UK in the 21st Century

Question 1

Physical geographical characteristics of the UK - relief

Answer 1

Most mountains and highland areas are located in the north-west of the UK, especially in Wales and Scotland. Most of the south and east of the UK is relatively flat with a few hilly areas. The Tees-Exe line is an imaginary line in Great Britain dividing the high elevation north and west from the low elevation south and east of the UK

Question 2

Physical geographical characteristics of the UK - rainfall

Answer 2

The north and west of the UK have generally high rainfall e.g. Sprinkling Tarn in The Lake Districtin NW Englandhas an annual average of 4300mm. The south and east of the UK is 12x driere.g. St Osyths on the Essex coast has an annual average of 513mm. Rainfall tends to be higher in west-facing coasts. Relief rainfall occurs in the upland areas of the north and west of the UK due to CCCR. Main relief rainfall factors are elevation (in metres) and prevailing winds. The dry east side of Great Britain (rain shadow)is due to SWEC

Question 3

Human geographical characteristics of the UK - population density

Answer 3

UK population density is uneven with England being the most densely populated and Scotland being the most sparsely populated. Population density is generally higher in the South and East of the UK and lower in the North and West oftheUK. Population density is highest in major cities e.g. London, Glasgow, Birmingham where it is 5500 people per sq km. Mountainous regions (e.g. NW England) have lower population densities e.g. Vale of Eden has a population density of around 24 people per sq km.

Question 4

Human geographical characteristics of the UK - land use

Answer 4

57% of land in the UK is used for agriculture (farming), 34% is natural (mountains, forests and peat bogs), 8% is urban. England and Northern Ireland have the highest amount of farmland (72%), Scotland has the most amount of natural land use (71%), England has the highest amount of urban land use (13%). There are two types of farmland: grassland pastures (for grazing) andarable farmland (for growing crops). Grassland pastures are mostly found in SW England and Wales. Arable farming is mostly found in the East of England in the rainshadow.

Question 5

Significant issues associated with physical and human geographical characteristics - water stress

Answer 5

Water stress is when the demand for water, caused by a high population density, exceeds the supply of water, caused by low annual rainfall. The north and west of the UK has awater surplus as the population density is low meaning there is a low demand for water but the supply of water is high as there is high annual rainfall. Two solutions to water stress:
1. Water transfer schemes from areas of water surplus to areas of water stress.
2. Desalination plants where salt is extracted from sea water and pumped to houses.
3. Groundwater can be extracted from underground rocks called aquifers.

Question 6

Significant issues associated with physical and human geographical characteristics - housing shortages

Answer 6

A Housing shortages is caused when population growth exceeds the number of homes built. There is a shortage of 4 million homes in the UK meaning we need to build 340,000 homes annually until 2031 to keep up with the demand. House building is slow because greenbelt laws prevent homes being built on greenfield sites. Homes must instead be built on brownfield sites where the cost of clearing and preparing the site is an additional cost. Housing shortages can also refer to the lack of affordable homes. In 2018 the average house price was the highest in the Londonat £494,000, 4x higher than homes in Liverpool which cost an average of ‘only’ £122,000.

Question 7

main population changes

Answer 7

The population of a country increases if the birth rate is higher than the death rate (natural increase) or when immigration is higher than emigration (positive net migration). Since 2001,theUK has experienced both natural increase and positive net migration.

Question 8

UK population changes

Answer 8

UK Population 2018 was 66 million –its largest everand will continue growingto 73 million by 2041. Growth caused by natural change (+148,000 in 2017) andnet migration (+282,000 in 2017). High levels of immigration: In 2017, 86% of population wasUK-born, down from 89% in 2007.

Question 9

UK migration statistics

Answer 9

Increasing net migration. In 2001 net migration was +279,000. In 2015 it increased to +334,000. Net migration is twice as high as natural change-will add1million people to the UK population every 3.5 years! Post 2016 Brexit vote net immigration remained stable at around +285,000 but source of immigration shifted. The number of EU immigrants decreased but the number of non-UK immigrants increased.

Question 10

UK population pyramid

Answer 10

The UK’s population pyramid has changed since 2001.
- Young dependent population increasing: Increased birth rate is making the base wider due to more immigrant women who have a higher fertility rate than UK-born women.
- Economically active population: The children of the baby boomers (born mid to late 1960s) are now entering middle age. They will swell the numbers of elderly dependent population in the 2030s.
- Elderly dependent population:Increasing in every age group from 45 years upwards.

Question 11

the UKs position on the demographic transition model (DTM)

Answer 11

The UK has remained in Stage 4 of the DTM since 2001 and will remain in this stage for the foreseeable future. In Stage 4, the DTM predicts that birth rates should be relatively low with death rates even lower and this has occurred in the UK since 2001.
- 2001birth rate 11.3 per 1000; death rate 10.2 per 1000; natural increase 1.1per 1000.
- 2018 birth rate 11.0 per 1000; death rate 9.3 per 1000; natural increase 1.7per 1000.
Since 2001 births have remained stable, deaths have decreased meaning natural increase (births-deaths) has increased. This is the opposite of what the DTMpredicts as it says that birth rates should fall, not death rates. The DTM predicts that in Stage 5, birth ratesshould fall below death rates, causing natural decrease. However, this in not happening in the UK so it will nottransitioninto stage 5.

Question 12

ageing population - statistics

Answer 12

The UK population is ageing –the median age and the % of old people (over 65s) are both increasing.In 2017 18.2% of the UK population were aged 65 years or over (up 2.3% since 2007); this is projected to grow to 23% by 2029.

Question 13

ageing population - causes

Answer 13

• Increasing life expectancy due to better medical care and a healthier lifestyle(not smoking). Babies born in 2016 are expected to live 79.2 years if male (up 2.0 years since 2006) or 82.9 years if female (up 1.4 years since 2006).
• Falling birth rate: Women are having less children due to access to contraception and choosing to have a career instead of staying at home to look after children. In 1964 the fertility rate peaked at 2.9 babies per woman but in 2018 this was down to 1.7 babies per woman.
• Reduced birth rate means a smaller young dependent population AND longer life expectancy means a larger dependent population (over 65s) →an ageing population.

Question 14

ageing population - positive effects

Answer 14

• Economic: the grey pound gives the UK economy a boost. By 2040 old people will spend 63p in every pound spent in the UK economy, up from 54p in 2018.
• Social: Nearly half of all old people volunteer in the community which equals 1.4 billion hours, saving the country £15 billion, Old relatives can help grown up children with childcare. Old people can share their experience and wisdom they have with young people and middle-aged people.
• Political: Old people have more voting power via the grey vote. Over 55s constitute more than half of the voting public in the UK in 2020

Question 15

ageing population - negative effects

Answer 15

• Economic: Not enough government money to pay for state pension; NHS healthcare bill is huge. An 85-year-old person costs the NHS £7,500 per year which is 7x more on average than a man in his late 30s. Cost of care homes increases.
• Social: old people need more looking after and visiting (-);
• Political: Old people have more voting power via the grey vote. Over 55s constitute more than half of the voting public in the UK in 2020.

Question 16

spacial distribution

Answer 16

The percentage of older people is highest in coastal areas, especially on the South coast of England. Old people leave the cities and migrate to the coast which has milder winters and sunnier weather. Cities such as London and Birmingham have the lowest % of old people.

Question 17

responses to the ageing population

Answer 17

• Raising the retirement age to 68 so people work longer and pay more tax so the government which can then spend more money on state pensions, NHS health and social care. However, it’s unpopular with workers.
• Removing compulsory retirement so workers can work for as long as they are healthy and able to work. They will pay more taxes. Unpopular with young people as there are less jobs available, but gives the government more tax money.
• Encourage immigration – so that hardworking immigrants will pay more tax. Unpopular as this causes rapid ethnic change and puts additional pressure on public services such as education and healthcare.
• Force people to save more. The Workplace pension scheme was fully implemented in 2018 meaning all people will automatically have their wages paid into a government workplace pension. Workers can choose to opt out of the scheme.

Question 18

major economic changes in the UK

Answer 18

The UK has the 5th largest economy in the world (in terms of GNI). In the 20th century UK economy was dominated by manufacturing industry powered by coal. However, in the 1970s century secondary manufacturing declined due to competition from abroad and changes in technology. Factories closed and many people lost their jobs (deindustrialisation). The UK’s economy is now dominated by the ‘tertiary’ service sector (including financial services, tourism and ‘quaternary’ high-technology industries based on research, media and creativity). There is still some manufacturing in the UK (including cars, chemicals, light engineering and food processing) and construction is also important (including housing, road building and major infrastructure projects such as Crossrail in London).

Question 19

changing political priorities in the UK

Answer 19

• 1997 to 2007 Strong economic growth during Tony Blair’s 10-year Labour Party leadership.Priority: Build new schools and hospitals boostingconstruction industry. Introduce minimum wage so poorer people have more spend more on the economy.
• 2008 Economic recession during GordonBrown’s 3-year Labour Party leadership. 1m people out of work. Priority: Rescue banks from collapse by giving them huge amounts of government money. This hugely increased national debt.
• 2009 to 2016 Return to weak economic growth under David Cameron’s 6-year Conservative Party leadership. Priority: Reduce government spending deficit by cutting government spending (Austerity)on schools, healthcare, pensions and social benefits(with the Universal Credit) and increasing taxes (VAT increased to 20%).
• 2016-2019 Very weak economic growth under Theresa May’s Conservative Party leadership. Priority: Negotiate a good ‘withdrawal’ deal with the EU to allow the UK to leave (Brexit). Get parliament to support the withdrawal bill (failed 3 times!).
• 2020+ Boris Johnson’sConservative Party takes the UK out of the EU (Brexit). Parliament supports revised withdrawal bill.

Question 20

changing employment sectors in the UK

Answer 20

The proportion of people working in different economic sectors has changed since 2001(data below has been rounded)
- Tertiary (Services) increase in employment. 2001:70%; 2018: 81%(up by 11%)
- Manufacturing decline in employment. 2001: 28%; 2018: 18%(down by 10%)
- Primary sector stable in employment. 2001: 2%; 2018. 1%(down slightly by 0.2%)

Question 21

changing working hours in the UK

Answer 21

• UK has longest working hoursin Europe at 42 hours. Decreasing slowly by 18 minutes per decade.
• Increase in workers on ‘zero hours contracts’ working as much or as little as the employer wants. Working hours vary a lot weekly and can be very high or very low.
• Increase in workers in the ‘gig’ economy-1m workers who do not get a regular wage. Working hours vary a lot weekly and can be very high or very low. Unregulated so pay is lower than the zero-hours contracts.

Question 22

the pattern of core UK economic hubs

Answer 22

• Are usually found in cities such as the City of London and Canary Wharf (financial services), Birmingham (financial services), Salford (Media), Cambridge (Biomedical research and development).
• They are often close to local universities, to access a highly skilled workforce and access new research ideas/products.
• Often close to key transport infrastructure such as motorways, airports or nationally important train stations – easily accessible for workers, for meetings.
• Close to London because it has the largest economy in the UK and is a global centre of business, trade and innovation. Similar businesses can work together more easily.
• Increasingly found in the North of England as it is very expensive to live and work in the Southeast so business have moved to the cheaper economic hubs in the North to keep their costs down and increase profits.
• Can be found along economic ‘growth corridors’ –highly accessible linear zones found along motorways e.g. London -Brighton growth corridor along the M23 motorway; London-Bristol growth corridor along the M4 motorway, Leeds-Liverpool along the M62 motorway.