Population

From the latest 2011 census results, the total population in United Kingdom is estimated to be around 63,182,000. It is the third largest population in Europe after Germany and France and the 22nd in the global front. Population density in the kingdom is one f the highest globally at 256 per sq.km. Most of this population is concentrated in urban and suburban areas in the south east of England. The capital city of London has an estimated population of about 8 million where the population density was estimated at 5,200 per sq.km.

English forms ha largest population of the kingdom with an estimate of 53.9 million. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have the population of 5.3m, 3.1m, and 1.8m respectively. The population in United Kingdom has increased steadily over the years with fertility rates regarded as one of the world’s best. This has resulted in the population growth in UK being higher than the EU average and the highest of the four most populous EU member states. However, it is important to understand that the 17.4% of the total population consists of the people aged 65 and above and stands at 11.1 million. This is a clear indication that the youth forms the largest population of the kingdom.

Fig 2.0 population patterns in United Kingdom

Economic

United Kingdom has one of the healthiest economies in the world. Her economic growth has been constant over the years with the country recording a 2.6% in 2014. This is a major increase from 2013 which stood at 1.7% that is the fastest pace since 2007. The country’s GDP has also been expanding every year. For instance, it expanded by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2014 over the same quarter of the previous year. Its annual growth rate averaged 2.45% since 1956 until 2014, reaching an all-time high of 9.8% in 1st quarter of 1973 and record low of-5.8% in the first quarter of 2009 as a result of the economic recession.

The United Kingdom economy has also greatly benefited from natural resources and more specifically oil. However, the global oil prices are currently declining at an alarming rate that results in fewer revenues earned from oil sales. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the declining oil prices could be a blessing in disguise especially in European countries. For an instance, a 10% fall in oil prices should lead to a 0.1% increase in economic output. The decline in energy prices will lead to increased productivity and is also beneficial to general consumers.

The inflation level in United Kingdom is of major concern. Change in prices of goods and their effects on the consumers is an essential concept that the government keeps a close eye through the governor of the Bank of England (Whittingdale,  59). However, it is imperative to note that the current consumer price index stands at 0.0% as at February 2015 which is a major decline from 0.3% in January 2015. It is a clear indication that the inflation rates in United Kingdom are reasonably low and manageable. The low inflationary index is explained by price movements for a range of recreational goods, food, and furniture.

Political arrangements

Political stability remains a critical tool for economic growth and sustainability. United Kingdom has over the years maintained a political stability of the highest level that has been critical to the overall economic progress realized in the country. However, the Scotland referendum of 2014 threatened to destabilize the stability f the union (Crew, 115). The referendum aimed to decide whether or not Scotland should be an independent country where the no team won. However, it is imperative to understand the exercise was a great threat to the unity of the kingdom. The referendum recorded the greatest election turnout in UK’s history since the introduction of universal suffrage. Apart from the unity threat, the exercise was also an expensive one where the electoral commission spent a lot of money which could otherwise be utilized in development agendas.

Advances in technology, military capabilities, involvement in wars, etc

United Kingdom has played a decisive role in the modern global technology advances we are experiencing today. Information technology, airlines, electric trains, state of the art motor vehicles and marine traveling objects are some of the notable contributions from the United Kingdom ( Williams, 34).  Technological advancement in UK has been a competitive advantage to the union especially in international trade. It has also been critical in making London a global leader in financial service provision.

It is important to note that the British army has been involved in a number of wars with the world’s great powers. Some of the notable wars include; Napoleonic wars, Seven Years War, the Crimean War, World War I and the Second World War (Durant, Ariel, and Will Durant n.p.). In all these events, the army has emerged victorious thus making the British one of the leading military and economic powers. The success of the British military has been attributed to the great technology adopted by the army.  Since the end of the cold war, the British army has been deployed to many conflict zones especially in UN peacekeeping missions. Technological advances have also enabled UK‘s army operations in Afghanistan. The army has state of the art warships, tankers, and fighter jets that have made such operations a success.

Work cited

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Crew, Michael A. Progress in the Competitive Agenda in the Postal and Delivery Sector. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2009. Print.

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Durant, Ariel, and Will Durant. The Lessons of History. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2014. Print.

“Economy Tables: GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation History, Unemployment.” This Is Money. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

Fry, Stephen. Making History. Print.

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Pirounakis, Nicholas G. Real Estate Economics: A Point to Point Handbook. London: Routledge, 2013. Print.

Regions and Innovation: Collaborating across Borders. Print.

The World Factbook 2013-14. Claitors Pub Div, 2014. Print.

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Whittingdale, John. Supporting the Creative Economy: Government Response to the Committee’s Third Report of Session 2013-14 : Third Special Report of Session 2013-14. London: Stationery Office, 2013. Print.

Williams, Allan P. O. The History of UK Business and Management Education. Bingley, UK: Emerald, 2010. Print.

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