About the UK

Great Britain today may no longer have the empire she once had stretching over one-forth of the earth’s surface, but the United Kingdom’s cultural heritage still remains immensely rich, and is still a leading prosperous trading power and financial centre, one of the quarters of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Its relationship with continental Europe as a member of The EU is ambivalent as the constitutional reforms which have led to the creation of regional assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Changes have now come about whereby recent government reforms have reduced public ownership and restricted social welfare programmes. Agriculture is very intensive, and primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation.

Services such as banking, insurance, and business services, account for the largest proportion of GDP, while industry continues to decline in importance. Today London is still a major player on the worlds stage it is matchless. Expensive, yes, but here it is possible to find Britain’s best spread of night life, cultural events, museums, galleries, pubs and restaurants London has it all. All the other large cities have their individual strengths. Birmingham has a resurgent arts scene; people travel miles to enjoy Newcastle’s night life; Manchester has glamorous cafes and clubs and of course a world –renowned football team.

Many thousands of tourists are drawn to the big events in the English calendar that have associations with the ruling classes, from country pageant of the trooping of the colour to the annual Oxford and Cambridge university boat race. In Scotland visitors are drawn to the highland games and the splendor of visiting the many lochs. But to feel the true spirit of a multi-cultured nation such as the UK you should sample a wider range of events, such as the Notting Hill carnival to the promenade events at the Royal Albert hall, Europe’s most egalitarian high class music season.

The Edinburgh festival and the Welsh national Eisteddfod are vast cultural jamborees which has attained international status. There are many major towns in Britain that have there own local arts festivals, all to be enjoyed and marveled at. We have just mentioned a tiny few events here the list is endless, but we have selected what is considered to be the very best. The Jewel in the British crown.