Natural Resources

About 75 per cent of the land area is suitable for agriculture. Around 40 per cent of this is suitable for arable farming, concentrated mainly in eastern and south-central England, and eastern Scotland. The majority of land is under grass and given over to livestock grazing. Most sheep and cattle are reared in the Scottish Highlands, and on the hill and moorland areas of Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern and south-western England.Forests and woodlands cover about 10 per cent of the UK (it is way below the 25 per cent average for Europe). The managed forest area has doubled since the founding in 1919 of the Forestry Commission that is responsible for the protection and development of Britains forest and woodland resources.

Britain has relatively few mineral resources; natural gas and oil dominates the production over construction (gypsum, clay, etc.) and industrial (salt, potash, etc.) minerals. The coal deposits of north-central England, Wales, and Scotland, and the iron ore deposits of the Pennines area played an important role in Britains development as the worlds first industrial nation. Since the end of World War II the iron-ore and tin-mining industries have been declined by the exhaustion of reserves. The last surviving Cornish tin mine continued a 3,000-year-old tradition, dating back to the Phoenicians, until its closure in 1998.In contrast, Britain has the richest energy resources of the EU - including large deposits of coal, mined for more than 300 years (however coal production is down to one fifth compared to its peak at the beginning of the 20th century.), and oil and natural gas, both primarily found in the British sector of the North Sea, off eastern Scotland and eastern England respectively. Oil was first discovered in 1969 and production began in 1975; by 1980, 15 fields were producing almost all of Britains requirements. In the mid-1990s over 100 fields were in production, and Britain was within the worlds top-ten oil producers (now the 13th). Production of natural gas began in 1967; today Britain is the worlds fourth-largest gas producer.

Coal(Non-Renewable Resources) For most of the 19th and 20th centuries, coal was England's richest natural resource, meeting most of the nation's requirement for energy. Today, coal can be produced more cheaply in other countries and so many British factories and mines have closed.In 1970 we were the third largest producer of coal but coal production has declined rapidly sine then. In 2000, only 35 million tonnes of coal was produced compared to 145 million in 1970.Areas like south Wales, central Scotland, the north of England (the Midlands, Merseyside, Manchester, West Yorkshire and Newcastle) and London were important industrial centres.

In 2012 theoil and gas industry in the United Kingdomproduced 50 million cubic metres of petroleum, of which 98% was produced from offshore fields.[1]Almost all UK oil and gas production comes from offshore, where there is a network of 14,000km of pipelines linking 107oil platforms, 181 gas platforms and a large number of subsea installations. There are 383 producing offshore fields, including 17 which started production in 2008.[2]From the late 1970s to the early 2000s, the United Kingdom was a major exporter of oil and gas. The UK is now a net importer of oil and gas.

National Parks in the United Kingdom

TenNational Parkswere created in England and Wales at during the 1950s; three in Wales and seven in England.The establishment of National Parks in Scotland (for long one of only four countries in the world without) has just finished. Altogether they cover more than 10% of the land in the United Kingdom.National Parks aim both to protect the outstanding countryside within their boundaries and to provide opportunities for outside recreation for their many thousands of visitors each year. The largest Park is TheCairngormsN.P. in Scotland (3,800 sq km). The three National Parks in Wales account for about the 20 per cent of the total land area. They are so called"working" or lived in landscapes,where people and nature co-exist.England [1] Dartmoor [2] Exmoor [3] Lake District [4] North York Moors [5] Northumberland [6] Peak District [7] Yorkshire Dales [8] The Broads* [9] The New Forest, 2005 [10] South Downs**Wales [11] Snowdonia [12] Brecon Beacons [13] Pembrokeshire CoastScotland [14] Cairngorms National Park, 2003[15] Loch Lomond, 2002

The Cairngorms National Park officially opened on the 1st of September 2003. It is Scotland's second national park, and the U.K's largest at 3800 square kilometres (1400 square miles).

Physical Tourist Attraction

The physical geography of the UK varies greatly. It includes the chalk cliffs of Kent [1] and Dorset [2], the rolling hills and fields of southeast England, the granite cliffs of Cornwall [3], the mountains of Wales [4], the uplands of the Peak District [5] and the Pennines [6], the lakes and mountains of Cumbria [7], the Scottish lowlands [8], highlands [9] and islands, and the fields, lakes and mountains of Northern Ireland [10]. The country can be roughly divided into highland and lowland along the Tees-Exe line (on the map) that links the mouth of the River Tees, the north east of England with the mouth of the River Exe in Devon, the south west.

The highest mountains are in...ScotlandBen Nevis1344 m

WalesSnowdon1085m

EnglandScafell Pike978 m

Northern IrelandSlieve Donard852 m

The largest lakes are in...ScotlandLoch Lomond71 sq km

WalesLake Vyrnwy8.3 sq km

EnglandWindermere14.8 sq km

Northern IrelandLough Neagh382 sq km(65% of lake Balaton)

The longest rivers are in...ScotlandRiver Tay188 km

WalesRiver Towy103 km

EnglandRiver Thames346 km

Northern IrelandRiver Bann122 km

The longest river in the UK is the River Severn (354km) which flows through both Wales and England. As a result of its industrial history, the United Kingdom has an extensive system of canals, mostly built in the early years of the Industrial Revolution, before the rise of competition from the railways. The United Kingdom also has numerous dams and reservoirs to store water for drinking and industry.

There are many types of physical tourist attraction to United Kingdoma. Natural Landscapeb. Plateauc. Island and Beachesd. River and Lakee. Hill and Mountainf. Dessert and Valley g. Sea and Oceansh. Artificial waterwaysi. Coastline

Artificial waterways

As a result of its industrial history, the United Kingdom has an extensive system ofcanals, mostly built in the early years of theIndustrial Revolution, before the rise of competition from therailways. The United Kingdom also has numerousdamsandreservoirsto store water for drinking and industry. The generation ofhydroelectric poweris rather limited, supplying less than 2% of British electricity mainly from the Scottish Highlands.

A canal boat traverses the longest and highest aqueduct in theUK, atPontcysyllteinDenbighshire,Wales

Coastline[edit]

United Kingdom maritime claimsThe UK has acoastlinewhich measures about 12,429km.[13]The heavy indentation of the coastline helps to ensure that no location is more than 125km from tidal waters.The UK claims jurisdiction over thecontinental shelf, as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries, an exclusive fishing zone of 200nmi(370.4km; 230.2mi), and territorial sea of 12nmi (22.2km; 13.8mi).

The cliffs are on on the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a geological wonder of the UK

Demography

At the April 2001 census, the United Kingdom's population was 58,789,194 (This has risen to 60,441,457 according to July 2005 estimates) - the third-largest in the European Union (behind Germany and France) and the 22st-largest in the world.The total population of England is estimated at 49.1 million (84%), Wales is estimated at 2.9 million (5%), Scotland (8%) at 5.1 million and Northern Ireland at 1.7 million (3%) people.Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's prosperous and fertile southeast and is predominantly urban and suburban - with about 7.2 million in the capital of London.England has the highest population density and Scotland has the lowest.In 2001 there were61 cities in the UK: 49 in England, five in Scotland, four in Wales and three in Northern Ireland. City status is a mark of distinction granted by the personal Command of the Sovereign, on the advice of his or her Ministers.The population of Britains major cities is as follows (2001 census):EnglandLondon7,172,091Birmingham970,892Liverpool469,017Leeds443,247Sheffield439,866Bristol420,556Manchester394,269ScotlandGlasgow629,501Edinburgh430,082Aberdeen184,788Dundee154,674

WalesCardiff305,340Swansea225,000Newport139,500Northern IrelandBelfast276,459Derry90,736

Age structure:0-14 years:17.7%(15.6%)15-64 years:66.5%(69.2%)65 years and over:15.8%(15.2%)(2005 est.)

Population growth rate:0.28%(-0.25%)(2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:total population:78.4 years(72.7%)male:75.9 years(68.5%)female:81.0 years(77.1%)(2005 est.)

Ethnic groups:2001 census:

Religions:

The United Kingdom has one of the lowest levels of worship in the world, with less than 8% of people actually attending any form of worship on a regular basis (of whom the majority are of middle-aged and older generations).The main religion in the UK is Christianity, first introduced by the Romans. TheChurch of Englandis the officially established Christian church in England. It was established in 597 by Augustine of Canterbury on behalf of Pope Gregory I, but split from Rome in 1534 during the reign of Henry VIII of England. The Church of England is a state church, and its bishops sit in the House of Lords. The British monarch is required to be a member of the Church of England under the Act of Settlement 1701 and is the Supreme Governor. The Church of England is based at Canterbury Cathedral and the Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman. The Church in Wales was disestablished in the 1920s, although remains in the Anglican community.The Church of Scotland(known informally as The Kirk) is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterian church and is not subject to state control. The British monarch is an ordinary member, although the monarch is required to swear an oath to "defend the security" of the Church at their coronation. Splits in the Church since the reformation have led to the creation of various other Presbyterian churches in Scotland.The Catholic Churchin Great Britain is the second largest denomination of Christianity in the UK. Although after the reformation, strict laws were passed against Catholics; these were removed by the Catholic Emancipation laws in the 1850s.In the latter half of the 20th century, large scale immigration from the Commonwealth countries has led to the introduction of other religions that are popular amongst ethnic minorities. This has included religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.

United Kingdom Demographics Profile 2014

Population63,742,977 (July 2014 est.)

Age structure0-14 years:17.3% (male 5,660,891/female 5,380,448)15-24 years:12.6% (male 4,116,859/female 3,945,146)25-54 years:41% (male 13,299,731/female 12,843,937)55-64 years:11.5% (male 3,621,110/female 3,702,717)65 years and over:17.5% (male 4,990,024/female 6,182,114) (2014 est.)

Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio:54.8 %youth dependency ratio:27.2 %elderly dependency ratio:27.6 %potential support ratio:3.6 (2014 est.)

Median agetotal:40.4 yearsmale:39.2 yearsfemale:41.6 years (2014 est.)

Population growth rate0.54% (2014 est.)

Birth rate12.22 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Death rate9.34 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Net migration rate2.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)

Urbanizationurban population:79.6% of total population (2011)rate of urbanization:0.76% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities - populationLONDON (capital) 9.005 million; Birmingham 2.272 million; Manchester 2.213 million; West Yorkshire 1.625 million; Glasgow 1.137 million; Newcastle upon Tyne 874,000 (2011)

Sex ratioat birth:1.05 male(s)/female0-14 years:1.05 male(s)/female15-24 years:1.04 male(s)/female25-54 years:1.04 male(s)/female55-64 years:0.99 male(s)/female65 years and over:0.8 male(s)/femaletotal population:0.99 male(s)/female (2014 est.)

Infant mortality ratetotal:4.44 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale:4.86 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale:4 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)

Life expectancy at birthtotal population:80.42 yearsmale:78.26 yearsfemale:82.69 years (2014 est.)

Total fertility rate1.9 children born/woman (2014 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate84%note:percent of women aged 16-49 (2008/09)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.2% (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS85,000 (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deathsfewer than 1,000 (2009 est.)

Nationalitynoun:Briton(s), British (collective plural)adjective:British

Ethnic groupswhite 87.2%, black/African/Caribbean/black British 3%, Asian/Asian British: Indian 2.3%, Asian/Asian British: Pakistani 1.9%, mixed 2%, other 3.7% (2011 est.)

ReligionsChristian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, none 25.7%, unspecified 7.2% (2011 est.)

LanguagesEnglishnote:the following are recognized regional languages: Scots (about 30% of the population of Scotland), Scottish Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland), Welsh (about 20% of the population of Wales), Irish (about 10% of the population of Northern Ireland), Cornish (some 2,000 to 3,000 in Cornwall) (2012)