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: 78 (in addition, there are 869
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 20 million

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

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, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool,
London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Scapa Flow, Sullom Voe,
Tees, Tyne

Merchant marine:
total: 155 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,460,361
GRT/2,517,875 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 29, chemical tanker 6, combination
ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 51,
passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 17, short-sea
passenger 12, specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 497 (1998 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: 169
914 to 1,523 m: 91
under 914 m: 54 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 141
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 117 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 12 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines),
Royal Air Force

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 14,458,646 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,053,320 (1999 est.)

Military