United Kingdom

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

a kingdom occupying the British Isles. The kingdom was formerly known as Great Britain and Ireland. The new name was adopted by Parliament upon the union of the British and Irish parliaments in 1801. The United Kingdom is, therefore, a union of kingdoms, as the United States is a union of states. The legislative power is vested in Parliament. The executive authority is vested nominally in the crown, that is to say, the king or queen, but practically it rests in a committee of ministers called a cabinet. The existence of the cabinet depends on having the support of a majority in the House of Commons. The area and population of the United Kingdom are as follows: Area sq. m. Population April 1, 1905 England and Wales . . . . . 58,324 34,152,977 Scotland . . . . . 29,796 4,676,603 Ireland . . . . . 32,605 4,390,208 Total . . . . . 121,027 43,219,788 The population of the adjacent islands is included in the total. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 121,391 Population (1908) 44,538,718 London, registration area 4,795,757 London, Greater 7,323,327 Birmingham 558,357 Bradford 292,136 Bristol 372,785 Kingston-upon-Hull 271,137 Leeds 477,107 Leicester 240,172 Liverpool 753,203 Manchester 649,251 Newcastle 277,257 Nottingham 260,449 Portsmouth 211,493 Sheffield 463,222 Glasgow 859,715 Edinburgh 350,524 Dublin 290,638 Belfast 349,180 Emigrants (1907) 395,680 Deaths 678,922 Births 1,148,573 Peers, House of Lords 615 Members, House of Commons 670 Salary of King George $2,350,000 Revenue (1909) $810,000,000 Expenditure $800,000,000 Assessed valuation of property $4,715,000,000 Bonded indebtedness $3,811,000,000 Ships 21,042 Miles of railway 23,108 Miles of canal 4,673 Acres under plow 18,800,000 Agricultural Productions-- Barley, bushels 62,000,000 Wheat, bushels 55,700,000 Oats, bushels 173,000,000 Beans, bushels 9,000,000 Peas, bushels 5,000,000 Potatoes, bushels 200,000,000 Turnips, bushels 990,000,000 Wool, pounds 133,700,000 Flax, pounds 20,000,000 Domestic Animals-- Horses 2,150,000 Cattle 11,700,000 Sheep 32,000,000 Swine 4,000,000 Textile Industries-- Cotton imported, pounds 2,061,000,000 Wool imported, pounds 792,000,000 Flax imported, pounds 215,000,000 Spindles spinning cotton 44,000,000 Cotton looms 683,620 Cotton goods exported, yards 5,532,000,000 Woolen goods exported, yards 163,000,000 Linen goods exported, yards 152,000,000 Cotton yarn exported, pounds 215,000,000 Woolen yarn exported, yards 51,000,000 Linen yarn exported, yards 14,000,000 Cotton products, value $600,000,000 Woolen products, value $275,000,000 Linen products, value $95,000,000 Capital employed $1,250,000,000 Persons employed 1,026,000 Chief Exports (1908)-- Cotton products $471,000,000 Woolen products $141,000,000 Cotton cloth and yarn $471,000,000 Woolens and yarn $141,000,000 Linens and thread $33,500,000 Clothing $38,000,000 New ships $50,000,000 Iron and steel $187,000,000 Hardware and cutlery $27,500,000 Copper $17,000,000 Machinery $155,000,000 Coal $208,000,000 Chemicals, dyes, etc $81,500,000 Postoffices 23,600 Letters delivered 2,864,000,000 Post cards 858,000,000 Parcels (post) 110,000,000 Miles of public telegraph wire 274,000 Telegrams 86,000,000 Depositors in savings banks 10,600,000 Deposits $787,500,000 Elementary schools 32,800 Pupils 7,500,000 Annual expenditure per pupil $16 See British Empire ; Great Britain ; England ; Wales ; Scotland ; Ireland ; Man; Wight ; Jersey ; Shetland ; Hebrides ; Postoffice ; Army ; Navy ; Debt; George ; Edward; Victoria ; Parliament ; Precedence ; York ; Liverpool ; London ; Birmingham ; Manchester