Britain in brief

1. Land Use and Agriculture.

Although Britain is an industrialized nation, much of the country is under cultivation. Agriculture, which meets over 50 per cent of Britain's food needs, accounts for 74 per cent of land use.

Woodland and forest account for 11 per cent, and urban land and other areas for 15 per cent. About 67 per cent of agricultural land is under crops and grass, the rest being used for grazing farm animals. There are about 234.000 farmholdings, with an average size of 73 hectares.

2. Education.

All children in Britain up to the age of 16 must by law receive full-time education. Around 93 per cent of Britain's 9.8 million pupils receive free education from public funds. The others attend independent schools financed by fees paid by their parents. National curricula ensure that pupils study a balanced range of subjects. About 70 per cent of 16-year-olds choose to continue in full-time education to achieve vocational or advanced academic qualifications.

One-third of young people now enter higher education, compared with one-sixth in 1989. there are over 1.7million home and overseas students at universities and other higher education institutions. Almost 3.6 million people are enrolled on largely vocational further education courses.

3.HousehoIds.

The average size of British households has fallen to 2.4 people. A greater number of people are living on their own (12 per cent of adults) or in one-parent families, and there is a preference for smaller families. About 67 per cent of householders in Britain own their homes. Four-fifths of British householders live in house rather than flats. The average weekly household expenditure in Britain in 1996-97 was nearly 309. Food and housing costs constituted 34 per cent of this. Transport and leisure accounted for about 16 per cent each. Over 90 per cent of households have a colour television, telephone, washing machine and deep-freezer.

4. Health and Welfare.

On average British men live for over 74 years and women for nearly 80 years. People are living longer because of a better diet, improved medical treatment and care, and better living conditions.

Britain's National Health service provides a full range of medical services, which are available to all residents. Local authority personal social services and voluntary organizations provide help and advice to the most vulnerable members of the community, such as the elderly and disabled. The social security system provides financial help for people who are unable to work or cannot find work. A state pension is payable to women at the age of 60 and to men at 65. A major overhaul of social security is planned, based on the objectives of promoting incentives to work, reducing poverty and welfare dependency, and strengthening community and family life.

5.Religion.

Everyone in Britain has right to religious freedom. Religious organizations and groups may own property, run schools and actively promote their beliefs. Britain is mainly Christian but most of the world's other religions are represented-there are large Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish communities. Recently there has been significant growth in a range of independent churches and in new religious movements. Many Britons though would describe themselves as agnostic.

There are two established churches in Britain: in England the Anglican Church of England and in Scotland the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Other Anglican churches are the Church in Wales, the Scottish Episcopal Church and the Church of Ireland. About 10 per cent of the population are Roman Catholic. Free Churches include the Methodists, Baptists and United Reformed Church.