.)

Natural gas - imports:
2.7 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
714.9 billion cu m (2003)

Current account balance:
$-33.46 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$347.2 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Exports - partners:
US 15.3%, Germany 10.8%, France 9.2%, Ireland 6.8%, Netherlands 6%,
Belgium 5.1%, Spain 4.5%, Italy 4.2% (2004)

Imports:
$439.4 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Germany 13%, US 9.3%, France 7.4%, Netherlands 6.6%, Belgium 4.9%,
China 4.3%, Italy 4.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$48.73 billion (2004)

Debt - external:
$4.71 trillion (2003)

Economic aid - donor:
ODA, $4.2 billion (2004)

Currency (code):
British pound (GBP)

Currency code:
GBP

Exchange rates:
British pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672
(2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)

Fiscal year:
6 April - 5 April

Communications United Kingdom

Telephones - main lines in use:
34.898 million (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
49.677 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: technologically advanced domestic and
international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: country code - 44; 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 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios:
84.5 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
228 (plus 3,523 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
30.5 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.uk

Internet hosts:
3,398,708 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
more than 400 (2000)

Internet users:
25 million (2002)

Transportation United Kingdom

Railways:
total: 17,274 km
standard gauge: 16,814 km 1.435-m gauge (5,296 km electrified)
broad gauge: 460 km 1.600-m gauge (in Northern Ireland) (2004)

Highways:
total: 392,931 km
paved: 392,931 km (including 3,431 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (2003)

Waterways:
3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2004)

Pipelines:
c