00 pence

Exchange rates: British pounds (L) per US$1-0.6115 (January 1998),
0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658
(1993)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Telephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international
system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth
stations-10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large
international switching centers

Radio broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters), shortwave
0

Radios: 70 million

Television broadcast stations: 207 (repeaters 3,210)

Televisions: 20 million

@United Kingdom:Transportation

Railways:
total: 16,878 km
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note-all
1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in
Northern Ireland
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591
km double or multiple track) (1996)

Highways:
total: 372,000 km
paved: 372,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 3,200 km under British Waterways Board

Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum
products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km

Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover,
Falmouth, Felixstowe, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London,
Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Scapa Flow, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne

Merchant marine:
total: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,192,956 GRT/2,224,715
DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination
ore/oil 1, container 21, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 47,
passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea
passenger 12, specialized tanker 1
note: UK owns 337 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
13,511,240 DWT that operate under the registries of Bermuda, The
Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Liberia,
Malta, Panama, Singapore, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997
est.)

Airports: 497 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways:
total: 356
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 170
914 to 1,523 m: 90
under 914 m: 54 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 141
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,5