Achieving Success in the UK Marketplace - UK Basic Data
The UK - Basic Information
| Official Title: | The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland |
| Head of State: | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II |
| Head of Government: | The Rt. Hon Gordon Brown (Prime Minister) |
| Capital City: | London |
| Official Language: | English |
| Currency: | Pound Sterling (£1 = 100 pence) (The UK did not adopting the Euro in the first wave of 2002 |
| Population: | 59.8m (mid-2004) (Source: ONS) |
| GDP: | £1,164.43bn (2004) (Source: ONS) |
| Real GDP Growth: | 3.1% (2004 est) (Source: ONS) |
| CPI Annaul Inflation: | 2.3% (July 2004) Source: ONS) |
Britain has a strong, stable and open economy that is characterised by rising output, healthy retail sales, high manufacturing productivity, increased business confidence and falling unemployment. The current government sees controlling inflation as the key to ensuring continued prosperity, along with controlling public spending.
International trade plays a vital part in the British economy, and many overseas companies have set up bases in the UK, drawn by its skilled and stable workforce, and by its business-friendly tax regime.
