The economy - one of the largest in the world - is no longer manufacturing but services-based, with e-commerce of growing significance. The City of London is a global financial centre.

Overview: The country has not yet adopted the euro currency and the debate continues over when, and indeed whether, it will do so. The government has said that a series of economic criteria must be met before it considers putting the issue to a referendum.

In recent years the United Kingdom has made significant moves on devolution of powers to Scotland and Wales. The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff opened in 1999, and the possibility of devolution for the English regions has also been discussed.

The United Kingdom is home to a multicultural population, partly as the legacy of empire. There are more Asian restaurants in many towns than there are burger bars and a former government minister described a popular variety of curry as "Britain's true national dish".

The UK has been at the forefront of youth culture since the heyday of the Beatles and Rolling Stones in the 1960s.

Facts

• Full name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
• Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II
• Prime minister: Tony Blair
• Population: 60.2 million (National Statistics, 2005)
• Capital: London
• Area: 242,514 sq km (93,638 sq miles)
• Major language: English