Travel to United Kingdom
Abbreviation: D = VK, E = UK
Area: 243,610 km²
Residents: 66,020,000 (2017)
Population density: 271 E / km²
Form of Government: parliamentary monarchy
System of Government: parliamentary democracy
Neighboring countries: Ireland
Capital: London National
language: English
Official regional languages: Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Ulster Scots and Welsh
religions:
45% Anglican,
19% Protestant,
10% Catholic,
2.7% Muslim,
1.0% Hindu,
0.6% Sikhs,
0.5% Jews,
0.3% Buddhists,
0, 22%Jehovah’s Witnesses
roads: Left-hand traffic,
around 388,000 km of road network
Currency: Pound sterling – £ (GBP)
1 GBP = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
1 EUR = 0.85 GBP
1 GBP = 1.17 EUR
1 CHF = 0.79 GBP
1 GBP = 1.27 CHF
(rate from 13.07.2021)
Telephone area code: +44
Time zone: UTC + 0
Mains voltage: 230 volts, 50 Hz
As a union of the parts of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom (international abbreviation and also hereinafter referred to as UK) is not only the largest island nation in Europe, but also one of the most important emigration countries. This page gives an overview of the country and immigration. We go into detail on the following pages.
In 2020, 5,109 Germans officially emigrated to the UK. 6,068 came back to their homeland. Within the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, 79,214 Germans officially emigrated to the UK and 63,565 moved back to Germany. In 2019 there were officially 142,368 Germans living in the UK.
In no other European country do people from so many different nations live. The multicultural diversity has created a high level of awareness of social tolerance. A number of territories are closely related to the UK, but must be delimited from it under international law. This applies to the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands and another 14 overseas territories that are under British sovereignty but are also not part of the United Kingdom.
About 84 percent of all UK residents live in England. The largest group of immigrants (around 2.3%) come from India, followed by Pakistan (1.8%), Bangladesh, China, Poland and Ireland. But 147,000 residents also have German citizenship. The highest proportions of foreigners and ethnic minorities are found in London and the metropolitan areas of England. These include Birmingham, Manchester and West Yorkshire.
95.5% of the population speaks English. However, only about 10% (mainly in the south of the country, in the region around London) speak English (high-level language with the pronunciation variant Received Pronunciation), which is taught in German schools. In Wales, Welsh is spoken in addition to English (by around 600,000 people), in Scotland the Scottish Gaelic language (by around 60,000 people) and in Northern Ireland also Irish (by around 20,000 people) and Ulster Scots.
General safety information
In large cities and in places frequented by tourists (sights, districts, public transport), special attention and caution is required due to petty crime and pickpockets.
Special features and advantages at a glance
- Fairly stable economy
- Uncomplicated free economy
- Many job opportunities on the labor market
- Foreigner friendly
- Easy immigration
- Immigrants quite satisfied
- High standard of living
England is quite expensive to go on vacation or for retirees. However, if you are looking for a well-paid job and enjoy speaking English, England can be a good choice as a country of emigration. However, in many parts of the country you have to get used to the special English dialects.
Geographical location and special features
The United Kingdom is the largest island nation in Europe and consists of the main island of Great Britain and about one sixth of the island of Ireland. The four independent states that make up the United Kingdom are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The main island is surrounded by archipelagos with around 800 smaller islands. These archipelagos include Shetland and Orkney in the North Sea, the Hebrides and Inner Hebrides in the Atlantic Ocean, Anglesey in the Irish Sea, the Isles of Scilly in the Celtic Sea and the Isle of Wight in the English Channel.
The individual states – a small overview
England is located in the south of the island of Great Britain and covers about two thirds of the island. England is thus the largest of the sub-states. The capital of England is London. Scotland borders on the north of England, on the west it borders on Wales and the Irish Sea, on the east on the North Sea, on the south on the English Channel and the south-west on the Atlantic Ocean.
Wales’ capital is Cardiff. It covers the smallest part of Great Britain and lies west of England. The Irish Sea borders Wales to the north, the St. George’s Canal to the west and the Bristol Channel to the south.
The capital of Scotland s is Edinburgh. It can be found on the northern part of the island of Great Britain. In addition, several archipelagos belong to Scotland.
Northern Ireland occupies the northern part of the Irish island. It is also the smallest part of the United Kingdom and consists of six counties.
The relatively small land area in the UK means you can get to many different locations with relative ease. For example, you can take the train from London to Edinburgh in less than 5 hours.
