The UK Today

This section covers the nations, cities, currency, languages and population of modern Britain — a more ethnically and religiously diverse society than 100 years ago, with nearly 10% of the population having a parent or grandparent born outside the UK.

The Nations of the UK

The UK sits in the north-west of Europe. The longest distance on the mainland — from John O'Groats on the north coast of Scotland to Land's End in the south-west of England — is about 870 miles (roughly 1,400 km). Most people live in towns and cities, but much of Britain remains countryside, popular for walking, camping and fishing.

Major Cities

• England: London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Manchester, Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Southampton, Norwich
• Wales: Cardiff, Swansea, Newport
• Northern Ireland: Belfast
• Scotland: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen

Currency

The UK currency is the pound sterling (£), with 100 pence to the pound. Coins come in 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p, 20p, 50p, £1 and £2; notes in £5, £10, £20 and £50. Northern Ireland and Scotland issue their own banknotes, valid throughout the UK, though shops aren't legally required to accept them.

Languages and Dialects

English has many regional accents and dialects across the UK. Welsh — a completely different language from English — is spoken by many in Wales and taught in schools and universities. Gaelic is spoken in parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and some people in Northern Ireland speak Irish Gaelic.

Population

Population growth has accelerated in recent decades, driven by migration and longer life expectancy. Population is unevenly spread across the UK: England holds about 84% of the total, Wales around 5%, Scotland just over 8%, and Northern Ireland under 3%.

The UK has an ageing population, with a record number of people aged 85 and over — a result of improved living standards and healthcare, with knock-on effects for pension and healthcare costs. The population is also ethnically diverse and changing rapidly, especially in large cities like London; the most common ethnic description in surveys is "white" (including people of European, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand and American descent), alongside significant Asian, Black and mixed-heritage populations.

An Equal Society

It's a legal requirement that men and women aren't discriminated against based on gender or marital status — they have equal rights to work, own property, marry and divorce, and married parents share equal responsibility for their children. Women make up about half the UK workforce, girls on average leave school with better qualifications than boys, and more women than men attend university. Women now work across all sectors, including senior roles in traditionally male-dominated fields, while men work in more varied jobs than in the past — it's no longer expected that women stop working after marriage or children, and in many households both partners share paid work and childcare.

Check That You Understand

• The capital cities of the UK
• What languages other than English are spoken in particular parts of the UK
• How the population of the UK has changed
• That the UK is an equal and ethnically diverse society
• The currency of the UK