NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
COMMUNICATIONS
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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34.878 million (1997) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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43.5 million (yearend 1998) |
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Telephone system:
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general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998) |
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Radios:
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84.5 million (1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995) |
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Televisions:
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30.5 million (1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.uk |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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more than 400 (2000) |
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Internet users:
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34.3 million (2002) |
TRANSPORTATION
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Railways:
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total: 16,893 km
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified) broad gauge: 357 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2002) |
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Highways:
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total: 371,603 km
paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.) |
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Waterways:
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3,200 km |
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Pipelines:
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crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km |
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Ports and harbors:
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Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover, Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow, Southampton, Sullom Voe, Teesport, Tyne |
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Merchant marine:
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total: 295 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,752,179 GRT/6,963,112 DWT
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 43, chemical tanker 19, combination ore/oil 1, container 95, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 1, passenger 18, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 50, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 37, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Bermuda 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 21, Germany 6, Greece 3, Hong Kong 4, Italy 1, Monaco 4, Netherlands 1, Norway 9, Russia 1, South Africa 2, Sweden 11, Taiwan 2, US 5 (2002 est.) |
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Airports:
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470 (2002) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 334
over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 83 under 914 m: 59 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 136
2438 to 3047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 112 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 22 |
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Heliports:
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11 (2002) |
MILITARY
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Military branches:
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Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force |
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Military manpower - availability:
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males age 15-49: 14,877,666 (2003 est.) |
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Military manpower - fit for military service:
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males age 15-49: 12,353,942 (2003 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$31.7 billion (2002) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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2.32% (2002) |
TRANSNATIONAL ISSUES
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Disputes - international:
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Gibraltar residents vote overwhelmingly in referendum against "total shared sovereignty" arrangement worked out between Spain and UK to change 300-year rule over colony; Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago (British Indian Ocean Territory) and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; Argentina claims the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark and Iceland; territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory) overlaps Argentine claim and partially overlaps Chilean claim; disputes with Iceland, Denmark, and Ireland over the Faroe Islands continental shelf boundary outside 200 NM |
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Illicit drugs:
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gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; major consumer of synthetic drugs, producer of limited amounts of synthetic drugs and synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering center |