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Tourists

For tourists, the radical changes which have taken place in the country, are obscured by a history so long and rich in incident and character that it has imposed itself upon almost every aspect of both landscape and townscape. Great cathedrals such as those at CANTERBURY, DURHAM, ELY and LINCOLN, raised almost 1000 years ago, divert their eyes from the present. The church music sung in them is a basic ingredient of English culture, celebrated in the Three Choirs Festival, held in turn at GLOUCESTER, WORCESTER and HEREFORD cathedrals. Other festivals of the arts have become established since the Second World War - notably the great international event held in EDINBURGH every autumn, not to mention others in YORK, HARROGATE, BATH and Cheltenham. The literary trail, too, has its powerful associations the LAKE DISTRICT with sonnets by Wordsworth; the wild, romantic EXMOOR of Lorna Doone, and Burns's Ayrshire countryside; the Brontes' Yorkshire, Thomas Hardy's DORSET and Dylan Tho mas's magical west Wales.

But for most tourists, Britain's greatest attraction is the capital itself, London; while many travel on to view the ancient university seats of Oxford and Cambridge, historic cities like York and Chester, timbered towns like Ledbury, and resorts like Brighton and BLACK-POOL. Most of all, perhaps, they travel to STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, birthplace and burial place - of William Shakespeare, whose matchless plays and poems may well have etched upon hearts and minds images of Britain loss fleeting than those cast by television.

THE UNITED KINGDOM AT A GLANCE

Area 244 119 km2 (94 255 sq miles)

Population 56 400 000

Capital London

Government Parliamentary monarchy

Currency Pound sterling 100 pence

Languages English, Gaelic, Welsh

Religions Christian (55% Protestant, 10% Roman Catholic), Muslim (2%), Jewish, Hindu and Sikh minorities

Climate Temperate; average London temperature ranges from 2-6°C (36-43°F) in January to 13-22°C (55-72°F) in July

Main primary products Wheat, Barley, potatoes, sugar beet, fruit and vegetables, fish; oil and natural gas, coal

Major Industries Agriculture, oil and gas extraction and refining, coal mining, machinery and transport equipment, iron and steel, metals, food processing, paper and paper products, textiles, chemicals, clothing, light Industry, finance and business services

Main exports Agricultural and industrial machinery, crude oil and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, vehicles, aircraft, electrical goods, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, textiles, food products

Annual Income Per Head (US$) 7550

Population growth (per thous/yr) 1

Life expectancy (yrs.) Male 71 Female 77

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