10.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 182
Death rate:
10.02 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 64
Net migration rate:
2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Urbanization:
urban population: 90% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 0.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 193 male: 5.4 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.01 years country comparison to the world: 36 male: 76.52 years
female: 81.63 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.66 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 175
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
77,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 500 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
Nationality:
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)
adjective: British
Ethnic groups:
white (of which English 83.6%, Scottish 8.6%, Welsh 4.9%, Northern Irish 2.9%) 92.1%, black 2%, Indian 1.8%, Pakistani 1.3%, mixed 1.2%, other 1.6% (2001 census)
Religions:
Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
Languages:
English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 16 years
female: 17 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.6% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 47
Government ::United Kingdom
Country name:
conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales
conventional short form: United Kingdom
abbreviation: UK
Government type:
constitutional monarchy and Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: London
geographic coordinates: 51 30 N, 0 10 W
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
note: applies to the United Kingdom proper, not to its overseas dependencies or territories
Administrative divisions:
England: 34 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan counties, 46 unitary authorities
two-tier counties: Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire,Cheshire, Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon,Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire,Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire,Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland,Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire,Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Wiltshire, Worcestershire
London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking andDagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing,Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey,Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington andChelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London,Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton,Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
metropolitan counties: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury,Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees,Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, NorthTyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton,Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport,Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral,Wolverhampton
unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Blackburn withDarwen, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove,City of Bristol, Darlington, Derby, East Riding of Yorkshire,Halton, Hartlepool, County of Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, City ofKingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, MiltonKeynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Somerset,Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading,Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Slough, South Gloucestershire,Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent,Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, WestBerkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York
Northern Ireland: 26 district council areas
district council areas: Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney,Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine,Cookstown, Craigavon, Derry, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne,Limavady, Lisburn, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne,Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane
Scotland: 32 unitary authorities
unitary authorities: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll andBute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, EastAyrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Cityof Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, GlasgowCity, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, NorthLanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire,Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, TheScottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian
Wales: 22 unitary authorities
unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent; Bridgend; Caerphilly; Cardiff;Carmarthenshire; Ceredigion; Conwy; Denbighshire; Flintshire;Gwynedd; Isle of Anglesey; Merthyr Tydfil; Monmouthshire; Neath PortTalbot; Newport; Pembrokeshire; Powys; Rhondda, Cynon, Taff;Swansea; The Vale of Glamorgan; Torfaen; Wrexham
Dependent areas:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British VirginIslands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat,Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South SandwichIslands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence:
1927; England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday:
the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system:
based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister James Gordon BROWN (since 27 June 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (618 seats; consisting of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms unless the House is dissolved earlier)
elections: House of Lords - no elections (note - in 1999, as provided by the House of Lords Act, elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there; elections are held only as vacancies in the hereditary peerage arise); House of Commons - last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by June 2010)
election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Labor 35.2%, Conservative 32.3%, Liberal Democrats 22%, other 10.5%; seats by party - Labor 355, Conservative 198, Liberal Democrat 62, other 31; seats by party in the House of Commons as of 21 November 2008 - Labor 350, Conservative 192, Liberal Democrat 63, Scottish National Party/Plaid Cymru 10, Democratic Unionist 9, Sinn Fein 5, other 17
note: in 1998 elections were held for a Northern Ireland Assembly (because of unresolved disputes among existing parties, the transfer of power from London to Northern Ireland came only at the end of 1999 and has been suspended four times, the latest occurring in October 2002 and lasting until 8 May 2007); in 1999, the UK held the first elections for a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly, the most recent of which were held in May 2007
Judicial branch:
House of Lords (highest court of appeal; several Lords of Appeal inOrdinary are appointed by the monarch for life); Supreme Courts ofEngland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (comprising the Courts ofAppeal, the High Courts of Justice, and the Crown Courts);Scotland's Court of Session and Court of the Justiciary
Political parties and leaders:
Conservative [David CAMERON]; Democratic Unionist Party or DUP(Northern Ireland) [Peter ROBINSON]; Labor Party [Gordon BROWN];Liberal Democrats (Lib Dems) [Nick CLEGG]; Party of Wales (PlaidCymru) [Ieuan Wyn JONES]; Scottish National Party or SNP [AlexSALMOND]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; SocialDemocratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [Mark DURKAN];Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Sir Reg EMPEY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; Confederation of British Industry;National Farmers' Union; Trades Union Congress
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council(observer), Australia Group, BIS, C, CBSS (observer), CDB, CE, CERN,EAPC, EBRD, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB,IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC,MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UN Security Council,UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG,UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir Nigel E. SHEINWALD
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco
consulate(s): Dallas, Denver, Orlando
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Holmes TUTTLE
embassy: 24 Grosvenor Square, London, W1A 1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (0) 20 7499-9000
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description:
blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); properly known as the Union Flag, but commonly called the Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their constituent states or provinces, and British overseas territories
Economy ::United Kingdom
Economy - overview:
The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil resources, but its oil and natural gas reserves are declining and the UK became a net importer of energy in 2005; energy industries now contribute about 4% to GDP. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. Since emerging from recession in 1992, Britain's economy enjoyed the longest period of expansion on record during which time growth outpaced most of Western Europe. The global economic slowdown, tight credit, and falling home prices, however, pushed Britain back into recession in the latter half of 2008 and prompted the BROWN government to implement a number of new measures to stimulate the economy and stabilize the financial markets; these include part-nationalizing the banking system, cutting taxes, suspending public sector borrowing rules, and bringing forward public spending on capital projects. The Bank of England periodically coordinates interest rate moves with the European Central Bank, but Britain remains outside the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), and opinion polls show a majority of Britons oppose joining the euro.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.236 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 $2.22 trillion (2007 est.)
$2.164 trillion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.68 trillion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 188 2.6% (2007 est.)
2.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$36,700 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $36,500 (2007 est.)
$35,700 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 24.2%
services: 74.5% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
31.23 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1.4%
industry: 18.2%
services: 80.4% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 5.3% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
14% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.1%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1999)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34 (2005) country comparison to the world: 92 36.8 (1999)
Investment (gross fixed):
16.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Budget:
revenues: $1.056 trillion
expenditures: $1.214 trillion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
51.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 39.6% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 2.3% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
0.86% (31 December 2008)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
4.63% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 137 5.52% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$5.277 trillion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 5 $3.859 trillion (31 December 2007)
$3.794 trillion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Industries:
machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate:
-2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154
Electricity - production:
368.6 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - consumption:
345.8 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Electricity - exports:
1.272 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
12.29 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
1.584 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 19
Oil - consumption:
1.71 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Oil - exports:
1.602 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15
Oil - imports:
1.651 million bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13
Oil - proved reserves:
3.41 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Natural gas - production:
69.9 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 14
Natural gas - consumption:
95.94 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 6
Natural gas - exports:
10.5 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 19
Natural gas - imports:
36.54 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Natural gas - proved reserves:
342.9 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 37
Current account balance:
-$45.68 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 185 -$78.78 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$466.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $442 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners:
US 13.8%, Germany 11.5%, Netherlands 7.8%, France 7.6%, Ireland 7.5%, Belgium 5.3%, Spain 4.1% (2008)
Imports:
$639.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 7 $620.7 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Germany 13.1%, US 8.7%, China 7.5%, Netherlands 7.4%, France 6.8%,Norway 6%, Belgium 4.7%, Italy 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$52.98 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 $57.3 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$9.041 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 2 $11.26 trillion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$1.445 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $1.348 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.567 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $1.705 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
British pounds (GBP) per US dollar - 0.5302 (2008 est.), 0.4993 (2007), 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004)
Communications ::United Kingdom
Telephones - main lines in use:
33.209 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 9
Telephones - mobile cellular:
75.565 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 11
Telephone system:
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; numerous submarine cables provide links throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and US; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 206, FM 696, shortwave 3 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
940 (2008)
Internet country code:
.uk
Internet hosts:
9.322 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 11
Internet users:
48.755 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 7
Transportation ::United Kingdom
Airports:
506 (2009) country comparison to the world: 14
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 307
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 125
914 to 1,523 m: 77
under 914 m: 64 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 199
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 173 (2009)
Heliports:
11 (2009)
Pipelines:
condensate 43 km; gas 7,541 km; liquid petroleum gas 59 km; oil 699 km; refined products 4,417 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 16,454 km country comparison to the world: 17 broad gauge: 303 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland)
standard gauge: 16,151 km 1.435-m gauge (5,248 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 398,366 km country comparison to the world: 16 paved: 398,366 km (includes 3,520 km of expressways) (2006)
Waterways:
3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2008) country comparison to the world: 32
Merchant marine:
total: 518 country comparison to the world: 22 by type: bulk carrier 33, cargo 67, carrier 5, chemical tanker 61, container 180, liquefied gas 18, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 67, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 12, roll on/roll off 24, vehicle carrier 18
foreign-owned: 264 (Cyprus 2, Denmark 62, Finland 1, France 23, Germany 76, Hong Kong 2, Ireland 1, Italy 5, Japan 4, NZ 1, Norway 31, South Africa 3, Spain 1, Sweden 17, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 11, Turkey 2, UAE 9, US 12)
registered in other countries: 391 (Algeria 11, Antigua and Barbuda 9, Argentina 4, Australia 5, Bahamas 56, Barbados 9, Belize 5, Bermuda 3, Brunei 1, Cape Verde 1, Cayman Islands 3, Cyprus 19, Gibraltar 2, Greece 32, Hong Kong 39, India 2, Italy 7, South Korea 1, Liberia 20, Luxembourg 8, Malta 19, Marshall Islands 18, Netherlands 2, Norway 5, Panama 59, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 14, Sierra Leone 2, Singapore 17, Slovakia 1, Spain 5, Sweden 2, Thailand 5, Tonga 1, US 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Dover, Felixstowe, Immingham, Liverpool, London, Southampton,Teesport (England); Forth Ports, Hound Point (Scotland); MilfordHaven (Wales)
Military ::United Kingdom
Military branches:
Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
16-33 years of age (officers 17-28) for voluntary military service (with parental consent under 18); women serve in military services, but are excluded from ground combat positions and some naval postings; must be citizen of the UK, Commonwealth, or Republic of Ireland; reservists serve a minimum of 3 years, to age 45 or 55; 16 years of age for voluntary military service by Nepalese citizens in the Brigade of the Gurkhas; 16-34 years of age for voluntary military service by Papua New Guinean citizens (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 14,729,500
females age 16-49: 14,125,600 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 12,123,900
females age 16-49: 11,616,769 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 393,892
female: 376,351 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2.4% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Transnational Issues ::United Kingdom
Disputes - international:
in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement between the UK and Spain; the Government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the two countries; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory), and its former inhabitants since their eviction in 1965; most Chagossians reside in Mauritius, and in 2001 were granted UK citizenship, where some have since resettled; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed the UK Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; UK rejects sovereignty talks requested by Argentina, which still claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm
Illicit drugs:
producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin, Latin American cocaine, and synthetic drugs; money-laundering center
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@United States (North America)
Introduction ::United States
Background:
Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Geography ::United States
Location:
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the NorthPacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
North America
Area:
total: 9,826,675 sq km country comparison to the world: 3 land: 9,161,966 sq km
water: 664,709 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area - comparative:
about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa; about half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China; more than twice the size of the European Union
Land boundaries:
total: 12,034 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,141 km
note: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is leased by the US and is part of Cuba; the base boundary is 28 km
Coastline:
19,924 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: not specified
Climate:
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain:
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,198 m
Natural resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
note: the US has the world's largest coal reserves with 491 billion short tons accounting for 27% of the world's total
Land use:
arable land: 18.01%
permanent crops: 0.21%
other: 81.78% (2005)
Irrigated land:
223,850 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
3,069 cu km (1985)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 477 cu km/yr (13%/46%/41%)
per capita: 1,600 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
tsunamis; volcanoes; earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environment - current issues:
air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and fertilizers; limited natural fresh water resources in much of the western part of the country require careful management; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Desertification,Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note:
world's third-largest country by size (after Russia and Canada) and by population (after China and India); Mt. McKinley is highest point in North America and Death Valley the lowest point on the continent
People ::United States
Population:
307,212,123 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 3
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)
15-64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)
65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 36.7 years
male: 35.4 years
female: 38 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.975% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 129
Birth rate:
13.82 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 153
Death rate:
8.38 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Net migration rate:
4.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Urbanization:
urban population: 82% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.26 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 180 male: 6.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.11 years country comparison to the world: 50 male: 75.65 years
female: 80.69 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.05 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 125
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 68
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.2 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
22,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups:
white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean persons of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin including those of Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican Republic, Spanish, and Central or South American origin living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic
Religions:
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Languages:
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian andPacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census)
note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 16 years
male: 15 years
female: 16 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 57
Government ::United States
Country name:
conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA
Government type:
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
name: Washington, DC
geographic coordinates: 38 53 N, 77 02 W
time difference: UTC-5 (during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November
note: the 50 United States cover six time zones
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*,Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, NorthDakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, SouthCarolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas:
American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island,Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island,Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, VirginIslands, Wake Island
note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands; it entered into a political relationship with all four political units: the Northern Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October 1986); the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994)
Independence:
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system:
federal court system based on English common law; each state has its own unique legal system, of which all but one (Louisiana, which is still influenced by the Napoleonic Code) is based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph R. BIDEN (since 20 January 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Barack H. OBAMA (since 20 January 2009); Vice President Joseph BIDEN (since 20 January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state; president and vice president serve four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held on 6 November 2012)
election results: Barack H. OBAMA elected president; percent of popular vote - Barack H. OBAMA 52.4%, John MCCAIN 46.3%, other 1.3%;
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress consists of the Senate (100 seats, 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms; one-third are elected every two years) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held November 2010); House of Representatives - last held 4 November 2008 (next to be held in November 2010)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 41, independent 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 257, Republican Party 178
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [Timothy KAINE]; Green Party; Libertarian Party[William (Bill) REDPATH]; Republican Party [Michael STEELE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
environmentalists; business groups; labor unions; churches; ethnic groups; political action committees or PAC; health groups; education groups; civic groups; youth groups; transportation groups; agricultural groups; veterans groups; women's groups; reform lobbies
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), ANZUS, APEC,Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS,BSEC (observer), CBSS (observer), CE (observer), CERN (observer),CP, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, G-20, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA,MINUSTAH, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club,PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SECI (observer), SPC, UN, UNSecurity Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNITAR, UNMIL, UNOMIG,UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Flag description:
13 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
Economy ::United States
Economy - overview:
The US has the largest and most technologically powerful economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $46,900. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make most of the decisions, and the federal and state governments buy needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, to lay off surplus workers, and to develop new products. At the same time, they face higher barriers to enter their rivals' home markets than foreign firms face entering US markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military equipment; their advantage has narrowed since the end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at the top and, more and more, fail to get comparable pay raises, health insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households. The war in March-April 2003 between a US-led coalition and Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, required major shifts in national resources to the military. Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in the Gulf Coast region in August 2005, but had a small impact on overall GDP growth for the year. Soaring oil prices between 2005 and the first half of 2008 threatened inflation and unemployment, as higher gasoline prices ate into consumers' budgets. Imported oil accounts for about two-thirds of US consumption. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical and pension costs of an aging population, sizable trade and budget deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic groups. The merchandise trade deficit reached a record $819 billion in 2007 and $821 billion in 2008. The global economic downturn, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, investment bank failures, falling home prices, and tight credit pushed the United States into a recession by mid-2008. To help stabilize financial markets, the US Congress established a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in October 2008. The government used some of these funds to purchase equity in US banks and other industrial corporations. In January 2009 the US Congress passed and President Barack OBAMA signed a bill providing an additional $787 billion fiscal stimulus - two-thirds on additional spending and one-third on tax cuts - to create jobs and to help the economy recover.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.44 trillion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 2 $14.38 trillion (2007 est.)
$14.09 trillion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.44 trillion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 193 2.1% (2007 est.)
2.7% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$47,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 10 $47,700 (2007 est.)
$47,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.2%
industry: 19.2%
services: 79.6% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
154.3 million (includes unemployed) (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Labor force - by occupation:
farming, forestry, and fishing 0.6%, manufacturing, extraction, transportation, and crafts 22.6%, managerial, professional, and technical 35.5%, sales and office 24.8%, other services 16.5%
note: figures exclude the unemployed (2007)
Unemployment rate:
5.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 72 4.6% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
12% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 30% (2007 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: