United Kingdom: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox | {{Infobox Country | ||
|Box title = Country summary | |Box title = Country summary | ||
|Row 1 title = Capital | |Row 1 title = Capital | ||
Revision as of 19:32, 22 May 2011
| Country summary | |
|---|---|
|
Capital |
London |
|
Borders |
Ireland 360 km |
|
Government type |
constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm |
|
Population |
61,113,205 (July 2010 est.)[1] |
|
Population growth % |
0.28 (2010 est.)[1] |
|
Life expectancy |
79.01 years[1] |
|
Unemployment |
7.6% (2009 est.)[1] |
|
11[2] | |
|
17[3] | |
|
5[4] | |
The United Kingdom has historically played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith in the 19th century, 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 and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. 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. The UK is also an active member of the EU, although it chose to remain outside the Economic and Monetary Union. Devolution and constitutional reform have been significant recent issues 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.[1]
Economical characteristics
- Currency: Pound sterling (ISO code: GBP)
- Central bank discount rate: 0.86% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Commercial banks lending rate: 4.63% (31 December 2008)[1]
- Stock of money (M1): $NA[1]
- Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $NA[1]
Statistics
| Statistic / Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP (million USD)[5] | 1 502 560 | 1 477 580 | 1 470 890 | 1 612 060 | 1 860 810 | 2 198 090 | 2 280 180 | 2 435 710 | 2 803 460 | 2 674 060 |
| Govt. debt (% of GDP)[6] | 47.484 | 47.469 | 42.507 | 42.528 | 42.598 | 44.905 | 47.300 | 47.133 | 47.863 | 57.523 |
| Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[7] | 36.560 | 37.114 | 37.082 | 35.498 | 35.096 | 35.918 | 36.985 | 37.708 | 37.380 | 38.408 |
| Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[8] | 35.652 | 36.204 | 36.651 | 37.633 | 38.809 | 39.200 | 41.222 | 40.378 | 40.005 | 42.827 |
| Debt to revenue (years) | 1.299 | 1.279 | 1.146 | 1.198 | 1.214 | 1.250 | 1.279 | 1.250 | 1.280 | 1.498 |
References
Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Facebook. "United Kingdom", from The World Facebook. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Heritage Foundation. "United Kingdom", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Transparency International. "United Kingdom", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ Doing Business. "United Kingdom", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United Kingdom: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United Kingdom: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United Kingdom: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
- ↑ World Bank. "United Kingdom: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-09-21.
Links
- Central bank of United Kingdom
- BBC country profile
- Mercantilism in England by Murray N. Rothbard, May 2010 (from [http://mises.org/resources/3985/Economic-Thought-Before-Adam-Smith-An-Austrian-Perspective-on-the-History-of-Economic-Thought-Volume-I An Austrian Perspective on the History of Economic Thought, vol. 1)
- Anarchy in the UK (and US, too)? by Jim Jubak, July 2010
- Sir Philip Green reports findings of his review into Government efficiency by Cabinet Office Press Office, October, 2010
- George Osborne announces further £7bn welfare cuts by Spending Review, October 2010
- Cuts 'tough but fair', David Cameron insists by Spending Review, October 2010
- The 1822 Refutation of the Spitalfields Act of Wage and Price Controls by Anders Mikkelsen, November 2010; about the Observations on the Ruinous Tendency of the Spitalfields Act to the Silk Manufacture of London (pdf), 1822
- United Kingdom at Wikipedia