The UK's Links to the World
Geography: AQA GCSE, topic 5.2.8
Links Between the UK and the Rest of the World
Throughout the course of the UK's economic development, strong links have been made with many other countries.
Trade
- The UK was a member of the EU. 45% of the UK's exports and 53% of the UK's imports in 2018 were with the EU.
- The UK exported £647 billion in goods and services in 2018.
Culture
- UK film culture (James Bond), UK music culture (the Brits, Adele), UK celebrity culture (the Royal Family), and UK sporting culture (the Premier League football and cricket at Lord's) are exported internationally.
Transport
- London is the best-connected city in the UK.
- It has 4 airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, and Stansted) and Heathrow is the 7th busiest airport in the world transporting 75 million passengers each year.
- Trains from Kings Cross-St Pancras travel through the Channel Tunnel to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam.
Electronic communication
- The underwater fibreoptic cables that allow communications and internet traffic to go between Europe and the UK are mainly connected to the UK.
The Commonwealth
- The Commonwealth is the legacy left by the British Empire.
- The aim of the Commonwealth is to help all nations in the Commonwealth and there are 54 countries in the Commonwealth.
- However, the most notable part of the Commonwealth is the Commonwealth Games, which isn't a huge endorsement of its significance. Its main aim is to promote 'democracy and human rights'. But the mechanisms to achieve this are not clear.
Test yourself on The UK's Links to the World
Which of the following are economic and political partnerships that the UK is a member of (pre-March 2019)?