Names: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK

Capital City: London

Population: 60,609,153 (July 2006 est.)

GDP Per Capita: $31,400 (2006 est.)

Currency: British pound (GBP)

Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Total Area: total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands slightly smaller than Oregon

Region: Europe

Industries: machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods

Agriculture: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish

Resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land

Labor Force: 30.4 million (2006 est.)
agriculture: 1.5% industry: 19.1% services: 79.5% (2004)

Exports: $468.8 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Imports: $603 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

Overview: The UK, a leading trading power and financial center, is one of the quintet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past two decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with less than 2% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance. GDP growth slipped in 2001-03 as the global downturn, the high value of the pound, and the bursting of the "new economy" bubble hurt manufacturing and exports. Output recovered in 2004, to 3.2% growth, then slowed to 1.7% in 2005 and 2.6% in 2006. The economy is one of the strongest in Europe; inflation, interest rates, and unemployment remain low. The relatively good economic performance has complicated the BLAIR government's efforts to make a case for Britain to join the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Critics point out that the economy is doing well outside of EMU, and public opinion polls show a majority of Britons are opposed to the euro. Meantime, the government has been speeding up the improvement of education, transport, and health services, at a cost in higher taxes and a widening public deficit.

_{CIA World Book}

In 2007 Missouri exported $345,375,156 in goods to United Kingdom. This ranks United Kingdom 6^th among the 223 international buyers of Missouri goods. Missouri exports to United Kingdom decreased from the previous year by $31,233,275 a change of -8.29%. State exports to United Kingdom have increased over the last 5 years by $9,448,105 a change of 2.81%. Missouri exports account for 2.57%. of all 2007 US exports to United Kingdom.

Chemicals at $64,150,712 was the largest export in 2007. The largest dollar gain was Electical Equipment, Appliances, And Component with an increase of $7,414,175 a 37.14% change. The biggest dollar loss was in Fabricated Metal Products, Nesoi with an decrease of $14,695,408 a -27.53% change.