)
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
If the date falls on the weekend, the public holiday will be observed on the next working day. Public holidays are usually referred to as 'bank holidays' in the UK. Please see the individual 'Public holidays' sections for details of additional holidays in each country.

Contact Information

VisitBritain

Thames Tower, Blacks Road, London W6 9EL, UK
Tel: (020) 8846 9000.
Website: www.visitbritain.com

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.ukinusa.fco.gov.uk

VisitBritain in the USA

551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, New York, NY 10176, USA
Tel: 1 800 462 2748 (general information line) or (212) 986 2266 (executive offices).
Website: www.visitbritain.us