Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: United Kingdom
| Location: | Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France |
| Climate: | temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast |
| Size: | 244820 sq. km total (Land area: 241590 sq. km Water area: 3230 sq.km) |
| Population: | 60,943,912 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland) |
| Government: | constitutional monarchy |
| Capital city: | London |
| Legal system: | based on common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Currency: | British pound (GBP) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
The United Kingdom (UK) is an important political and economic power in Europe and the world. It has the second-largest economy in the European Union (EU) with a nominal 2005 gross domestic product (GDP) of $2.2 trillion. The UK economy grew by 1.8 percent in 2005, with growth of 2.2 percent forecasted for 2006. While the UK has been a member of the EU since 1973, it does not participate in the European single currency, the Euro. The UK is the largest producer of oil and natural gas in the EU.
However, after years of being a net exporter of both fuels, the UK became a net importer of natural gas in 2004. Government estimates also predict that the country will become a net importer of oil by the end of the decade. Production from UK oil and natural gas fields peaked in the late 1990s and has declined steadily over the past several years, as the discovery of new reserves has not kept pace with the maturation of existing fields. In response, the government has begun a three-pronged approach to address the predicted domestic shortfalls: 1) increasing domestic production through efficiency gains and the exploitation of marginal fields; 2) establishing necessary import infrastructure, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminals and transnational pipelines; and 3) investing in energy conservation and renewables.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 84 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 91 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 8 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 15 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 4 billion bbl (1 January 2006 est.) | 509 |
| Major fields: |
United Kingdom - recent news
| 30 Oct 26 |
Swinney criticised over dodging Rosebank questions John Swinney has drawn criticism after repeatedly dodging questions on whether or not he supports approval of the Rosebank oil field. During First Minister's Questions, Swinney was quizzed by the Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Green leaders about his position on drilling at Rosebank, but failed to provide a straightforward answer. |
| 30 Oct 26 |
UK: Elgin commits £400 million to five UK renewable energy projects Renewable Energy Company Elgin has announced plans for the total investment of nearly £400 million across five UK projects with a combined capacity of 230MW. The projects are located in Suffolk (East of England), Buckinghamshire (South East), Leicestershire (East Midlands) and Staffordshire (West Midlands). |
| 30 Oct 26 |
UK: RenewableUK welcomes key measures announced in Chancellor’s Autumn Budget to cut energy bills RenewableUK comments on the announcements on energy policy made by the Chancellor John Healey in his Autumn Budget speech. |
| 29 Oct 26 |
UK: Great British Energy backs industry push to unlock deepwater wind Global Underwater Hub (GUH) is bringing together leading offshore wind technology developers, installation specialists and industry organisations in Aberdeen next month, with backing from Great British Energy and Crown Estate Scotland, to explore the potential of deepwater fixed wind and the opportunities it could create for the UK supply chain. |
| 29 Oct 26 |
UK: North Sea workers urged to back letter calling for Rosebank approval North Sea workers and businesses are being urged to sign an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling on the UK Government to approve the Rosebank oilfield before Christmas. |
United Kingdom - more news
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