Although
it is as closer to the North Pole as eastern Siberia or Hudson Bay
English is the official language, but many people know more than one language. Around 20% of the people Wales speak Welsh and children learn it in schools. About 80,000 people in Scotland speak Gaelic. For centuries people from overseas have settled in Britain to escape persecution or in search of a better standard of living. They have brought with them their languages, cultures and religions. The most widely spoken minority languages today are from the Asian sub-continent but other languages include Italian, Spanish, Greek, Turkish and Chinese. Ethnic minority communities make up about 5 % of the total population.
Population growth in Western Europe is generally low. There were 781,000 live births in Britain in 1992, or 13,5 live births per 1,000 population. The death rate is slightly lower at 11 per 1,000. The population is therefore fairly stable. The proportion of elderly people has been increasing as a result of better standards of living and health care. The percentage of young people on the population has been falling. At present only 20% of people in Britain are under the age of 16.
Although Britain is quite small in terms of land area, it has a large population of nearly 58 million, which ranks 17th in the world. With an average of 239 people per sq. km, Britain has the highest population density in Europe. Most people in Britain live in towns or cities. England has 370 people per sq. km; Scotland has 66 Wales 139 and Northern Ireland 118. London is the 17 Th most heavily populated city in the world, but still much smaller than Mexico City.
Roman rule of England and Wales lasted from AD 43 to around AD 409. Over the next 600 years there were invasions and settlements by peoples from northern Europe. The last successful invasion was by the Normans in 1066. In 1172 the King of England made himself Lord of Ireland. The uniting of England with Wales and with Scotland led on to the union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801. In 1921 Ireland was partitioned, Northern Ireland remains within Britain.
Britain
is a parliamentary democracy. Herb Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who succeeded to
the throne in 1952, is Head of State, with a largely ceremonial role. The House
of Commons and House of
Lords, with the monarch, comprise. The Prime Minister heads the Government and
appoints ministers. The Commons has 651 elected Members, each representing a
local constituency or area Elections, in which citizens over 18 may vote by
secret ballot, are held at lest every five years.
In Britain oil is the main source of power and Britain is now the ninth largest producer of crude oil in the world. Manufacturing industries once employed the greatest number of people. There are still a number of large companies in the vehicle, aerospace, chemical and electronics manufacturing industries. But the average company is fairly small with 80% employing fewer than 2 people. Today it is the service industries like baking, insurance, advertising, computer software, and tourism.
From the air Britain still looks like an agricultural country. Towns and cities cover only about 10% of the land; about 5% is forest and 10% is rough moorland. Much of the rest of the land is cultivated. Britain has one of the most efficient agricultural industries in Europe. On the eastern side of Britain farmers grow arable crops such as wheat and cereals. In the wet grasslands of the west they keep cattle and sheep.
