--- title: United Kingdom — English Wikipedia · full text with trees · page 5 description: Wikipedia's «United Kingdom», whole, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics, CC BY-SA 4.0. It begins: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/5/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/) / [en](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/) / United Kingdom # United Kingdom · page 5 From Wikipedia, [«United Kingdom»](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom), revision of the 2026-09-01 dump, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The trees and pragmatics of these pages, Mova's parse of that text, are CC BY-SA 4.0 too. [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/) [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/4/) **5** [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/6/) [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/7/) [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/8/) ## Economy Main article: [Economy of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_Kingdom) Further information: [Economy of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_England), [Economy of Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Scotland), [Economy of Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Northern_Ireland), [Economy of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Wales) The United Kingdom has a highly developed [social market economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_market_economy).[\[274\]](../../page/8/#ref-274 "note 274")[\[275\]](../../page/8/#ref-275 "note 275")[313](../../313/ "tree and pragmatics") With an estimated nominal [gross domestic product](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_domestic_product) (GDP) of £2.819 trillion in 2025,[\[17\]](../../page/8/#ref-17 "note 17") it is the [fifth-largest national economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_%28nominal%29) in the world and the [second-largest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_in_Europe_by_GDP_%28nominal%29) in Europe.[314](../../314/ "tree and pragmatics") Its currency, the [pound sterling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pound_sterling), is the [fourth-most-traded currency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_exchange_market#Most_traded_currencies_by_value) in the [foreign exchange market](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_exchange_market) and the world's fourth-largest [reserve currency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reserve_currency), after the [United States dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_dollar), the [euro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro) and the [yen](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yen).[\[276\]](../../page/8/#ref-276 "note 276")[315](../../315/ "tree and pragmatics") The pound sterling maintains its high nominal value through both its long history of stability and by never undergoing formal [redenomination](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redenomination).[316](../../316/ "tree and pragmatics") Since 2022 the UK has been both the world's [fourth-largest exporter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_exports)[\[277\]](../../page/8/#ref-277 "note 277") and [fourth-largest importer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_imports)[\[278\]](../../page/8/#ref-278 "note 278") of goods and services.[317](../../317/ "tree and pragmatics") Despite having one of the highest levels of [income inequality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_inequality_in_the_United_Kingdom) in the [OECD](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OECD),[\[279\]](../../page/8/#ref-279 "note 279")[\[280\]](../../page/8/#ref-280 "note 280") the UK has a very high [HDI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index) ranking, including when [adjusted for inequality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_inequality-adjusted_Human_Development_Index).[318](../../318/ "tree and pragmatics") As of 2025 the [UK unemployment rate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_in_the_United_Kingdom) is 4.7%[\[281\]](../../page/8/#ref-281 "note 281") and the annual [real GDP per head growth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_real_GDP_per_capita_growth) was 1.1%.[\[282\]](../../page/8/#ref-282 "note 282")[319](../../319/ "tree and pragmatics") [HM Treasury](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HM_Treasury), led by the [Chancellor of the Exchequer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_the_Exchequer), is responsible for developing and executing the government's [public finance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_finance) and [economic policy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_policy).[320](../../320/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Department for Business and Trade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Business_and_Trade) is responsible for business, international trade, and enterprise.[321](../../321/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Bank of England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_England) is the UK's [central bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_bank) and responsible for issuing notes and coins in the pound sterling.[322](../../322/ "tree and pragmatics") Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland retain the right to issue their own notes, subject to retaining enough Bank of England notes in reserve to cover their issue.[323](../../323/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Industries and services The [service sector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertiary_sector_of_the_economy) made up around 80 per cent of the UK's [GVA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_value_added) in 2023.[\[283\]](../../page/8/#ref-283 "note 283")[324](../../324/ "tree and pragmatics") As of 2023 it is the world's [second-largest exporter of services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_service_exports)[\[284\]](../../page/8/#ref-284 "note 284") and in 2024 was the world's largest net exporter of [financial services](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_services_in_the_United_Kingdom).[\[285\]](../../page/8/#ref-285 "note 285")[325](../../325/ "tree and pragmatics") [London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London) [corpus](../../../London/ "in our corpus") is the world capital for foreign exchange trading, with a market share of 37.8 per cent in 2022 of the global turnover.[\[286\]](../../page/8/#ref-286 "note 286")[326](../../326/ "tree and pragmatics") It is the largest urban economy in Europe[\[287\]](../../page/8/#ref-287 "note 287") and, alongside [New York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City), the city in the world most integrated with the [global economy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_economy).[\[288\]](../../page/8/#ref-288 "note 288")[327](../../327/ "tree and pragmatics") London is also one of the world's leading financial centres, ranking second in the 2025 [Global Financial Centres Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Financial_Centres_Index).[\[289\]](../../page/8/#ref-289 "note 289")[328](../../328/ "tree and pragmatics") [Edinburgh](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh), the UK's second-largest financial centre, ranks 29th in the world in the same index.[\[289\]](../../page/8/#ref-289 "note 289")[329](../../329/ "tree and pragmatics") The [UK's manufacturing sector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_in_the_United_Kingdom) in 2024 was the world's [10th-largest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_manufacturing_output) and Europe's fourth-largest by value output.[\[290\]](../../page/8/#ref-290 "note 290")[330](../../330/ "tree and pragmatics") At the end of 2024 manufacturing in the United Kingdom accounted for 8 per cent of the workforce and 8.6 per cent of national economic output.[\[291\]](../../page/8/#ref-291 "note 291")[331](../../331/ "tree and pragmatics") As reported in 2017 the [East Midlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Midlands_Manufacturing) and [West Midlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Midlands_Manufacturing) (at 12.6 and 11.8 per cent respectively) were the regions with the highest proportion of employees in manufacturing.[332](../../332/ "tree and pragmatics") [London's manufacturing sector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_manufacturing) had the lowest at 2.8 per cent.[\[292\]](../../page/8/#ref-292 "note 292")[333](../../333/ "tree and pragmatics") The [country's tourism sector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_the_United_Kingdom) is important to the British economy;[\[293\]](../../page/8/#ref-293 "note 293") The [creative industries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_industries) accounted for 5.9 per cent of the UK's GVA in 2019,[\[294\]](../../page/8/#ref-294 "note 294") and contributed £111 billion to the UK economy in 2018.[\[295\]](../../page/8/#ref-295 "note 295")[334](../../334/ "tree and pragmatics") [Lloyd's of London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd%27s_of_London), located in London, is the world's largest [insurance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurance) and [reinsurance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinsurance) market.[\[296\]](../../page/8/#ref-296 "note 296")[335](../../335/ "tree and pragmatics") [WPP plc](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPP_plc) is one of the world's biggest advertising companies and also based in London.[\[297\]](../../page/8/#ref-297 "note 297")[336](../../336/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK is one of Europe's leading retail markets and its largest [e-commerce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-commerce) market.[\[298\]](../../page/8/#ref-298 "note 298")[337](../../337/ "tree and pragmatics") With [consumption expenditures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_spending) of over US$2 trillion in 2023, it has the [second-largest consumer market](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_consumer_markets) in Europe.[\[299\]](../../page/8/#ref-299 "note 299")[338](../../338/ "tree and pragmatics") [John Lewis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lewis_Partnership) is the UK's largest employee-owned business.[\[300\]](../../page/8/#ref-300 "note 300")[339](../../339/ "tree and pragmatics") The [British automotive industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_industry_in_the_United_Kingdom) generates £47 billion of exports (12 per cent of the UK's total exports of goods).[\[301\]](../../page/8/#ref-301 "note 301")[340](../../340/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024 the UK produced 779,584 passenger vehicles and 125,649 commercial vehicles; 8 out of 10 cars produced in the UK are exported overseas.[\[301\]](../../page/8/#ref-301 "note 301")[341](../../341/ "tree and pragmatics") Britain is known for iconic cars like [Mini](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_Hatch) and [Jaguar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Cars),[\[302\]](../../page/8/#ref-302 "note 302") as well as luxury cars such as [Rolls-Royce](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Motor_Cars), [Bentley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentley) and [Range Rover](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_Rover).[342](../../342/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK is a major centre for engine manufacturing: 1.59 million engines were produced in 2024.[\[301\]](../../page/8/#ref-301 "note 301")[343](../../343/ "tree and pragmatics") It was the world's [third-largest exporter of engines](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_engine_exports) by value in 2023.[\[303\]](../../page/8/#ref-303 "note 303")[344](../../344/ "tree and pragmatics") The [UK motorsport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorsport_in_the_United_Kingdom) industry has an annual turnover of around £10 billion.[\[304\]](../../page/8/#ref-304 "note 304")[345](../../345/ "tree and pragmatics") Seven of the eleven [Formula One](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formula_One) teams are based in the UK, with their technology being used in supercars and hypercars from [McLaren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLaren_Automotive), [Aston Martin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aston_Martin) and [Lotus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Cars).[\[305\]](../../page/8/#ref-305 "note 305")[346](../../346/ "tree and pragmatics") The [aerospace industry of the UK](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_industry_in_the_United_Kingdom) is the second-largest in the world[\[306\]](../../page/8/#ref-306 "note 306") and has an annual turnover of around £30 billion.[\[307\]](../../page/8/#ref-307 "note 307")[347](../../347/ "tree and pragmatics") The [UK space industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_space_programme) was worth £17.5 billion in 2020/21 and employed around 48,800 people.[\[308\]](../../page/8/#ref-308 "note 308")[\[309\]](../../page/8/#ref-309 "note 309")[348](../../348/ "tree and pragmatics") The [UK Space Agency](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Space_Agency) has stated in 2023 that it is investing £1.6 billion in space-related projects.[\[310\]](../../page/8/#ref-310 "note 310")[349](../../349/ "tree and pragmatics") The [British agriculture industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture_in_the_United_Kingdom) is intensive, highly mechanised and efficient by European standards, producing approximately 60 per cent of the country's overall food requirements and 73 per cent of its indigenous food needs, utilising around 0.9 per cent of the labour force (292,000 workers).[\[311\]](../../page/8/#ref-311 "note 311")[350](../../350/ "tree and pragmatics") Around two-thirds of production is devoted to [livestock](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock) and one-third to [arable crops](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arable_crops).[351](../../351/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK retains a significant though much reduced fishing industry, with at least 49 per cent of UK fish sustainably caught in 2020.[\[312\]](../../page/8/#ref-312 "note 312")[352](../../352/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK marine natural capital assets were estimated to have a value of £211 billion in 2021.[\[313\]](../../page/8/#ref-313 "note 313")[353](../../353/ "tree and pragmatics") It is rich in a variety of other natural resources including coal, [petroleum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum), [natural gas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_gas), tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, [gypsum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsum), lead, and silica and has an abundance of arable land.[\[314\]](../../page/8/#ref-314 "note 314")[354](../../354/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Science and technology Main article: [Science and technology in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_technology_in_the_United_Kingdom), [Telecommunications in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_in_the_United_Kingdom) England and Scotland were leading centres of the [Scientific Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_Revolution) from the 17th century.[\[315\]](../../page/8/#ref-315 "note 315")[355](../../355/ "tree and pragmatics") The United Kingdom led the [Industrial Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution) from the 18th century, and has continued to produce scientists and [engineers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_engineers) credited with [important advances](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_British_innovations_and_discoveries).[\[316\]](../../page/8/#ref-316 "note 316")[356](../../356/ "tree and pragmatics") Major theorists from the 17th and 18th centuries include [Isaac Newton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton), whose [laws of motion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton%27s_laws_of_motion) and illumination of [gravity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravitation) have been seen as a keystone of modern science;[\[317\]](../../page/8/#ref-317 "note 317") from the 19th century [Charles Darwin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Darwin), whose theory of [evolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution) by [natural selection](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_selection) was fundamental to the development of modern biology, and [James Clerk Maxwell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell), who formulated classical [electromagnetic theory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_theory); and more recently [Stephen Hawking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking), who advanced major theories in the fields of [cosmology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology), [quantum gravity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_gravity) and the investigation of [black holes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_holes).[\[318\]](../../page/8/#ref-318 "note 318")[357](../../357/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Department for Science, Innovation and Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_for_Science,_Innovation_and_Technology) (DSIT) is responsible for helping to develop and manage the UK's scientific, research, and technological outputs.[358](../../358/ "tree and pragmatics") Scientific research and development remains important in [British universities](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universities_in_the_United_Kingdom), with many establishing [science parks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_park) to facilitate production and co-operation with industry.[\[319\]](../../page/8/#ref-319 "note 319")[359](../../359/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2022, the UK produced [6.0 per cent of the world's scientific research papers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_scientific_and_technical_journal_articles) and had an 8.8 per cent share of scientific citations, the fourth and third highest among G7 countries and Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Korea.[360](../../360/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK ranked 1st among these countries for Field-Weighted Citation Impact.[\[320\]](../../page/8/#ref-320 "note 320")[361](../../361/ "tree and pragmatics") Scientific journals produced in the UK include publications by the [Royal Society](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Society), [Nature](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_%28journal%29), the [British Medical Journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMJ) and [The Lancet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lancet).[\[321\]](../../page/8/#ref-321 "note 321")[362](../../362/ "tree and pragmatics") By 2024 the UK tech sector reached a value of US$1.2 trillion surpassing the combined values of the French and German sectors.[\[322\]](../../page/8/#ref-322 "note 322")[363](../../363/ "tree and pragmatics") Cambridge was named the number one university in the world for producing successful technology founders.[\[323\]](../../page/8/#ref-323 "note 323")[364](../../364/ "tree and pragmatics") The [UK's artificial intelligence industry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence_industry_in_the_United_Kingdom) is the largest in Europe by value[\[324\]](../../page/8/#ref-324 "note 324") and the country ranked fifth globally in a 2026 report on artificial intelligence development by [Stanford University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University).[\[325\]](../../page/8/#ref-325 "note 325")[365](../../365/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK ranked 6th in the 2025 [Global Innovation Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Innovation_Index).[\[326\]](../../page/8/#ref-326 "note 326")[\[327\]](../../page/8/#ref-327 "note 327")[366](../../366/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Transport Main article: [Transport in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_the_United_Kingdom) Further information: [Transport in England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_England), [Transport in Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Scotland), [Transport in Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Wales), [Transport in Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Northern_Ireland) In the UK, all traffic [drives on the left](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Left-_and_right-hand_traffic), with distance and speed being measured in miles, yards and miles per hour (mph).[367](../../367/ "tree and pragmatics") All vehicles manufactured for use in the UK have the steering wheel situated on the right side of the vehicle.[368](../../368/ "tree and pragmatics") A radial road network totals 29145 mi of main roads, 2173 mi of motorways and 213750 mi of paved roads.[\[147\]](../../page/8/#ref-147 "note 147")[369](../../369/ "tree and pragmatics") The [M25](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M25_motorway), encircling London, is the largest and busiest bypass in the world.[\[328\]](../../page/8/#ref-328 "note 328")[370](../../370/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2024 there were 41.7 million licensed vehicles in the UK.[\[329\]](../../page/8/#ref-329 "note 329")[371](../../371/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK has an extensive railway network of 10072 mi.[372](../../372/ "tree and pragmatics") In Great Britain, the [British Rail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Rail) network [was privatised](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privatisation_of_British_Rail) between 1994 and 1997, followed by a rapid rise in passengers.[373](../../373/ "tree and pragmatics") [Great British Railways](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_British_Railways) is a planned state-owned public body that will oversee [rail transport in Great Britain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Great_Britain).[374](../../374/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK was ranked eighth amongst national European rail systems in the 2017 European Railway Performance Index assessing intensity of use, quality of service and safety.[\[330\]](../../page/8/#ref-330 "note 330")[375](../../375/ "tree and pragmatics") A train runs directly from London to [Paris](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris) [corpus](../../../Paris/ "in our corpus").[\[331\]](../../page/8/#ref-331 "note 331")[376](../../376/ "tree and pragmatics") Called the [Eurostar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurostar), it travels through the [Channel Tunnel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_Tunnel) under the [English Channel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Channel).[377](../../377/ "tree and pragmatics") At 23.5 miles long, it is the world's longest undersea tunnel.[\[332\]](../../page/8/#ref-332 "note 332")[378](../../378/ "tree and pragmatics") There is also a car service through the tunnel to France called [LeShuttle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeShuttle).[379](../../379/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Elizabeth line](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_line), a rail link running between [East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_London) and [West London](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_London), was named in honour of [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II) in 2016 and opened in 2022.[\[333\]](../../page/8/#ref-333 "note 333")[\[334\]](../../page/8/#ref-334 "note 334")[380](../../380/ "tree and pragmatics") Another major infrastructure project is [High Speed 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Speed_2) (HS2), a high-speed railway under construction since 2019.[381](../../381/ "tree and pragmatics") It will link London with [Birmingham](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birmingham), with the potential to extend further north and capable of speeds of up to 225 mph.[\[335\]](../../page/8/#ref-335 "note 335")[\[336\]](../../page/8/#ref-336 "note 336")[382](../../382/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2023 there were 4 billion bus journeys in the UK, 1.8 billion of which were in London.[\[337\]](../../page/8/#ref-337 "note 337")[383](../../383/ "tree and pragmatics") The red [double-decker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-decker_bus) bus has entered popular culture as an internationally recognised icon of London and England.[\[338\]](../../page/8/#ref-338 "note 338")[384](../../384/ "tree and pragmatics") The [London bus network](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Buses) is extensive, with over 6,800 scheduled services every weekday carrying about 6 million passengers on over 700 different routes, making it one of the most extensive bus systems in the world and the largest in Europe.[\[339\]](../../page/8/#ref-339 "note 339")[385](../../385/ "tree and pragmatics") During 2024 [British airports](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_the_United_Kingdom_and_the_British_Crown_Dependencies) handled nearly 292.5 million passengers.[\[340\]](../../page/8/#ref-340 "note 340")[386](../../386/ "tree and pragmatics") In that period the three largest airports were [London Heathrow Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Heathrow_Airport) (83.9 million passengers), [Gatwick Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatwick_Airport) (43.2 million passengers) and [Manchester Airport](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Airport) (30.8 million passengers).[\[340\]](../../page/8/#ref-340 "note 340")[387](../../387/ "tree and pragmatics") London Heathrow Airport, located 15 mi west of the capital, is the world's [second-busiest airport by international passenger traffic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_passenger_traffic) and has the most international passenger traffic of any airport in the world;[\[341\]](../../page/8/#ref-341 "note 341") it is the hub for the UK flag carrier [British Airways](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways), as well as [Virgin Atlantic](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgin_Atlantic).[\[342\]](../../page/8/#ref-342 "note 342")[388](../../388/ "tree and pragmatics") During 2023, 18.3 million passengers travelled internationally by rail and 18.1 million by sea.[\[343\]](../../page/8/#ref-343 "note 343")[389](../../389/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Energy Main article: [Energy in the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_the_United_Kingdom) Further information: [Energy in England](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_England), [Energy in Scotland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Scotland), [Energy in Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Wales), [Energy in Northern Ireland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Northern_Ireland) In 2021 the UK was the world's [14th-largest consumer and 22nd-largest producer of energy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_energy_consumption_and_production).[\[344\]](../../page/8/#ref-344 "note 344")[390](../../390/ "tree and pragmatics") It is home to [many large energy companies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Six_energy_suppliers), including two of the six major oil and gas companies – [BP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BP) and [Shell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_plc).[\[345\]](../../page/8/#ref-345 "note 345")[391](../../391/ "tree and pragmatics") Renewable electricity sources provided 51 per cent of the electricity generated in the UK in 2024.[392](../../392/ "tree and pragmatics") [Wind power](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_the_United_Kingdom) was the largest source of electricity in 2024, generating 30 per cent of the UK's total electricity.[\[346\]](../../page/8/#ref-346 "note 346")[393](../../393/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK has the largest offshore wind farm in the world, which is located off the coast of [Yorkshire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yorkshire).[\[347\]](../../page/8/#ref-347 "note 347")[394](../../394/ "tree and pragmatics") In 2023 the UK had nine nuclear reactors generating about 15 per cent of the UK's electricity.[\[348\]](../../page/8/#ref-348 "note 348")[395](../../395/ "tree and pragmatics") There are two reactors under construction and more planned.[\[349\]](../../page/8/#ref-349 "note 349")[\[350\]](../../page/8/#ref-350 "note 350")[396](../../396/ "tree and pragmatics") In the late 1990s [nuclear power plants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plants_in_the_United_Kingdom) contributed around 25 per cent of the total annual electricity generation in the UK, but this has gradually declined as old plants have been shut down.[397](../../397/ "tree and pragmatics") The UK government is investing in [small modular reactors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactors) that operate via [nuclear fission](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fission), as well as in research and development towards commercial [fusion reactors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusion_reactors).[398](../../398/ "tree and pragmatics") To that end the government entered into a partnership with the US in late 2023 to collaborate on fusion technology, with "a commercial grid-ready fusion reactor by 2040" stated as a goal.[\[351\]](../../page/8/#ref-351 "note 351")[399](../../399/ "tree and pragmatics") At the end of 2023 it was estimated that there were 1.1 billion [barrels of oil equivalent](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrels_of_oil_equivalent) of "proven" and "probable" [gas reserves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_and_gas_reserves_and_resource_quantification) and 2.3 billion boe of "proven" and "probable" [oil reserves](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_oil) offshore, reducing reliance on imports for energy security and transitioning to renewables.[\[352\]](../../page/8/#ref-352 "note 352")[400](../../400/ "tree and pragmatics") Emissions from UK gas production are roughly four times lower than imported [liquefied natural gas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquefied_natural_gas) (LNG), according to the [UK's oil and gas regulator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sea_Transition_Authority).[\[353\]](../../page/8/#ref-353 "note 353")[401](../../401/ "tree and pragmatics") [1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/) [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/4/) **5** [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/6/) [7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/7/) [8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/8/) - ← previous: [page 4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/4/) - next →: [page 6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/United_Kingdom/page/6/) - ↑ back to [English 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