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UK

United Kingdom

An island country in western Europe. The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It covers an area of ??244,100 square kilometers. Population 58.2 million (1993). 83% of the population is concentrated in England. The official language is English, and about 1/4 of the population in Wales speaks Welsh. Most of the residents believe in Protestant Christianity. Capital London.

Geography The United Kingdom consists of the island of Great Britain (including England, Scotland and Wales), the northeastern part of the island of Ireland and some small islands. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest; it faces the European continent to the east across the North Sea, the Strait of Dover, and the English Channel; and to the west of the southern part of the island of Great Britain, it faces Ireland across the Irish Sea and the Strait of St. George. The general terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. The main mountain ranges are the Pennine Mountains and the Grampian Mountains; the main peak of the Grampian Mountains, Ben Nevis, is 1,344 meters above sea level, the highest point in the country. The main rivers are the Severn and Thames. It has a temperate maritime climate, which is mild and humid all year round. It rains and fogs all year round, especially in autumn and winter.

History After about 700 BC, the Celts from western Europe moved into the British Isles. In the 1st century AD, the Romans occupied southeastern England and built a castle in London. Since the 5th century, Nordic tribes have invaded, including the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes, and settled here. The feudal system began to form in the 7th century, and many small countries merged into 7 kingdoms, which competed with each other for 200 years; during this period, the Vikings invaded repeatedly. In 827 King Egbert of Wessex unified England. It was invaded by the Danes at the end of the 8th century and became part of the Danish pirate empire from 1016 to 1042. After the short-term rule of the British king, in 1066, the French Duke of Normandy crossed the sea to conquer England and was named William I. King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta in 1215, and royal power was suppressed. From 1337 to 1453, Britain and France fought the Hundred Years War, with Britain first winning and then losing. During the Elizabeth I period (1558-1603), she defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588, established maritime hegemony, and carried out a series of colonial expansions. The bourgeois revolution broke out in 1640; in 1642, a civil war broke out between the royalists and parliamentarians. On May 19, 1649, it was declared the Republic of China. The Stuart dynasty was restored in 1660, and the "Glorious Revolution" occurred in 1668, laying the foundation for a constitutional monarchy. From the second half of the 18th century to the first half of the 19th century, it became the first country in the world to complete the industrial revolution. In 1914, the colonies it occupied were 111 times larger than the mainland. It became the world's largest colonial empire and called itself the "Empire on which the Sun Never Sets." It began to decline after World War I. In 1931, it was forced to promulgate the Act of Westminster, recognizing the independence of its autonomous territories in domestic affairs and foreign affairs, and the colonial system began to shake. Heavy losses occurred in World War II. After the war, its economic strength weakened, and its political status declined accordingly; under the impact of the world's anti-imperialist, anti-colonial, and national liberation movements, the British imperial colonial system gradually collapsed. A loose Commonwealth system is maintained. After the Second World War, the British Conservative Party and the British Labor Party took turns in power. In May 1979, Margaret Thatcher of the Conservative Party became the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Conservatives won consecutive elections in 1983 and 1987. In November 1990, J. Major was elected leader of the Conservative Party and became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1992, the Conservative Party led by John Major won power for the fourth time. In May 1997, Labor Party leader T. Blair became prime minister. On April 10, 1998, the United Kingdom, Ireland and relevant parties in Northern Ireland reached the Northern Ireland Peace Agreement.

Political Britain has no written constitution so far. It uses conventions, traditions, declarations, bills, etc. that have always involved fundamental issues of the country as its constitutional guidelines. The main ones are the Magna Carta of Liberty, the Habeas Corpus, and the Rights of the Constitution. Acts, parliamentary laws, and successively revised electoral laws, municipal self-government laws, county council laws, etc. The government is a constitutional monarchy. The king is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the leader of the Church of England and secular people. He formally has the power to appoint and remove the prime minister, ministers, senior judges and governors of various territories, and to convene, stop and dissolve parliament. But the real power lies with the cabinet. The reigning monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne on February 6, 1952.

The British Parliament consists of the King (Queen), the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords, also known as the House of Lords, is composed of descendants of the royal family, hereditary nobles, newly created nobles, judges of the Court of Appeal, and church archbishops and bishops. Lord MacKay, Speaker of the House of Lords. The House of Commons, also known as the House of Commons, was elected in May 1997. The Speaker is Betty Boothroyd. The British cabinet consists of the Prime Minister, Privy Councilors and important ministers. The cabinet formed in May 1997 was headed by Tony Blair of the Labor Party as prime minister. The main political parties in the UK are: ①Conservative Party. Formerly known as the Tory Party founded in 1679, it took its current name in 1833. ②The Labor Party, established in 1900, was originally called the Labor Representative Committee and changed to its current name in 1906. ③Social Liberal Democratic Party. In March 1988, it was formed by the majority of the original Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party that supported the merger with the Liberal Party. Other political parties include the Democratic Left, the New Communist Party of Britain, and the Green Party.

Economy Britain's GDP ranks fifth among Western countries. From the second half of 1981 to the end of 1989, the economy continued to grow at a low speed for eight years, the inflation rate dropped significantly for a time, and the unemployment phenomenon eased. But the trade deficit keeps growing. The economy entered recession in the second half of 1990, with sluggish economic growth, a decline in fixed investment, negative growth in industrial output, and rising unemployment. This recession was the longest since the war. The economy began to recover at the beginning of 1993, but the momentum was weak and gradually stabilized at the end of the year. The gross national product in 1992 was 348.5 billion pounds (calculated at constant 1985 prices). Monetary unit: British pound; exchange rate is 1.502 US dollars per British pound (1993 average exchange rate).

The United Kingdom is the most energy-rich country in the European Union. Mainly oil, natural gas and coal, making it the sixth largest oil producer in the world. The forest covers an area of ??2.27 million hectares. Britain's traditional industries such as textiles, mining, metallurgy, and machinery are becoming increasingly backward, and their products lack competitiveness and are in urgent need of updating. Emerging industries such as aviation, electronics, and chemicals are relatively advanced. Undersea oil exploration, information engineering, satellite communications, microelectronics technology and other aspects have made great progress in recent years. The main industrial products include coal, pig iron, crude oil, newsprint, electricity, automobiles, synthetic rubber, etc.

British agricultural production level is relatively high. 75% of the country's land is used for agriculture, mostly private farms. The main agricultural products include wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, etc. One-third of the farms in the UK specialize in breeding, with the main livestock being cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. The UK is one of the most important fishing countries in Europe and can meet 2/3 of its needs.

The service industry has developed rapidly in recent years and its status has become increasingly important. In 1993, the total output value accounted for 65% of the GDP, and the employed population accounted for 72% of the total employed population. Tourism is one of the important economic sectors in the UK. The main tourist spots are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Brighton, Greenwich, Stratford, Oxford, Cambridge, etc.

British transportation is mainly by land. Railway transportation is developed. London has a fairly complete subway network. On June 20, 1993, the Channel Tunnel was completed. The total length of railways is 16,500 kilometers, and the total length of highways is 362,300 kilometers, including 3,147 kilometers of expressways. The total length of inland shipping lines is 3,750 kilometers. ***There are more than 300 large and small ports. The main ports are Salenwall, London, Tees-Hartpool, Milford-Haven, Grimsby-Imingham, Forth, Southampton, Orkney, Felixstowe, Mi Devi, Dover, Liverpool. There are 12 international airports with an annual passenger flow of more than 1 million, mainly Heathrow, Gateswick, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham. Most oil from North Sea oil fields is transported back to land through underwater pipelines. The total length of oil pipelines is 1,686 kilometers; the gas pipelines are approximately 5,330 kilometers.

The United Kingdom is the fifth largest trading nation in the world. Exports of goods and services account for about 1/3 of GDP. It has trade relations with more than 80 countries and regions. Advocate for a multilateral trading system and further liberalization of world trade. Mainly exports machinery, automobiles, aviation equipment, electrical and electronic products, chemical products, petroleum, etc.; imports raw materials and food, etc. The largest trading partner is the European Union. In 1992, trade with the European Union accounted for more than half of Britain's foreign trade. Followed by other Western countries, North America, OECD member countries, oil-exporting countries, developing countries, Eastern Europe and CIS countries. Germany is the UK's largest exporter and importer. Next is the United States. The vast majority of UK foreign investment is in developed countries. Britain's foreign aid countries include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda, etc. The vast majority of foreign investment in the UK comes from developed countries. The United States accounts for almost half.

Cultural education implements a compulsory education system for children aged 5 to 16 years old. There is basically no illiteracy in the country. Primary and secondary schools are divided into public and private schools, and students in public schools are exempt from paying tuition; private schools have better teachers and better equipment, but charge higher fees. Universities include Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Edinburgh, etc. The major newspapers include the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, The Sun, The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph ", "Observer", "Economist", etc. The major news agencies in the UK include Reuters, Press Association, and Exchange News Agency. British broadcasting has a long history and developed business. The British Broadcasting Corporation was founded in 1922 and began broadcasting television programs in 1936.

Foreign Relations After World War II, Britain's national power declined, the colonial system collapsed, and the Commonwealth became increasingly loose. Faced with the bipolar system formed after the war, Britain adjusted its foreign and defense policy in the mid-1960s and focused its defense on Europe. The UK joined the European Union in 1973. Since then, Europe has occupied a "priority position" in British diplomacy. However, the UK has not given up moving closer to the United States, and has actively supported and cooperated with US policies and propositions on major issues. After 1991, with the drastic changes in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and the end of the post-war bipolar system, the United Kingdom actively adjusted its foreign policy in an attempt to continue to play its role as a great power in the new pattern.

On June 17, 1954, the United Kingdom and China reached an agreement to exchange chargé d’affaires. On March 13, 1972, the two countries signed a joint communique upgrading diplomatic relations to ambassadorial level. Since the 1980s, relations between the two countries have developed significantly, with an increasing number of high-level visits. On December 19, 1984, the Chinese and British governments signed the "Joint Declaration on the Question of Hong Kong", confirming that China would resume the exercise of sovereignty over Hong Kong on July 1, 1997 and establish the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Since Hong Kong Governor Patten proposed the Hong Kong political system plan in October 1992, China and Britain have had differences on the Hong Kong issue, which has caused difficulties in the relations between the two countries. On December 15, 1993, the British Hong Kong authorities ignored China's opposition and unilaterally submitted part of the political reform plan to the Legislative Council, seriously damaging Sino-British relations. Other important agreements signed by the two countries include: Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion, Memorandum of Understanding on Space Cooperation, Second Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation, Agreement on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investments, Memorandum on Preferential Loan Arrangements, Sino-British Atmospheric Science and Technology Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, the Sino-British Cultural, Educational and Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Plan from 1991 to 1993, the new health cooperation agreement, etc. In 1992, the trade volume between China and Britain reached US$1.94 billion.

The United Kingdom advocates strengthening relations with Western Europe, supports the European Union, and supports the establishment of a unified European market, but opposes the establishment of a supranational "European Federation or Confederation" and is opposed to the European Union. We have reservations about the physical and social charter. In 1988, the UK's trade with the other 11 countries in the European Union accounted for 1/2 of the UK's total foreign trade. In 1989, the total trade volume between the two sides was US$181.2927 billion. In August 1993, the United Kingdom ratified the Maastricht Treaty.

The United Kingdom and the United States have a traditional cooperative relationship. When the Conservative Party came to power in 1979, relations between the two countries were further strengthened, and Britain regarded the United States as its main ally. After the Cold War, especially since Clinton came to power, the special relationship between Britain and the United States has continued to weaken, and the two countries have differences on some issues involving their vital interests. The United States has 30,000 troops stationed in Britain and has 10 military bases, including 1 submarine base and 9 air force bases.