United Kingdom

Flag
File:Uk-flag.png
Quick Facts
Capital	London
Government	constitutional monarchy
Currency	British pound (GBP)
Area	total: 244,820 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands land: 241,590 sq km
Population	59,778,002 (July 2002 est.)
Language	English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Religion	Anglican and Roman Catholic 40 million, Muslim 1.5 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 500,000, Hindu 500,000, Jewish 350,000

The United Kingdom occupies all of the island of Great Britain and most of the rest of the British Isles just off the northern coast of Europe. Made up of four major countries -- England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland -- as well as several minor islands and protectorates, the UK is a patchwork of cultures with fascinating history and modern culture. Although Britannia no longer rules the waves, the UK is still a central destination for all travelers.

Regions

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is made up of several countries and territories:

• Great Britain
  • England
  • Scotland
  • Wales
• Ireland
  • Northern Ireland
• Smaller islands
  • Isle of Man
  • Orkney Islands
  • Shetland Islands

Note that technically Great Britain is the name for the largest of the British Isles, comprised of Scotland, England, and Wales. It is often used as a misnomer for the entire United Kingdom.

See also: Ireland

Cities

There are many cities in the United Kingdom; these are a few of the major ones.

• Belfast - capital of Northern Ireland
• Birmingham
• Cambridge - famous University
• Edinburgh - capital of Scotland, castle and culture
• Glasgow - Scottish city, new cultural hotspot
• Liverpool - home of the Beatles, maritime heritage
• London
• Manchester
• Oxford - the other famous University town
• Sheffield

Get in

By plane

London has several large international airports - Heathrow and Gatwick are major worldwide hubs, while Stansted and Luton serve mainly no-frills airlines from European destinations. None are very central so you'll need to use public transport to reach Central London. There are also several large airports in the regions, including Aberdeen, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester, Newcastle and Teesside.

By train

Eurostar services run to London and Ashford in Kent from Paris, Lille and Brussels through the Channel Tunnel. The journey time is two hours forty minutes from Paris.

By car

The Channel Tunnel has provided a rail/road connection since 1994. Shuttle trains carry cars from Calais to Folkestone, the journey taking around 40 minutes. On arrival at Folkestone, you can drive on to the M20 motorway which heads towards London. Car ferries also operate to many parts of the UK, see 'by boat' section.

By boat

There are a large number of ferry routes into the UK, particularly to ports on the English Channel. Here are the main routes, sorted first by the country of departure.

• Arriving from Scandinavia
  • Bergen to Newcastle
  • Haugesund to Newcastle
  • Stavanger to Newcastle
  • Kristiansand to Newcastle
  • Gothenburg to Newcastle
  • Esbjerg to Harwich
• Arriving from Germany
  • Cuxhaven to Harwich
• Arriving from the Netherlands
  • Umuiden to Newcastle
  • Hook of Holland to Harwich
  • Rotterdam to Hull
• Arriving from Belgium
  • Zeebrugge to Hull (P&O/daily overnight/12hrs30min), to Dover (P&O/up to 6 daily/4hr30min)
  • Ostend to Dover (Hoverspeed/up to 3 daily/2hrs)
• Arriving from France
  • Dunkerque to Dover (Norfolkline/up to 10 daily/2hrs)
  • Calais to Dover (P&O/up to 35 daily/75-90min, SeaFrance/15 daily/70-90min, Hoverspeed/up to 15 daily/45min)
  • Dieppe to Newhaven (Hoverspeed/up to 5 daily/2hrs15min-4hrs)
  • Le Havre to Portsmouth
  • Caen to Portsmouth
  • Cherbourg to Portsmouth, Poole
  • St Malo to Portsmouth, Weymouth
  • Roscoff to Plymouth
• Arriving from Spain
  • Bilbao to Portsmouth
  • Santander to Plymouth
• Arriving from Ireland
  • Cork to Swansea
  • Rosslare to Pembroke, Fishguard
  • Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead
  • Dublin to Holyhead, Mostyn, Liverpool
• for services to/from the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Western Isles, see their 'get there' sections.
• for services between Northern Island and Great Britain, see the 'get around' section below.
• See http://www.ferryinformationservice.co.uk

Talk

English is spoken everywhere. In some parts of Wales or Scotland, Welsh or Gaelic may be used, but everyone will speak English to tourists. There are strong regional accents which may make comprehension difficult.

External links

• Visit Britain -- the official Web site of UK Tourism

This article is still a stub and needs your attention. Plunge forward and help it grow!