Area

Population

Religion

Language

Literacy

Life Exp.

59,364,000

The Channel Tunnel, opened in 1994, breaches the moat that separated the British Isles from mainland Europe since the Ice Age and protected Britons against invasion since the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Britons, whose ancestors also include Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse invaders, nurtured representative government; in 1215 recognition of individual freedoms was guaranteed by the Magna Carta, the precursor of parliamentary rule. England and Wales were united in 1536. The addition of Scotland in 1707 created Great Britain, renamed the United Kingdom in 1801 when Ireland was added. The 26 districts of Northern Ireland remain part of the U.K.

Sir Francis Drake's defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 confirmed England's naval strength. During the 18th century, techniques of mass production gave birth in the Midlands to the industrial revolution. Although losing many American colonies in the second half of the 18th century, Britain's realm grew in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and the Mediterranean. As late as 1945 colonial Britons toasted king and country in an empire that spanned the globe. By the century's end, more than 40 former colonies had gained independence, most joining the Commonwealth of Nations. Of the 16 remaining possessions, the islands of Guernsey and Jersey are closest to home.

In 1979 newly elected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher set out to reduce inflation and regain economic competitiveness. In the 1980s manufacturing productivity soared, much of the public sector was privatized, and trade unions were weakened. As the British economy worsened, criticism of Thatcher mounted; in 1990 she resigned and was succeeded by her Conservative Party colleague John Major. A general election in 1992 retained Major as prime minister, though his Conservatives walked a tightrope in the House of Commons.