Scotland - constituent unit, United Kingdom
England - constituent unit, United Kingdom
Wales - constituent unit, United Kingdom
Northern Ireland - constituent unit, United Kingdom
Republic of Ireland
Isle of Man
Scotland


Scotland - the geography of Scotland is varied, from rural lowlands to unspoilt uplands, and from large cities to sparsely inhabited islands
- located in Northern Europe, Scotland comprises the northern half of the island of Great Britain as well as 790 surrounding islands encompassing the major archipelagos of the Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and the Inner and Outer Hebrides
- Scotland's only land border is with England, which runs for 60 miles (97 km) in a northeasterly direction from the Solway Firth in the west to the North Sea on the east coast
- separated by the North Channel, the island of Ireland lies 13 miles (21 km) from Mull of Kintyre on the Scottish mainland
- Norway is located 190 miles (310 km) to the northeast of Scotland across the North Sea
- the Atlantic Ocean, which fringes the coastline of western and northern Scotland and its islands, influences the temperate, maritime climate of the country
- Scotland contains the majority of mountainous terrain in the UK
- the topography of Scotland is distinguished by the Highland Boundary Fault which traverses the Scottish mainland from Helensburgh to Stonehaven
- the faultline separates two distinctively different physiographic regions
- namely the Highlands to the north and west and the Lowlands to the south and east
- the more rugged Highland region contains the majority of Scotland's mountainous terrain, including the highest peak, Ben Nevis
- lowland areas, in the southern part of Scotland, are flatter and home to most of the population, especially the narrow waist of land between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth known as the Central Belt
- Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, although Edinburgh is the capital and political centre of the country
- while the Lowlands are less elevated, upland and mountainous terrain is located across the Southern Uplands
- an abundance of natural resources such as coal, iron and zinc contributed significantly to the industrial growth of Scotland during the 19th and early 20th centuries
- today, energy is a major component of Scotland's economy
- whilst Scotland is the largest producer of petroleum in the European Union, the production potential of renewable energy has emerged as an important economic and environmental issue in recent years
Human geography
- according to the General Register Office for Scotland, the total population of Scotland stood at 5,168,500 in June 2008, an increase of 2.1% since the census of April 2001
- however an increasing birth rate and higher levels of inward migration to Scotland have reversed the decline and contributed to the recent population growth
- compared with the rest of Europe, Scotland has a low population density at 65 people per square kilometre
- however Scotland is a highly urbanised country, with 82% of the population living in settlements of 3,000 people or more
- as a result, the majority of the population live in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, surrounding the chief cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh
- other concentrations of population include the northeast coast of Scotland - principally surrounding the city of Aberdeen and its environs - and around Inverness
- with a population density of 8 people per square kilometre, the Highlands are the most sparsely populated part of the country, and one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe
- in these areas, the population is scattered in villages, small towns and isolated farmsteads or crofts
- nearly 100 of Scotland's islands are inhabited, the most populous being Lewis and Harris with 21,031 people resident in 2011, primarily concentrated around Stornoway, the only burgh of the Outer Hebrides
- other island populations range down to very low levels on certain small isles
- between 1991 and 2001, the total number of people living on Scotland's islands fell by 3%
- conversely, islands such as Tiree, Skye and Eigg experienced increases in their respective populations over the same decade
- there are seven cities in Scotland; Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth and Stirling
- the 2001 census identified Glasgow as being the largest city in Scotland, with a total population of 629,501, while the Scottish capital, Edinburgh had a population of 448,624, in the same year
- between 1991 and 2001, the populations of Edinburgh and Stirling grew by 2.9% and 6.5% respectively
- Inverness experienced population growth of over 10% during the same period
- at the same time, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen all witnessed population decline
- aside from the cities, the greatest intra-census population growth was experienced in the local authorities of West Lothian, East Lothian, Aberdeenshire and Perth and Kinross
- the Western Isles saw a 9.8% decrease in population between 1991 and 2001
Scotland Scotland Scotland

Edimburgh

Scottish natural resources

England


England - England comprises most of the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, in addition to a number of small islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight
- England is bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales
- it is closer to continental Europe than any other part of mainland Britain, divided from France only by a 33 km (21 mi) sea gap, the English Channel
- the 50 km (31 mi) Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, directly links England to mainland Europe
- the English/French border is halfway along the tunnel
- most of England consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in the north and west
- uplands in the north include the Pennines, an upland chain dividing east and west, the Lake District, containing the highest mountains in the country, the Cheviot Hills across the Anglo-Scottish border, and the North York Moors near the North Sea
- uplands in the west include Dartmoor and Exmoor in the south west and the Shropshire Hills near Wales
- the approximate dividing line between terrain types is often indicated by the Tees-Exe line
- to the south of that line, there are larger areas of flatter land, including East Anglia and the Fens, although hilly areas include the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, and the North and South Downs
- the largest natural harbour in England is at Poole, on the south-central coast
- some regard it as the second largest harbour in the world, after Sydney, Australia, although this fact is disputed (see harbours for a list of other large natural harbours)
Population
- with over 53 million inhabitants, England is by far the most populous country of the United Kingdom, accounting for 84% of the combined total
- England taken as a unit and measured against international states has the fourth largest population in the European Union and would be the 25th largest country by population in the world
- with a density of 424 people per square kilometre, it would be the second most densely populated country in the European Union after Malta
- the English people are a British people
- by 1801, the population was 8.3 million, and by 1901 30.5 million
- due in particular to the economic prosperity of South East England, it has received many economic migrants from the other parts of the United Kingdom
- there has been significant Irish migration
- the proportion of ethnically European residents totals at 87.50%, including Germans and Poles
- about 0.7% of people are Chinese, 2.90% of the population are black, from Africa and the Caribbean, especially former British colonies
- in 2007, 22% of primary school children in England were from ethnic minority families, and in 2011 that figure was 26.5%
- about half of the population increase between 1991 and 2001 was due to immigration
- debate over immigration is politically prominent
- 80% of respondents in a 2009 Home Office poll wanted to cap it
- the ONS has projected that the population will grow by nine million between 2014 and 2039
- England contains one indigenous national minority, the Cornish people, recognised by the UK government under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in 2014
Economy
- England's economy is one of the largest and most dynamic in the world, with an average GDP per capita of £28,100 or $36,000
- usually regarded as a mixed market economy, it has adopted many free market principles, yet maintains an advanced social welfare infrastructure
- the official currency in England is the pound sterling, whose ISO 4217 code is GBP
- taxation in England is quite competitive when compared to much of the rest of Europe – as of 2014 the basic rate of personal tax is 20% on taxable income up to £31,865 above the personal tax-free allowance (normally £10,000), and 40% on any additional earnings above that amount
- the economy of England is the largest part of the UK's economy, which has the 18th highest GDP PPP per capita in the world
- England is a leader in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors and in key technical industries, particularly aerospace, the arms industry, and the manufacturing side of the software industry
- London, home to the London Stock Exchange, the United Kingdom's main stock exchange and the largest in Europe, is England's financial centre, with 100 of Europe's 500 largest corporations being based there
- London is the largest financial centre in Europe, and as of 2014 is the second largest in the world
- Manchester is the largest financial and professional services sector outside London and is the mid tier private equity capital of Europe as well as one of the growing technology hubs of Europe
England England England

Autumn colours in Stourhead Gardens, Wiltshire

Export destinations 2018

Uk goverment spending by % of the whole

Wales


Wales - Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom
- it is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, and the Bristol Channel to the south
- it had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi)
- Wales has over 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of coastline and is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit
- the country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate
- Welsh national identity emerged among the Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations
- the whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542
- distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century
- Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party
- Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962
- established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, Senedd Cymru – the Welsh Parliament, formerly known as the National Assembly for Wales – is responsible for a range of devolved policy matters
- at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, development of the mining and metallurgical industries transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation
- the South Wales Coalfield's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales' population
- two-thirds of the population live in South Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the nearby valleys
- now that the country's traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline, the economy is based on the public sector, light and service industries, and tourism
- in livestock farming, including dairy farming, Wales is a net exporter, contributing towards national agricultural self-sufficiency
- Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain, and a majority of the population in most areas speaks English as a first language, but the country has retained a distinct cultural identity
- both Welsh and English are official languages; over 560,000 Welsh-speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west
- from the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", in part due to the eisteddfod tradition
- at many international sporting events, such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games, Wales has its own national team. At the Olympic Games, Welsh athletes compete for the UK as part of a Great Britain team
- Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness
Economy
- over the last 250 years, Wales has been transformed first from a predominantly agricultural country to an industrial, and now a post-industrial economy
- in the 1950s Wales' GDP was twice as big as Ireland’s
- by the 2020s Ireland's economy was four times that of Wales
- since the Second World War, the service sector has come to account for the majority of jobs, a feature typifying most advanced economies
- in 2018, according to OECD and Eurostat data, gross domestic product (GDP) in Wales was £75 billion, an increase of 3.3 % from 2017
- GDP per head in Wales in 2018 was £23,866, an increase of 2.9% on 2017
- this compares to Italy’s GDP/capita of £25,000, Spain £22,000 , Slovenia £20,000 and New Zealand £30,000
- in the three months to December 2017, 72.7 per cent of working-age adults were employed, compared to 75.2 per cent across the UK as a whole
- for the 2018–19 fiscal year, the Welsh fiscal deficit accounts for 19.4 percent of Wales' estimated GDP
- in 2019 Wales was the world’s 5th largest exporter of electricity on the planet (22.7 TWh)
- by UK laws, Wales must pay for items that do not directly benefit Wales e.g. over £5 billion for HS2 "which will damage the Welsh economy by £200m pa", according to the UK and Welsh Government's transport adviser Prof. Mark Barry
- Wales also pays more for military costs than most similar sized countries e.g. Wales pays twice the amount Ireland spends on the military
- the UK government spends £1.75bn per year on the military in Wales which is almost as much as Wales spend on education every year (£1.8 billion in 2018/19) and five times as much as the total amount spent on the police in Wales (£365 million)
Wales Wales

Snowdonia, North Wales

Economy of Wales

Northern Ireland


North Ireland - Northern Ireland is variously described as a country, province, or region which is part of the United Kingdom
- located in the northeast of the island of Ireland, Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland
- in 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's population and about 3% of the UK's population
- the Northern Ireland Assembly (colloquially referred to as Stormont after its location), established by the Northern Ireland Act 1998, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters, while other areas are reserved for the British government
- Northern Ireland co-operates with the Republic of Ireland in several areas
- Northern Ireland was created in 1921, when Ireland was partitioned by the Government of Ireland Act 1920
- the majority of Northern Ireland's population were unionists, who wanted to remain within the United Kingdom
- they were generally the Protestant descendants of colonists from Great Britain
- meanwhile the majority in Southern Ireland (which became the Irish Free State in 1922), and a significant minority in Northern Ireland, were Irish nationalists and Catholics who wanted a united independent Ireland
- today, the former generally see themselves as British and the latter generally see themselves as Irish, while a Northern Irish or Ulster identity is claimed by a large minority from all backgrounds
- the creation of Northern Ireland was accompanied by violence both in defence of and against partition
- during 1920–22, the capital Belfast saw major communal violence, mainly between Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist civilians
- more than 500 were killed and more than 10,000 became refugees, mostly Catholics
- in the following decades, Northern Ireland was marked by discrimination and hostility between these two sides in what First Minister of Northern Ireland, David Trimble, called a "cold house" for Catholics
- in the late 1960s, a campaign to end discrimination against Catholics and nationalists was opposed by loyalists, who saw it as a republican front
- this unrest sparked the Troubles
- a thirty-year conflict involving republican and loyalist paramilitaries and state forces, which claimed over 3,500 lives and injured 50,000 others
- the 1998 Good Friday Agreement was a major step in the peace process, including paramilitary disarmament and security normalisation, although sectarianism and segregation remain major social problems, and sporadic violence has continued
- the economy of Northern Ireland was the most industrialised in Ireland, but declined as a result of the political and social turmoil of the Troubles
- its economy has grown significantly since the late 1990s
- the initial growth came from the "peace dividend" and increased trade with the Republic of Ireland, continuing with a significant increase in tourism, investment and business from around the world
- unemployment in Northern Ireland peaked at 17.2% in 1986, dropping to 6.1% for June–August 2014 and down by 1.2 percentage points over the year, similar to the UK figure of 6.2%
- cultural links between Northern Ireland, the rest of Ireland, and the rest of the UK are complex, with Northern Ireland sharing both the culture of Ireland and the culture of the United Kingdom
- in many sports, the island of Ireland fields a single team, a notable exception being association football
- Northern Ireland competes separately at the Commonwealth Games, and people from Northern Ireland may compete for either Great Britain or Ireland at the Olympic Games
- the economy of Northern Ireland is the smallest of the four constituents of the United Kingdom
- northern Ireland previously had a traditionally industrial economy, most notably in shipbuilding, rope manufacture and textiles, but most heavy industry has since been replaced by services
- to this day, Northern Ireland still suffers from the results of the Troubles, which occurred between the late 1960s until the late 1990s
Rural areas including the North West are particularly deprived
- it suffers from the highest unemployment and highest poverty rates in Northern Ireland
- infrastructure is substandard and has hampered economic development
- the University of Ulster in Derry has seen many courses moved to its Jordanstown campus in the north of Belfast and other campuses
- throughout the 1990s, the Northern Irish economy grew faster than did the economy of the rest of the UK, due in part to the Celtic Tiger rapid growth of the economy of the Republic of Ireland and the so-called "peace dividend"
- growth slowed to the pace of the rest of the UK during the down-turn of the early years of the new millennium, but growth has since rebounded
- in 2005, the Northern Irish economy is estimated to have grown by 3.2%, almost twice as fast as the UK as a whole, and future growth is expected to be stronger than that of the rest of the United Kingdom
- in April 2007 a Halifax survey found Northern Ireland's average house price to one of the highest in the UK, behind London, the South East and the South West
- it also found Northern Ireland to have all of the top ten property "hot spots", with the Craigavon and Newtownards areas increasing by 55%
- however, as of 2018 Northern Ireland house prices are the lowest on average in the UK approx 40% lower than before the bubble burst in 2008
Northern Ireland

Cliffs in the Glens of Antrim, near Cushendall, Ireland

Republic of Ireland


Ireland - Ireland also known as the Republic of Ireland, is a country in north-western Europe occupying 26 of 32 counties of the island of Ireland
- the capital and largest city is Dublin, which is located on the eastern side of the island
- around 40% of the country's population of 4.9 million people resides in the Greater Dublin Area
- the sovereign state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland which is part of the United Kingdom
- it is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, St George's Channel to the south-east, and the Irish Sea to the east
- it is a unitary, parliamentary republic
- the legislature, the Oireachtas, consists of a lower house, Dáil Éireann, an upper house, Seanad Éireann, and an elected President (Uachtarán) who serves as the largely ceremonial head of state, but with some important powers and duties
- the head of government is the Taoiseach (Prime Minister, literally 'Chief', a title not used in English), who is elected by the Dáil and appointed by the President
- the Taoiseach in turn appoints other government ministers
- the state was created as the Irish Free State in 1922 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
- it had the status of Dominion until 1937 when a new constitution was adopted, in which the state was named "Ireland" and effectively became a republic, with an elected non-executive president as head of state
- it was officially declared a republic in 1949, following the Republic of Ireland Act 1948
- Ireland became a member of the United Nations in December 1955
- it joined the European Communities (EC), the predecessor of the European Union, in 1973
- the state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the twentieth century, but during the 1980s and 1990s the British and Irish governments worked with the Northern Ireland parties towards a resolution to "the Troubles"
- since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, the Irish government and Northern Ireland Executive have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North/South Ministerial Council created by the Agreement
- a major financial hub in Europe centred around Dublin, Ireland ranks among the top ten wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita, although this has been partially ascribed to be inflated due to tax inversion practices of some multinationals operating in Ireland
- from 2017, a modified gross national income (GNI*) was enacted by the Central Bank of Ireland, as the standard deviation was considered too materially distorted to accurately measure or represent the Irish economy
- after joining the EC, the country's government enacted a series of liberal economic policies that resulted in economic growth between 1995 and 2007 now known as the Celtic Tiger period, before its subsequent reversal due to the 2008 financial crisis
- a developed country, Ireland performs well in several national performance metrics including healthcare, economic freedom and freedom of the press
- Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD
- the Irish government has followed a policy of military neutrality through non-alignment since immediately prior to World War II and the country is consequently not a member of NATO, although it is a member of Partnership for Peace and aspects of PESCO
Ireland

The Rock of Cashel in Tipperary, Ireland

Isle of Man


Isle of Man - the Isle of Man, also known as Mann (/mæn/), is a self-governing British Crown dependency situated in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland
- the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, holds the title of Lord of Mann and is represented by a lieutenant governor
- the United Kingdom is responsible for the isle's military defence
- humans have lived on the island since before 6500 BC
- Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century AD, and the Manx language, a branch of the Goidelic languages, emerged
-in 627 King Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia
- in the 9th century Norsemen established the thalassocratic Kingdom of the Isles, which included the Isle of Man
- Magnus III, King of Norway from 1093 to 1103, reigned also as King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103
- in 1266 the island became part of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth, after being ruled by Norway
- after a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the island came under the feudal lordship of the English Crown in 1399
- the lordship revested in the British Crown in 1765, but the island did not become part of the 18th-century kingdom of Great Britain, nor of its successors, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the present-day United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- it has always retained its internal self-government
- in 1881 the Isle of Man parliament, Tynwald, became the first national legislative body in the world to give women the right to vote in a general election, although this excluded married women
- in 2016, UNESCO awarded the Isle of Man biosphere reserve status
- insurance and online gambling each generate 17% of the GNP, followed by information and communications technology and banking with 9% each
- internationally, the Isle of Man is known for the Isle of Man TT (Tourist Trophy) motorcycle races and for the Manx cat, a breed of cat with short or no tails
- the inhabitants (Manx) are considered a Celtic nation
Myth, legend and folklore
- in Manx mythology, the island was ruled by the sea god Manannán, who would draw his misty cloak around the island to protect it from invaders
- one of the principal folk theories about the origin of the name Mann is that it is named after Manannán
- in the Manx tradition of folklore, there are many stories of mythical creatures and characters
- these include the Buggane, a malevolent spirit which, according to legend, blew the roof off St Trinian's Church in a fit of rage; the Fenodyree; the Glashtyn; and the Moddey Dhoo, a ghostly black dog which wandered the walls and corridors of Peel Castle
- the Isle of Man is also said to be home to fairies, known locally as "the little folk" or "themselves"
- there is a famous Fairy Bridge, and it is said to be bad luck if one fails to wish the fairies good morning or afternoon when passing over it
- it used to be a tradition to leave a coin on the bridge to ensure good luck. Other types of fairies are the Mi'raj and the Arkan Sonney
- an old Irish story tells how Lough Neagh was formed when Ireland's legendary giant Fionn mac Cumhaill (commonly anglicised to Finn McCool) ripped up a portion of the land and tossed it at a Scottish rival
- he missed, and the chunk of earth landed in the Irish Sea, thus creating the island
- Peel Castle has been proposed as a possible location of the Arthurian Avalon or as the location of the Grail Castle, site of Lancelot's encounter with the sword bridge of King Maleagant
- one of the most often-repeated myths is that people found guilty of witchcraft were rolled down Slieau Whallian, a hill near St John's, in a barrel
- however this is a 19th-century legend which comes from a Scottish legend, which in turn comes from a German legend
- it never happened
- separately, a witchcraft museum was opened at the Witches Mill, Castletown in 1951
- there has never actually been a witches' coven on that site; the myth was only created with the opening of the museum
- however, there has been a strong tradition of herbalism and the use of charms to prevent and cure illness and disease in people and animals
Isle of Man

Douglas Head Lighthouse, Port Skillion