United Kingdom - travel, hotels and resources

Geography
The United Kingdom includes Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, and lies off the north-west coast of mainland Europe. The UK is500km wide and nearly 1,000-km long. Its closest continental neighbours are France and Belgium. It lies between latitudes 50° North and 60° North London, the capital, is close to the same line of latitude as Berlin, Vancouver and Warsaw. Great Britain is the largest island in Europe and the eight largest in the world. It is about the same size as Honshu, the biggest of the islands that make up Japan, and about twice the size of Iceland and Cuba.

In mid-1996, the population of Britain was 58.8 million making the country 18th in the world in terms of population size. The total population of England is estimated at 49.1 million, Wales at 2.9 million, Scotland at 5.1 million and Northern Ireland at 1.7 million people. England has the highest population density and Scotland has the lowest.

The population of Britain's major cities in mid-1996 was as follows: London 7,740,300; Birmingham 1,020,600; Manchester 430,800; Glasgow 616,430; Edinburgh 448,850; Belfast 297,300; Cardiff 315,000.

From the peace of the countryside to the bustle of vibrant cities, from sport to shopping, from heritage to music, fashion and film, tourism in Britain is nothing if not diverse. With something to offer everyone, it's hardly surprising that Britain is one of the world's leading tourist destinations. Britain's tourism industry is big business - £53 billion each year - and it's growing all the time. Tourism has accounted for one in six of all new jobs created in the last 10 years