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Britain was the world's first industrialized country. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is traditionally economically connected with the Commonwealth countries and since 1973 - when Britain joined the European Economic Community, popularly known as the Common Market - Britain has also worked very closely with Western Europe. It belongs to the G-7 countries (the Group of Seven leading industrialized countries).
The country has a very well-developed
agricultural system. Though the country is relatively small in comparison with the number
of inhabitants and only 30 per cent of land is arable, its agriculture is able to feed
three quarters of the people living there. The main agricultural products are wheat, barley, oats, hay, potatoes, sugar beet, fruit and
vegetable, and in Northern Ireland, flax. The animals kept on
British farms are cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry. Horse breeding is also important.
As for the sources of raw materials, Britain is traditionally rich in coal, limestone, salt, clay, chalk and metals such as iron, tin, zinc and lead. The newly discovered deposits of oil and natural gas in the sea enabled Britain not only to be self-supporting, but also to export oil to other countries.
Britain is one of the leading countries in the world, its industry is highly developed. The main industries are steel, metals, vehicles, shipbuilding, shipping, banking, insurance, textiles, chemicals, electric and electronical engineering, aircraft, heavy and light engineering, consumer goods, fish processing, distilling. The north has always been associated with heavy industries, coalmining, iron, steel and textiles, but these are now declining and new industries must be developed. The most important towns are Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham (in the area called the Midlands). Scotland is famous for its whisky distilleries. Britain exports a great part of its industrial production - mainly machines, means of transport and chemicals. On the other hand it imports foodstuffs, but also machinery and other industrial products.
The importance of services in Britain (and in other developed countries) is growing rapidly, together with exploitation of oil deposits. It is also important to recognize the significance of Britain as a financial centre. Only about 2 per cent of labour force work in agriculture, 30 per cent work in manufacturing and engineering and about 59 per cent work in services. The main Britain's trading partners are Germany, the USA, France and the Netherlands.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Industry would
not develop without science and technology. British achievements range from theory of
gravity to the development of carbon fibres. Some great names have been ranked as
outstanding in the world.
ISAAC NEWTON (1643 - 1747) a mathematician, physicist, and astronomer.
JAMES WATT (1736 - 1819), a Scottish engineer who invented the steam engine.
GEORGE STEPHENSON (1781 - 1848) who constructed the first steam locomotive.
CHARLES DARWIN (1809 - 1882), Britain's greatest biologist, founder of the theory of evolution.
Sir ALEXANDER FLEMING (1881 - 1955) who discovered penicillin and was awarded the 1945 Nobel Prize for medicine.
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Charles Darwin |
Sir Isaac Newton |
Sir Alexander Fleming |
The Government takes the responsibility for funding research in basic science, largely through a system of research councils, which distribute money in the form of grants to universities and other institutions.
Major areas for research are physics, space, biology, biotechnology and engineering, while much chemical research is in the field of pharmaceuticals. British research also makes a major contribution to aviation electronics and automatic guidance systems. The Medical Research Council supports projects on all aspects of disease, including AIDS research. Much research is being done on the environmental aspects of health, the earth's resources, the oceans and the atmosphere. The British were the first to identify the hole in the ozone layer above Antarctica.
Protection of
the environment is one of the most important tasks in a highly urbanized and
industrialized country. The problems of air pollution, city and industrial wastes,
chemicals and fertilizers have become very serious in Britain. The dreadful London smog
(smoke and fog) caused some 4,000 deaths in December 1952. Since then London and many
other cities have become "smokeless zones", i.e. areas where smokeless fuels
must be used. Strict controls on emissions from motor vehicles, the introduction of
unleaded petrol, and a programme of reduced emissions from power stations are intended to
reduce air pollution and acid rain. Laws against water pollution have been introduced and
special care is taken to control waste management.
National parks cover over 9 per cent of the area of England and Wales.
The establishment of Green Belt areas have helped to prevent extensive building
development.
