British National Demographics

Background

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.

Source: This public domain information was collated by the US Central Intelligence Agency in the World Factbook as is the content of the other pages within this section.

Latest News about the British National Statistics

National Statistics Online Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:40:42 GMT The UK's home of official statistics, reflecting Britain's economy, population and society at national and local level. Source Logo News Items Economy: UK Trade Deficit narrowed to £4.7bn in August Economy: Index of Production Manufacturing: 1.1% three-monthly fall Health and Care: Health Expectancy Living longer, more years in poor health Economy: GDP Growth Economic growth was 0.0% in Q2 2008