Countries of the UK
The UK is special in the sense that it is a sovereign state made up of several independent countries:
- England: 55.3 million
- Scotland: 5.4 million
- Wales: 3.1
- Northern Ireland: 1.9
The UK is not to be confused with Great Britain which is the island that makes up the main part of the UK’s land area.
Biggest cities in the UK
The UK has five cities (urban areas) with more than a million people. London is by far the largest city with almost 10 million inhabitants. The top three:
- London: 9.8 million
- Manchester: 2.6 million
- Birmingham: 2.4 million
Life and death in the UK
The expected age at death is 78.5 years for men and 82.4 for women in the UK (with an average of 80.5 years for men and women combined). In 2015, there were 777,165 live births in the UK. The average fertility rate is 1.8 children per woman which is below the rate of 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population size not counting immigration.
The birthplace of the industrial society
The Industrial Revolution started in the UK in the second half of the 1700s in the textile industry. Then followed heavy industries such as shipbuilding, coal mining, and steelmaking.
The UK economy
The UK is the world’s 6th largest economy (2019). By 2050, the country is projected to have dropped to 9th place overtaken by Indonesia, Brazil, and Mexico. Main export goods of the UK include manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals, food and beverages.
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