Regional differences in the country’s economy are essential despite its small territory. Historically England proper is divided into the following economic regions: the South Industrial and Agricultural region, Central England or the Midlands, Lancashire, Yorkshire and North England. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are also regarded as independent economic regions of the United Kingdom. Hence, […]
For hundreds of years, and especially since the mid-nineteenth century, when the rapid growth of industry, commerce and shipping was accompanied by Britain’s development as an international trading centre, overseas trade has been of vital importance to the economy. An analysis of the British economy has shown that the British workpeople are mainly engaged in […]
Passenger and freight traffic is carried mainly by road. There are about 22 million vehicles, licensed for use on the roads of Great Britain. Of these 19 million were motor cars. In general the car is the most popular form of travel. Buses and coaches account for about 8 per cent of passenger mileage within […]
Agriculture, one of Britain’s most important industries, supplies nearly two-thirds of the country’s food, directly employs about 2.5 per cent of the working population. However, its share of the gross domestic product is less than 3 per cent — the lowest figure among the developed capitalist countries. British agriculture is efficient, for it is based […]
As in other developed countries, manufacturing plays a vital role in the economy, as well as energy production. The first public supply of electricity was in 1881. In 1948 all municipal and private undertakings in Great Britain were acquired under the Electricity Act 1947 and vested in the British Electricity Authority. Electricity is mainly generated […]
Within the system of contemporary capitalism Great Britain has lost its former position as the leading industrial nation of the world. A pioneer in the Industrial Revolution, the former ‘world workshop’, Britain today is fifth in size of its gross domestic product (GDP) and twenty-third in terms of GDP per head among the capitalist countries […]
Before World War Two public relations — except in fashion or show business — was regarded with suspicion in Britain. The war made it, like advertising, respectable and Whitehall found public relations officers very convenient for explaining unpopular actions. Hundreds of public relations men are steadily employed by large corporations, keeping newspapers and television informed […]
In Britain, as opposed to America, businessmen have inherited a distrust of advertising and a feeling that, if what they make is good enough, there will be no need to boast about it. They have regarded advertising as a useful luxury, not an essential tool. However many industries in Britain have been built on advertising […]
The physical environment and natural resources of England are more favourable to agricultural development than those of other parts of the United Kingdom. A greater proportion of the land consists of lowlands with good soils where the climate is conducive to crop growing. The majority of English farms are small, most holdings being less than […]
The Fisheries. In round figures the fisheries of theUnited Kingdom employ about 65,000 men. The annual catch is about a million tons, and the fishing fleet numbers over 12,000 vessels.Britain’s share is about 5 per cent of the world’s total production of sea-fish. On the other hand, the inland and freshwater fisheries are comparatively unimportant, […]
