Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France.
Land Area: total: 244,820 sq km (94,424 sq miles)
water: 3,230 sq km (1,247 sq miles)
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
land: 241,590 sq km (93,277 sq miles)
Coastline: 12,429 km (7,724 miles)
Highest Point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m (4,405 ft)
Lowest Point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m (0 ft)
Notable Landmarks: Visit them now!

The United Kingdom (UK), a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60 percent of food needs with only one percent of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account for the largest proportion of the GDP, while industry continues to decline in importance. The GDP growth slipped in 2001 to 2003 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Still, the economy is one of the strongest in Europe. Inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): $1.869 trillion (2005 est.)
GDP Per Capita: $30,900 (2005 est.)
Number of Workers: 30.07 million (2005 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (2005 est.)
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, and other consumer goods.
Currency: British pound (GBP) What does it look like?

Type of Government: Constitutional monarchy
Head 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 Anthony (Tony) Blair (since 2 May 1997)
Capital City: London
Legal Age to Vote: 18
Flag Design: 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, as well as British overseas territories.
Official Language: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Religions: Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000

Great Britain, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science. At its zenith, 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. 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. It currently is weighing the degree of its integration with continental Europe. A member of the EU, it chose to remain outside the European Monetary Union for the time being. Constitutional reform is also a significant issue in the UK. The Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, and the Northern Ireland Assembly were established in 1999, but the latter is suspended due to bickering over the peace process.