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The PEOPLE:
People from the UK. are called The British, or Britons. 
Depending on where in Britain they come from, they may also be called "English", "Scottish" (or "Scots"), "Welsh" or "Northern Irish"

The POPULATION:
The total population of the U.K is 55,486,800 (1991 census figures): it will probably reach about 60 million by the year 2030, then start to fall.

Population density: 588 people per square mile (230 people per km2)
Britain is a relatively densely populated country: it is more than twice as densely populated as France (100 people per sq.km) and nine times as densely populated as the USA (27 people per sq.km).

The population is very unevenly distributed:
   5 million people live in Scotland
   2.8 million people live in Wales
   1.6 million people live in Northern Ireland
   46 million people live in England
England is an extremely densely populated country, with about 427 people per sq. km.
   A third of the people in England live in the South East of the country, in London and the "Home Counties" (the region around London).

LANGUAGES.
The official language in the whole of the UK is English, but Gaelic is also an official language in Scotland, and Welsh in Wales.

GOVERNMENT
The United Kingdom is a Constitutional Monarchy; however, as a Parliamentary Democracy, the ultimate authority in the land is Parliament - not the Prime Minister nor the Monarch.

The monarch (the Queen) is Britain's Head of State.
She must sign all new laws, and she receives other heads of state who visit Britain; but apart from that, her function is mainly symbolic. She opens Parliament every autumn, and in theory she nominates "her" prime minister. In reality, the prime minister is the leader of the biggest political party. She has regular consultations with the Prime Minister, but does not have any role in deciding policies.

The Prime Minister is the "head of government". At present, the prime minister is Tony Blair, leader of the Labour Party. He is Prime Minister because the Labour Party won an overall majority in the 1997 General Election.
  The Prime Minister chooses his government by appointing (naming) his ministers. Most ministers are elected members of the House of Commons The principal ministers in the government belong to the Cabinet, which decides the main lines of government policy. The Cabinet meets once a week to discuss important questions of government.
  The most important ministers are called Secretaries of State, and they are in charge of a Government Department (a ministry). Each minister is responsible for his department, and makes sure that his department applies the policy of the government.
   The most important Secretaries of State are:
     The Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance)
     The Foreign Secretary (international affairs)
     The Home Secretary (internal affairs)
     The Lord Chancellor (the legal system)
     The Secretary of State for Education.
     The Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment.

Parliament:
The legislative governing body for Britain is called Parliament. The English (now British) Parliament has existed for over 900 years, and is sometimes called the "Mother of Parliaments". For over 900 years, it has met in the same place, called the Palace of Westminster (or the Houses of Parliament).
  Its nature and function have changed in the course of time, but the two "Houses" of parliament, the House of Commons  and the House of Lords have existed since the Middle Ages.
  The most important of these is the House of Commons, where most government new laws originate. This is an elected body, and members are elected every 5 years at a General Election. The party that has an absolute majority in the House of Commons becomes the party of government, and its leader becomes the Prime Minister. If no party has an absolute majority of seats, then the leader of the biggest party is invited to form a government. Because of the British voting system, almost every general election produces an absolute majority for one party or the other (these days for the Conservative Party or the Labour Party).
   Unlike many heads of government, the British Prime Minister is an active and elected Member of Parliament (an "M.P.") , and he is usually present in the House of Commons when important matters are being discussed. Twice a week, MP's have the opportunity to question the Prime Minister directly at Prime Minister's Question Time - a unique feature of the British system.
  Legislation that originates in the House of Commons must be approved by the second chamber, the "Upper House", called the House of Lords.
  This very old institution is an unelected chamber; Tony Blair is currently reforming it.  At present (1999) it is composed of Peers (Lords), i.e.  "hereditary peers" (aristocrats) and  "Life Peers" (people who have been given the title "Lord ...." for their services). There are the "Lords Spiritual", also 26 Bishops from the Church of England.
  Following the new reform, hereditary peers will lose their right to vote in the House of Lords; most people in Britain accept that there is no reason why non-elected aristocrats should be able to participate in the legislative system of a modern nation!
   In fact, the House of Lords does not have the right to block legislation from the House of Commons. It can ask the Commons to modify texts, or change details or proposed legislation; it can block legislation for a limited period - but not indefinitely. It cannot interfere in legislation concerning finance or foreign affairs. Generally speaking, it does a lot of useful work that the House of Commons does not have time for, and it acts as a "second opinion" for the Commons.

GEOGRAPHY
Physical geography: 
Britain is an island, with a mild climate.
The south of Britain is mostly low-lying land, with hills and agricultural land; the north of England, Wales and Scotland are mostly covered in moorland and mountains. The highest mountains in Britain are only about 1300 metres high (Ben Nevis, in Scotland, is Britain's highest point), but they are real rocky mountains, because of Britain's latitude. 
   Snow lies on Ben Nevis for half the year or more; but in the south of England, snow only lies for a few days each winter, and sometimes never at all. There is plenty of rain in Britain, particularly in the west. In summer, daytime temperatures do not often rise above 25°c.
  Britain's longest rivers are the Severn (220 miles) and the Thames (215 miles)

Administrative geography:
The first level.  Britain is divided into four countries, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In many ways, the local autonomy enjoyed by these countries is similar to the autonomy enjoyed by the "regions" of some other European countries such as German Länder or Spanish Provinces, or states of the USA. Since 1999, Scotland has  its own parliament, and Wales its own national assembly. Northern Ireland will get its own legislative assembly if - or when - peace returns to the province.

The second level: Apart from the "countries" (level 1), Britain is not (yet) divided into regions (see below). Britain is divided into counties - areas that are fairly similar to French Departments. Local administrative services are based in the "county town", which is the headquarters of the County Council. Among other services, they are responsible for education, highways (roads) and certain local social services.

The third level: Local authorities. These operate at the level of towns or rural districts. They are responsible for local services. They do not have a lot of power. For instance, the Mayor of an English town has less authority than the mayor of a French or Belgian town, or an American town.

Regions: Britain is divided into "statistical regions", but not into administrative regions. Statistical regions are used for economic data, population counts, and other administrative purposes - but there are no regional authorities in England. In 2000, London will get England's first regional authority, the London Assembly. Others will perhaps follow. the European Union wants Britain to have administrative regions, in the same way as other European countries.

Human and economic geography
  The population of Britain is concentrated in the south - the South East is the most populated region. There are hardly any people living in the Highlands of Scotland.
   The main industrial regions of Britain are in the north, near the cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Sheffield and Birmingham. These regions became important in the 19th century, because of their rich mineral resources (coal, iron etc.).
  The main economic centre in today's Britain is London - the most important city for service sector industries (financial services, etc.).
  The London area is one of the most prosperous areas in Europe, and average incomes (the money people earn or receive) are higher the London area (the South East region) than in the rest of Britain. Unemployment is lowest in the London region too, as the service sector is constantly creating more jobs.

This is the provisional end of the U.K.Facts page. This page will be extended in due course, to cover other aspects of modern Britain.
For further information on modern Britain and America, read Spectrum, the advanced level English newsmagazine for learners of English.