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...mauritius
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...united kingdom
...united states
 
 
 

Background

 

As the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland 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 and the Irish republic withdraw from the union. 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 Economic and 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 wrangling over the peace process.

 

The People

 

Population

60,776,238 (July 2007 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 17.2% (male 5,349,053/female 5,095,837)
15-64 years: 67% (male 20,605,031/female 20,104,313)
65 years and over: 15.8% (male 4,123,464/female 5,498,540) (2007 est.)

Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 78.7 years
male: 76.23 years
female: 81.3 years (2007 est.)

Population growth rate

0.275% (2007 est.)
Ethnic groupsWhite (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)
ReligionsChristian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)
Population below poverty line17% (2002 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS     51,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deathsless than 500 (2003 est.)
Mobile phones in use

61.091 million (2004)

 

Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook