The United Kingdom consists of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales have recently been granted their own parliaments (the Welsh Assembly is the first ever, the Scottish Parliament the first since 1651). Northern Ireland has had an assembly on and off since its inception in 1921. Of the UK's 57m population, 50m live in England but many of these have their origins in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere - often former British colonies.
The words of William Blake conjure up accurate but contrasting images of "a green and pleasant land", with "dark satanic mills". Comfortable villages with cricket greens and duck ponds exist in the UK, but so do areas of urban decline where unemployment and poverty are the norm. Old manufacturing cities such as Leeds and Glasgow have managed to reinvent themselves, but there is no magic formula for doing so.
The empire is long gone; its legacy is a population with a broad cultural mix. The respective capitals are all exciting places to visit with some of the best entertainment on offer; London's theatres are at present attracting a glut of Hollywood actors desperate to gain kudos by treading their boards. There is plenty to do outside of the cities in countries so proud of their heritage: ancient stone rings, medieval village churches, vast country houses. And, wherever you are in the UK, don't forget to check out the local pub.
Picture gallery
News and current affairs
UK online publications from the world news guide.
Language
English. A few people speak Gaelic - mainly in north-west Scotland, and in Northern Ireland. Welsh in Wales is more common - many people are bilingual as it is compulsory in local schools until 16. Immigrant languages, especially from India and Pakistan, are also spoken.
Health
No immunisations are necessary. Most tap water is drinkable, but some tastes chlorinated.
Climate
Visitors are often surprised by the variety of the UK climate: it can snow in April, and people have sunbathed in February. Unfortunately, visitors are most likely to experience the drizzle, which happens pretty much all year round. Rains got out of hand in November 2000, and many places suffered severe flooding. A flash flood also swept away cars and houses in Boscastle, Cornwall, in 2004, but such events are rare. Winters are cold and wet (0-12C), temperatures in summer are rarely higher than 25C. Scotland is colder and wetter, with many parts of the Highlands inaccessible in winter, but it is not a skier's paradise as the snowfall is too unpredictable. The Welsh coast tends to be warm in summer and therefore more crowded. Snowdonia is best tackled from late spring to early autumn as some routes become impassable during winter owing to snowfall and low temperatures. Weather in Northern Ireland is similar, but with fewer hours of sunshine. Eastbourne, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight, all on the south coast, vie for the 'sunniest spot' in Britain.
Food
British food, traditionally rather stodgy fare, underwent something of a renaissance in the 1990s and modern restaurants or gastro-pubs will serve Mediterranean and even Pacific Rim influenced cuisine. The range of restaurants serving food from every land is such that there is something to cater for most tastes. The UK's most popular dish is chicken tikka masala, courtesy of its many excellent Indian restaurants. Chinese and Italian dishes are also popular: the King of Thailand has had meals flown in from a small Thai restaurant in Stratford upon Avon. Traditional dishes are still served: bacon, eggs and sausages; fish and chips with vinegar; roast beef and Yorkshire pudding; roast lamb with mint sauce; or ploughman's lunch - a slab of cheese, chutney, bread and salad. These may be followed by solid desserts like spotted dick (a heavy pudding with raisins), rhubarb crumble or trifle, all served with custard. In Scotland, famous for its game and salmon, the national dish is haggis and neeps (innards and offal chopped up with spices and cooked in a sheep's stomach, served with mashed turnip - more appetising than it sounds). Glasgow, famous for its supposedly unhealthy populace, is the home of the deep-fried Mars bar. Two traditional Welsh items are laver bread, baked with oatmeal, seaweed and bacon, and Welsh Rarebit - melted cheese on toast. Drinking is something the British are known for although local ales and bitters, served at room temperature, are rarely to foreign tastes. Strange licensing laws mean many pubs at close 11pm, so if you hear a bell just before then, it is for "last orders". Scotch whisky is held in high esteem worldwide; if you prefer Irish whiskey (with an "e"), visit the Bushmills distillery in Northern Ireland to sample some of their wonderful wares.
Events
January 25, Scotland Burns Night; eat haggis and neeps in honour of Scotland's most famous poet, Robert (Rabbie) Burns. May 26-28, Exeter, Devon Bishopstock; Britain's premier blues festival in the grounds of the mock gothic Bishop's Court Palace. May 26-June 4 2001, Hay on Wye, Wales The UK town with the most second-hand bookshops hosts this popular literary festival. May-June, Scottish Highlands Watch men in kilts toss the caber at the annual Highland Games. June 21, Salisbury plain Druids and hippies congregate at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer solstice. June-July, London Wimbledon tennis tournament; eat overpriced strawberries and cream in the rain at the south London tennis club, accompanied by some of the finest lawn tennis in the world. July 20-September 15 2001, London Henry Wood Promenade concert (the Proms); queue on the day to buy standing-room tickets for top class classical concerts. August, Edinburgh Edinburgh Festivals - both the International and the Fringe festivals attract big names as the city comes alive with music, dance, theatre and comedy. Last weekend in August, London Notting Hill Carnival - floats, costumes, music, dancing and goat curry in the now upmarket but still funky quarter of London. October 27-November 9, Swansea, Wales Festival celebrating the life and work of Dylan Thomas. December 31, throughout Scotland Hogmanay (New Year) is celebrated with much gusto; celebrations in Edinburgh are the most popular with processions, parties and even swimming in the river.
• More details at What's on When
What to buy
Tea, high street fashions, football, cricket or rugby souvenirs. Traditional Arran jumpers or tartans from Scotland. Scotch whisky - specialist shops have hundreds of varieties and, if you're lucky, the owner will advise you and give you a free taster. Umbrellas - useful during your stay, and decorative afterwards; designs include the London Underground and the union flag. Crisps in flavours from prawn cocktail to worcester sauce. Recordings of Welsh male choirs, to take you back to the valleys.
Visa requirements
EU citizens only require a passport or identity card; citizens of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and north America can stay 6 months without a visa.
Currency
The British pound, or pound Sterling (£). No plans as yet to join the Euro. ATMs are relatively common; in tourist sites exchange places often charge extortionate rates. Major branches of banks and post offices change cash and travellers cheques - it is better to have cheques in Sterling to avoid extra costs. Scottish banks issue their own banknotes which are the same as sterling, although some places are unwilling to accept them outside of Scotland. The same is true of banks in Northern Ireland.
Timezone
GMT. British summer time (GMT +1) from the end of March to the end of October.
Getting there
London's main airport, Heathrow, is one of the busiest in the world. Its other airports also attract a lot of traffic; cheaper flights from Europe land at Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, or London City airport. Other airports which receive a more limited number of national and international flights are Manchester, Newcastle, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds-Bradford, Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Teesside in England, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall in Scotland, Belfast in Northern Ireland and Cardiff in Wales. England has links by ferry or seacat with mainland Europe, the shortest route being the Dover-Calais crossing. It is also possible to use the channel tunnel with Eurostar to Paris and Brussels from London and Ashford, Kent. England and Wales have ferry links with the republic of Ireland, as does Scotland with northern Ireland. Domestic flights should be considered if travelling from London to Scotland, although a good train service also exists.
Related literature
From England: Get a taste for Victorian England by reading Charles Dickens, or for Georgian polite society with Jane Austen; for something more contemporary choose between Martin Amis and AS Byatt.
From Scotland: Learn about the Scotland's national identity through the historical novels of Sir Walter Scott. Move forward in time to the 1930s with Muriel Spark's The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, set in an Edinburgh school for 'gerrels'. And, now you've got a feel for the local lingo, get up to date with Trainspotting or The Acid House by leading contemporary Scots author Irvine Welsh.
From Wales: Welsh literature is dominated by the mid-twentieth century presence of Dylan Thomas; get a feel for his work by reading Under Milk Wood, a play for voices set in the fictional village of Llareggub (hold the word up to a mirror to see what he was getting at). On the Black Hill by Bruce Chatwin chronicles the lives of identical, sheep-farming twins; for an urban take read Simon Lewis's Go, the tale of a Welsh girl who escapes the valleys for a job as a hostess in Hong Kong.
From Northern Ireland: Translations by Brian Friel examines the relationship between England and Ireland via metaphor. Breakfast on Pluto by Donegal author Patrick McCabe is about a boy growing up in the 1970s against the background of the Troubles. For sheer pleasure in words, read anything by the brilliant Seamus Heaney, shortlisted for the job of UK Poet Laureate but ruled out because he could not swear allegiance to the Queen.
From abroad: Interesting contemporary perspectives on the UK by outsiders are Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson and Kingdom by the Sea, Paul Theroux.
