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Britain, England
the United Kingdom
Island countries in western Europe. The full name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The area is 244 1 1,000 square kilometers. The population is 58.2 million (1993). 83% of the population is concentrated in England. The official language is English, and about14 people in Wales speak Welsh. Most residents believe in Protestantism. The capital London.
Geography Britain consists of Great Britain (including England, Scotland and Wales), northeastern Ireland and some small islands. Northwest Atlantic; The east faces the European continent across the North Sea, the Dover Strait and the English Channel. On the west side of the southern part of the island of Great Britain, it faces Ireland across the Irish Sea and St. George's Strait. The general terrain is high in the northwest and low in the southeast. The main mountains are pennines and Grampian Mountains; Ben Nevis, the main peak of the Grampian Mountains, is1344m above sea level, which is the highest point in China. The main rivers are Severn River and Thames River. It belongs to temperate maritime climate, which is mild and humid all year round. It is rainy and foggy all year round, especially in autumn and winter.
History After about 700 BC, Celts from Western Europe moved into the British Isles. /kloc-in the 0 th century, the Romans occupied southeast England and built castles in London. Since the 5th century, Nordic tribes have successively invaded and settled here, including the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. Feudalism began to form in the 7th century. Many small countries merged into seven kingdoms and competed with each other for 200 years. During this period, the vikings invaded many times. In 827, King Egbert of Wessex unified England. At the end of the 8th century, it was attacked by the Danes and became a part of the Danish pirate empire in 10 16 ~ 1042. After the short-term rule of the British king, the Duke of Normandy crossed the sea to conquer England in 1066, and was called William I. In 12 15, King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta of Freedom, and his kingship was suppressed. From 1337 to 1453, Britain fought a century-long war, and Britain won first and then lost. During the period of Elizabeth I (1558 ~ 1603), she defeated the Spanish armada in 1588, established maritime hegemony and carried out a series of colonial expansion. /kloc-the bourgeois revolution broke out in 0/640; 1642, civil war broke out between royalists and parliamentarians. 1649 may 19 announced the establishment of the * * * Republic. 1660 the restoration of the Stuart dynasty, 1668 the "glorious revolution" took place, which laid the foundation of constitutional monarchy. /kloc-from the second half of the 8th century to the first half of the 9th century, it became the first country in the world to complete the industrial revolution. 19 14 occupied a colony11times larger than the mainland, and it was the first colonial empire in the world, calling itself an "empire where the sun never sets". It began to decline after the First World War. 193 1 was forced to promulgate the Westminster act, which recognized the independence of its dominion in internal affairs and foreign affairs, and the colonial system began to shake. The second world war suffered heavy losses. After the war, economic strength weakened and political status declined; Under the impact of the world anti-imperialist and anti-colonial and national liberation movements, the British colonial system gradually collapsed. Now it maintains a loose Commonwealth system. After the Second World War, the British Conservative Party and the British Labour Party have been in power by turns. 1979 in may, Margaret Thatcher of the conservative party became the first female prime minister in Britain. In the general elections of 1983 and 1987, the Conservative Party won in succession. 1990165438+10 In October, Major was elected as the leader of the Conservative Party and became the British Prime Minister. 1992 The Conservative Party headed by Major came to power for the fourth time. 1In May 1997, T. Blair, leader of the Labor Party, became Prime Minister. 1April 1998 10, Britain, Ireland and Northern Ireland reached a Northern Ireland peace agreement.
Up to now, there is no written constitution in political Britain, which is based on conventions, traditions, declarations and bills that have always involved the fundamental issues of the country, including Magna Carta, the Personal Protection Act, the Bill of Rights, the Parliamentary Act, the Electoral Act, the Municipal Autonomy Act and the County Council Act. The political system is constitutional monarchy. The king is the head of state, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the leader of the Anglican Church and the secular world. Formally, he has the right to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister, ministers, senior judges and governors of various territories, and to convene, stop and dissolve parliaments. But the real power lies in the cabinet. The reigning monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the throne on February 6th, 1952.
The British Parliament consists of the King (Queen), the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Lords, also known as the House of Lords, consists of descendants of the royal family, hereditary aristocrats, newly appointed aristocrats, judges of the Court of Appeal, archbishops and church bishops. Lord MacKay, Speaker of the House of Lords. The House of Commons, also known as the House of Commons, was elected in May 1997, with Betty Boothroyd as its speaker. The British Cabinet consists of the Prime Minister, ministers and important ministers. 1The cabinet formed in May 1997 was headed by Blair of the Labour Party. The main political parties in Britain are: ① Conservative Party. Originally known as the Tory Party founded in 1679, it was renamed in 1833. (2) Labor Party, founded in 1900, formerly known as the Committee of Labor Representatives, was renamed in 1906. ③ Social Liberal Democratic Party. 1March 1988 was composed of the majority of the former Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party who supported the merger with the Liberal Party. Other political parties include the Democratic Left, the British Producers' New Party and the Green Party.
Britain's gross domestic product ranks fifth among western countries. From the second half of 198 1 to the end of 1989, the economy continued to grow at a low speed for eight years, the inflation rate dropped obviously, and the unemployment phenomenon was alleviated. However, the trade deficit continues to widen. 1990 in the second half of the year, the economy entered recession, economic growth was weak, fixed investment declined, industrial output was negative, and unemployment rate rose. This recession is the longest after the war. 1993 At the beginning of the year, the economy began to recover, but the momentum was weak and gradually stabilized at the end of the year. The GNP of 1992 is 348.5 billion pounds (calculated at the constant price of 1985). Currency unit pound; The exchange rate is 1 GBP 1.502 USD (average exchange rate 1993).
Britain is the most energy-rich country in Europe. Mainly oil, natural gas and coal, it is the sixth largest oil producer in the world. The forest area is 2.27 million hectares. The traditional industries such as textile, mining, metallurgy and machinery in Britain are increasingly backward, and their products are not competitive, so they are in urgent need of upgrading. Emerging industries such as aviation, electronics and chemical industry are more advanced. In recent years, great progress has been made in submarine oil exploitation, information engineering, satellite communication and microelectronics technology. The main industrial products are coal, pig iron, crude oil, newsprint, electricity, automobiles, synthetic rubber and so on.
The level of agricultural production in Britain is relatively high. 75% of the country's land is used for agriculture, most of which are private farms. The main agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, beets and so on. The UK13 farm specializes in aquaculture, and the main livestock are cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Britain is one of the most important fishing countries in Europe, which can meet two-thirds of its own needs.
The service industry has developed rapidly in recent years and its position is becoming more and more important. 1993 The total output value accounts for 65% of GDP, and the employed population accounts for 72% of the total employed population. Tourism is one of the important economic sectors in Britain. The main tourist attractions are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Brighton, Greenwich, Stratford, Oxford and Cambridge.
Traffic in Britain is mainly by land. Railway transportation is developed. London has a fairly complete subway network. 1June 20, 993, the tunnel between Britain and France was completed. The total length of railway is 16500 km, and the total length of highway is 362,300km, including 3 147 km in expressway. The total length of inland waterway is 3750 kilometers. * * * There are more than 300 large and small ports. The main ports are Salenwo, London, Dis-Hartpur, milford-Haven, grimsby-Imingham, Foces, Southampton, orkney, Felixstowe, Midway, Dover and Liverpool. There are 12 international airports, and the annual passenger flow exceeds 1 10,000, mainly including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Glasgow and Birmingham. Most of the oil in Beihai Oilfield is transported back to land through underwater pipelines. Total length of oil pipeline1686 km; The gas pipeline is about 5330 kilometers.
Britain is the fifth largest trading country in the world. Exports of goods and services account for about 1/3 of GDP. It has trade relations with more than 80 countries and regions. Advocate the multilateral trading system and further liberalization of world trade. It mainly exports machinery, automobiles, aviation equipment, electrical and electronic products, chemical products and petroleum. Import raw materials and food. The biggest trading partner is Europe. 1992, trade with European countries accounted for more than half of Britain's foreign trade. Followed by other western countries, North America, OECD member countries, oil exporting countries, developing countries, Eastern Europe and CIS countries. Germany is Britain's largest exporter and importer. Followed by the United States. Most of Britain's foreign investment goes to developed countries. British foreign aid countries include India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Guinea, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Uganda. The vast majority of foreign investment in Britain comes from developed countries. The United States accounts for almost half.
Cultural education is compulsory for children aged 5 ~ 16. There are basically no illiterates in China. Primary and secondary school credits are public and private, and public school students are free of tuition; Private schools have better teachers and equipment, but the cost is high. Institutions of higher learning include Oxford University, Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Political Science, and Edinburgh University. The main newspapers are Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Sun, Times, Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Observer and Economist. The main news agencies in Britain are Reuters, Associated Press and Exchange News Agency. British broadcasting has a long history and developed business. The BBC was founded in 1922 and broadcasts TV programs in 1936.
Foreign Relations After World War II, Britain's national strength declined, the colonial system collapsed and the Commonwealth became increasingly loose. Facing the post-war bipolar system, Britain adjusted its foreign and national defense policies in the mid-1960s, focusing on Europe. 1973, Britain joined the European Union. Since then, Europe has occupied a "priority position" in British diplomacy. However, Britain has not given up moving closer to the United States, and actively supported and cooperated with American policy propositions on major issues. 199 1 years later, with the drastic changes in eastern Europe, the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the end of the post-war bipolar system, Britain actively adjusted its foreign policy in order to continue to play its role as a big country in the new pattern.
Britain and China reached an agreement on the exchange of agents on June 17, 1954. On March 1972, the two countries signed a joint communique to upgrade their diplomatic relations to the ambassadorial level. Since the 1980s, relations between the two countries have developed greatly, with frequent high-level visits. 1984 12 19 The Chinese and British governments signed a joint statement on the question of Hong Kong, confirming that China resumed the exercise of diplomatic sovereignty over Hong Kong on 1 July, 1997 and established the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Since Governor PATTEN put forward the political system of Hong Kong in June 1992, there have been differences between China and Britain on the Hong Kong issue, which has led to difficulties in the relations between the two countries. 1993 12 15. The British Hong Kong authorities unilaterally submitted some political reform proposals to the Legislative Council, which seriously damaged Sino-British relations. Other important agreements signed by the two countries include: Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation and Prevention of Tax Evasion, Memorandum of Understanding on Space Cooperation, Second Economic and Technical Cooperation Agreement, Agreement on Promotion and Mutual Protection of Investment, Record of Preferential Loan Arrangement, Memorandum on Sino-British Atmospheric Science and Technology Cooperation, Sino-British Cultural, Educational, Scientific and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Program from1~1993, and New Health Cooperation Agreement. 1992 Sino-British trade volume reached194 billion US dollars.
Britain advocates strengthening relations with Western Europe, supporting the European Union and establishing a big market with the same system, but opposes the establishment of a supranational "European federation or confederation" and has reservations about the European Union and the social charter. 1988, Britain's trade with other European countries 1 1 accounted for 1/2 of Britain's total foreign trade. 1989 The total trade volume between the two sides was18129.27 million US dollars. Britain ratified the Maastricht Treaty.
Britain and the United States have a traditional cooperative relationship. 1979 When the Conservative Party came to power, the relationship between the two countries was further strengthened, and Britain regarded the United States as its main ally. After the Cold War, especially since Clinton came to power, the special relationship between Britain and the United States has continued to fade, and the two countries have differences on some issues involving each other's vital interests. The United States has 30,000 troops stationed in Britain, with military bases 10, including submarine bases 1 0 and 9 air bases.