Physical geography
Hills and lake district in northeast, Wales and Scotland - Cumbria, also Pennines and other small mountain ranges. Some marshlands in relatively flat lands of East Anglia.Climate
Because the UK is an island, the climate is temperate with temperatures ranging from an average of around 22 degrees in summer to four to zero in winter. Generally slightly cooler further north. The West tends to be wetter with rain coming off the sea.Demography
The population of the UK is around 55 million, the greatest concentration being in the southeast, with London having about six million.A brief history
AD43 Romans establish settlement at ford in London 61 Boudicca burns London 410-12 Roman Legions withdrawn from Britain 800 Vikings attack London 1065 Westminster Abbey consecrated 1066 William the Conqueror crowned 1536-40 Henry VIII dissolves monasteries and breaks with Rome 1588 Nelson defeats the Armada 1605 Failure of Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot 1642 Civil War: Parliament against Royalists 1649 Charles I executed. Commonwealth begins 1660 Restoration of monarchy 1665 The Plague sweeps London 1666 The Great Fire destroys much of London 1805 Battle of Trafalgar 1815 Battle of Waterloo 1829 Public transport bus service begins; regular police force introduced 1836 First railway station at London Bridge 1863 World's first underground railway begun 1870 Compulsory education for under-13s 1884 Meridian Conference establishes Greenwich Mean Time (now British Time) as the universal standard 1902 Boer Wars 1914-18 First World War 1926 General strike 1939-45 Second World War 1953 Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II 1974 UK joins the European Community.Languages
English is the main language, with Welsh spoken in Northern Wales, and some Celtic or Gaelic in Scotland or Northern Ireland. The UK has many ethnic minorities and immigrants, so in urban areas you may hear Hindi, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Urdu, etc.Religion
Church of England Christian (Protestant) predominates, with significant pockets of Catholics, Methodists, URC, Baptists, Moslems, Jews.Time
From the end of October to end of March it is Greenwich Mean time. From end of March to end of October it is British Summer Time (one hour ahead).Money
The official currency is the pound sterling, made up of 100 pence.Official holidays (all offices and banks closed)
1 January, New Year's Day - Good Friday - Easter Monday - first Monday in May - last Monday in May (Spring Bank Holiday), August Bank Holiday- 25 December, Christmas Day - 26 December, Boxing Day.What you should not fail to see
London: sights such as the Tower and Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St Paul's Cathedral, British Museum, National Gallery, V&A;, Science Museum, Natural History Museum, MOMI, Tate Gallery, Buckingham Palace (changing of the Guard).Other towns which are particularly popular are York, Stratford Upon Avon (Shakespeare's birthplace), Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Canterbury. For scenery try the Lake District, Scottish Highlands or Welsh mountains, coastal areas such as Cornwall, or even around Kent - the garden of England. Please contact the British Tourist Authority in your country for details on sightseeing in individual towns or counties.
Most favourable seasons for sojourns and touring
Preferably late spring and summer when temperatures are warmer and stately homes/historic houses are more likely to be open.What to eat and drink
'British' cuisine could be seen as being fish and chips, Toad in the Hole, Shepherd's Pie, Spotted Dick, Haggis, steak and kideny pie, but there are many regional foodstuffs such as speciality cheeses or cakes. However, the country has an abundance of restaurants from every corner of the world ranging from Japanese or Thai to the ubiquitous burgers or Hungarian cuisine, as well as a wide variety of exotic ingredients available in local supermarkets.What to buy
Souvenirs vary from county to county - items could be knitwear, food products, ornaments.Frontier formalities
Visas
Please check whether you need a visa to enter the UK.Customs
For non-EU visitors: You may bring into the country 200 cigarettes or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco. Then two litres of still table wine and one litre of alcoholic drinks over 22 per cent volume, 50 grammes of perfume and up to £145 worth of other goods.For EU nationals: 800 cigarettes or 400 cigarillos, or 200 cigars or 1kg of tobacco. Then ten litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine and 90 litres of wine and 110 litres of beer.
Items such as drugs, weapons and indecent material are not permitted into the country. Pet animals are permitted, but must undertake six months quarantine at an approved quarantine premises.
Representatives abroad
Argentina: BTA, Avenida Cordoba 645, 2nd Floor, 1054 Buenos Aires, Tel: (1) 314 6735, Fax: (1) 314 8955 (open to public 1000-1300 only)Australia: BTA, 8th Floor, University Centre, 210 Clarence Street, Sydney, NSW 2000, Tel: (2) 9267 4555, Fax: (2) 9267 4442 Belgium: BTA 306 Avenue Louise, 1050 Brussels, Tel: (2) 646 35 10, Fax: (2) 646 39 86
Brazil: BTA, Avenida Nilo Pecanha 50/1103, 20044-900, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, Tel: (21) 220 1187/7072, Fax: (21) 240 8779
Canada: BTA, 111 Avenue Road, Suite 450 Toronto Ontario, M5R 3J8 Tel: (1) 416 925 6326, Fax: (1) 416 961 2175
Czech & Slovak Republics: BTA Kaprova 13, 110 01 Prague 1, (Visitors); PO Box 264, 110 01 Prague 01, (Mail), Tel: (2) 232 7213/2520 Fax: (2) 232 7469
Denmark: BTA, Montergade 3, 1116 Copenhagen K, Tel: 33 33 91, 88 Fax: 33 14 0136
Finland: British Travel Centre, Mikonkatu 13A, 00100 Helsinki, Tel: (0) 630 912 Fax: (0) 6221562
France: BTA, Maison de la Grande-Bretagne, 19 rue des Mathurins 75009 Paris, Tel: (1) 44 51 56 20, Fax: (1)4451 5621, Minitel: 3615 BRITISH
Germany: BTA, Taunusstrasse 52-60, 60329 Frankfurt, Tel: (69) 238 0711 Fax: (69) 238 0717
Hong Kong: BTA, Room 1504, Eton Tower, 8 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Tel: 2882 9967, Fax: 2577 1443
Hungary: BTA, c/o Skyline Tickets, 1065 Budapest, Nagymezo u.36, Tel: (1) 302 2863, Fax: (1) 302 2863
Ireland: BTA, 18-19 College Green, Dublin 2, Tel: (1) 670 8000, Fax: (1) 670 8100
Italy: (Milan) BTA, Corso, Magenta 32, 20123 Milano, Tel: (2) 7201 0078, Fax: (2) 7201 0086
Italy: (Rome) BTA, Corso Vittorio Emanuele 337, 00186 Rome, Tel: (6) 688 06821, Fax: (6) 687 9095
Japan: (Osaka), OCAT Building, 4th Floor, l-chome, 4-1 Minatomachi, Naniwa-ku, Osaka 556, Tel: (6) 635 3093, Fax: (6) 635 3095
Japan: (Tokyo) BTA, Akasaka Twin Tower, 1F 2-17-22 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Tel: (3) 5562 2550, Fax: (3) 5562 2551
Korea: BTA, Anglican Church Building, 3-7 Chung-dong, Choong-ku, Seoul 100-120, Tel: (2) 723 8266-8, Fax: (2) 720 6066
Netherlands: BTA, Aurora Gebouw (5e), Stadhouderskade 2, 1054 ES Amsterdam, Tel: (20) 685 5051 Fax: (20) 618 6868
New Zealand: BTA, 3rd Floor, Dilworth Building, Corner Queen & Customs Streets, Auckland 1, Tel: (9) 303 1446, Fax: (9) 377 6965
Norway: BTA Nedre Slotts, Gt 21, 4 etasje, N-0157 Oslo (Visitors). Postbox 1554, Vika N-0117, Oslo (Mail), Tel: 22 42 47 45, Fax: 22 42 48 74
Portugal: Rua Luciano Cordeiro, 123 2 Dt, 1050 Lisbon, Tel: (1) 312 9020, Fax: (1) 312 9030
Singapore: BTA, 24 Raffles Place, 19-06 Clifford Centre, Singapore 048621, Tel: 535 2966, Fax: 534 4703
South Africa: BTA, Lancaster Gate, Hyde Park, Lane Hyde Lane, Hyde Park, Sandton 2196 (Visitors); PO Box 41896, Craighall 2024 (Mail), Tel: (11) 325 0343, Fax: (11) 325 0344
Spain: BTA, Torre de Madrid, 6/5 Pza. de Espana 18, 28008, Madrid, Tel: (1) 541 13 96, Fax: (1) 542 8149
Sweden: BTA, Klara Norra Kyrkogata 29, S 111 22 Stockholm (Visitors); Box 3102, 103 62 Stockholm (Mail); Tel: (8) 4401 700, Fax: (8) 2131 29
Switzerland: (Information office only) BTA, Limmatquai 78, CH-8001 Zurich, Tel: (1) 26142 77, Fax: (1) 25144 56
Taiwan: BTA, 7th Floor, Fu Key Building, 99 Jen Ai Road, Section 2, Taipei 10625, Tel: (2)3510991, Fax: (2) 392 6653
USA: Chicago BTA, 625 N Michigan Avenue, Suite 1510, Chicago IL 60611 (personal callers only), Toll free: #1-800 462 2748
USA: - New York, BTA, 7th Floor, 551 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10176-0799, Tel: 1 800 GO 2 BRITAIN or (10) 212 986 2200, Fax (1) 212 986 1188
