United Kingdom

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as the United Kingdom, or “UK” for short, is a country located in Western Europe. It rests between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea and is a medium sized country, ranked 80th in the world based on its size of 243,610 km2 (CIA 1). It has a temperate climate, with rugged hills and low mountains. The Fens is the lowest point in the UK at four meters below sea level (CIA 4). In contrast, the highest point is in Ben Nevis, at 1,364 meters above sea level (CIA 9). In the east and south-east, the land is made up of mostly plains. Only about a quarter of the land in the UK is suitable for growing crops, but there are many natural resources in the region. Some of these resources include coal, petroleum, gold, and more (CIA 12). The diverse resources in the United Kingdom help to keep its’ economy stable.
There are many industries and agricultural products in the UK that contribute to the economy along with the natural resources. Some industries include shipbuilding, machine tools, and many more. Agricultural products produced in the UK include crops such as vegetables and potatoes, and livestock such as poultry and cattle (CIA 10). Approximately 1.4% of the UK’s 32.07 million person labor force is focused in agriculture. Of the remaining percent, 18.2% are in industry, and the remaining 80.4% works in service jobs (CIA 11). The UK’s unemployment rate, fortunately, is relatively low at a mere 8%, with only 14% of the population living below the poverty line (CIA 14). The budget of the UK is approximately $986.1 billion in revenues, and $1.186 trillion in expenditures. This imbalance between income and expenses led to the current national debt of $10.0...

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... voluntary service age ranges from sixteen to thirty three years old, with mandatory parental consent for people under the age of eighteen. Women are allowed to participate in the military as well. Currently, however, the UK is at peace. The UK is part of the United Nations as well, to help maintain peace and order across the globe.

Works Cited

BBC. "United Kingdom." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. >.
CIA. "United Kingdom." The World Factbook. CIA, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
Highbeam Research, LLC. "United Kingdom." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. .
Kramer, Jürgen. Britain and Ireland: A Concise History. London: Routledge, 2007. Print.

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