United Kingdom: An Economic Overview

Essay by beernuttyCollege, UndergraduateA, May 2003

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Executive Summary:

The United Kingdom consists of four different regions or countries being England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. England is the largest and most populous division of the island of Great Britain, making up the south and east. Wales is on the west and Scotland is to the north. Northern Ireland is located in the northeast corner of Ireland, the second largest island in the British Isles. The capital of the United Kingdom is the city of London, situated near the southeastern tip of England. The UK is a small nation in size but is still highly economically developed, pre-eminent in the arts and sciences, sophisticated in technology, and highly prosperous and peaceful. In the early 20th century, a quarter of the world's people and a quarter of the world's land surface were controlled in some way by Britain. Some parts of the world received substantial numbers of British emigrants and developed into what were called daughter nations.

The UK is a member of the European Union and maintains strong bonds with neighbouring nations. The main languages in the UK include English, Welsh, and a Scottish form of Gaelic. The main nationalities of the people that live in the UK are English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Ulster, West Indian, Indian, and Pakistani, however the UK attracts immigrants from a diverse number of other nations as well. Some issues that have posed problems for the UK in the past are issues of overpopulation causing pollution and high unemployment rates that have in turn caused large welfare troubles for the nation. The United Kingdom is one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth. The UK has in past and continues to pursue a global approach to foreign policy. British subjects...