UK in the 21st century Flashcards
What does the UK look like in the 21st century? (physical/human characteristics)
(issues with these?)
Physical: high relief in North i.e Scotland, The Grampians, low in areas like Sussex
lack of rainfall in central England and eastern, most areas only have 600mm/year compared to <2000mm in north west scotland
Human: High population density, i.e in London where River Thames is, Birmingham with 1.2 mil ppl
most cities found near water source
issues: housing shortages, 240,000 needed in London but only 160,500 available, most built by priv companies not council, less affordable
Water stress: oxygen levels drop in water so fish go to surface for O2, causing them to die
low yield for farmers, less than 20% of expected rainfall in South England
How is the UK’s population changing?
general trends
Pop Pyramids: mainly even for male and female, most ppl are 45-54 yrs old (from 2016), convex shape
2001: 59 million ppll, 2019 67.5 mil in UK,
migration impacts and stats: mainly European countries such as Poland, 1 mil immigrants (cus of EU), ex-colonial countries, migration, South Asians make up 18% of population,
push factors: 2014 (Poland), income 4 times lower in Poland
Impacts: overall decrease of white British ppl, dropped to 45%,
How is the UK’s population changing? (pt2)
DTM & ageing pop
Demographic Transition Model
UK in Stage 4: Low fluctuating, birth and death rate are low, stable and slow natural increase because of family planning, improving status of women and fewer marriages
death rate: low because of good healthcare n food supply
Ageing pop: tend to live in more coastal and rural areas as it’s quieter and has lower crime rates, particularly Norfolk
ageing pop caused by: increased life expectancy, avg age for boy to live to is 79, for girl is 83
“BABY BOOM” generation, lots of babies born after WWll now reaching old age
smaller prop of younger generation, mainly because of eco
How is the UK’s population changing?
ageing population only
EFFECTS: OLDER PPL SPEND MONEY FROM PENSION N SAVING ON HOLIDAYS, CREATES JOB AND HIGHER INCOMES FOR OTHERS (grey economy, more economically active)
people who look after elderly relatives have less time for paid work and own families
social tensions between young and old as they feel they pay taxes for elderly support rather than their own
RESPONSES: Force workers to save a portion of their savings, employers will have to contribute to this
encourage immigration of skilled workers to UK to increase number of economically active people
encourage ppl to work for longer reduces need for pension n increases tax contribution.
We went there for fieldwork :)
How is the UK’s economy changing? economic hub in the UK
Changes in Canary Wharf’s docklands:
* Pre 1960, was industrial area where ships unloaded products such as sugar
* 100,000 employed
* warehouses where products were stored, then closed down because containerisation between 1960 and 1970, 50% became unemployed.
2012: was then regenerated for 2012 Olympic games, homes and flats built but less than 30% deemed affordable
How is the UK’s economy changing? economic hub in the UK
Regional and national importance of Canary Wharf
Regionally:
1. river cleaned which attracted aquatic life back into area, i.e seals
2. employed 2.1 million people into finance sectors, i.e HSBC
3. 57-storey residential skycraper built and 30 homes.
Nationally (UK):
1. most companies are TNCs, therefore attracting people around the world for work
2. HSBC employ more than 260,000 people around the world, pay tax which contributes to eco
How is the UK’s economy changing?
general change in UK because of…
Changes in UK’s econ n job market since 2001:
secondary jobs dropped to 15%, tertiary increased from 62% to 74%
political priorities: 2009-2017 gov had budget deficit, under David Cameron public services funding decreased, impacting schools and NHS. compared to1997-2007 where Tony Blair focused on economic growth and as a result migration increased.
pattern of core UK economic hubs:
the ones that make the most money mainly have quaternary and tertiary sector jobs, i.e London and stock exchange £40,000 GDP/capita, biggest ones found near rivers for trading compared to East Angla with grain production (£19,000 GDP/capita)
What is the UK’s political role in the world?
Responses: government
1. UK invested £500 million (2012-2017) for programmes dealing with piracy, terrorism and migration, helped treat ppl with illnesses
2. 2013, pledged to send UK troops to train Somali troops and combat human rights abuse
3. piracy has now decreased and Puntland has own Maritime Police force, but too small to patrol somalia’s coastline
international organisations:
UK is part of UN, Save the Children and Oxfam
Oxfam: distributed water to 200,000 people, 70% live under poverty line, less than 1 in 3 poeple have access to clean water
conflict in Somalia
How is the UK’s cultural influence changing? (media, ethnic groups n global conflicts)
Balti Triangle in Birmingham:
* 30% of Birmingham come from ethnic groups
* cluster of 50 restaurants serving Balti dishes, developed from those who migrated from Kashmir cus of conflict in India
* provided many jobs and is tourist attraction
MEDIA EXPORTS:
Bake off licensed to 20 countries
in 2012, Bond movie Skyfall was UK’s most successful box office gaining £102.9 million at the time (not sure of data)
Peppa Pig earned $1 billion
i.e India
For a named place in the UK, discuss how ethnic diversity has changed since 2001
London (especially Western London) large ethnic population, for example 18% of pop is South Asian, as a result of migration from ex-colonies, black ethnic groups make up 13% of London pop
overall decrease of white British ppl to 45%
more males between age of 25-29 in 2011
