Population and urbanisation, Year 11: UK transport, the north-south divide and the wider world

sea

HintThe UK is an island.

The whyFuel, food, cars, raw materials and manufactured goods mostly arrive and leave by ship. Ports are being improved with longer quays, larger cranes and better road and rail links, so that cargo can be moved inland quickly. By value the share is lower, about 55%, because light, costly goods often go by air.

Through traffic is taken away, so the centre has less congestion and pollution

HintLorries no longer have to drive down the high street.

The whyRoad improvements include new bypasses, extra lanes and better junctions. They cut journey times and make goods cheaper to deliver. The usual criticisms are that new roads use up countryside and that easier driving attracts more traffic.

Electric trains give off no exhaust fumes and can use low-carbon electricity

HintThink about what comes out of an engine that burns fuel.

The whyA train drawing power from overhead wires burns nothing on board, so there is no exhaust in stations and towns. As more of the country's power comes from wind, solar and nuclear, the journey's carbon footprint falls too. These trains are also quieter and accelerate faster.

noise

HintYou hear it before you see the plane.

The whyAirports bring jobs, trade and tourism, and businesses want more flights. More flights also mean more disturbance for people under the flight paths, more road traffic and higher emissions. Decisions about airport capacity weigh these economic gains against the social and environmental costs.

It frees space for more local and freight trains

HintThink about a motorway lane with the fastest cars removed.

The whyFast and slow trains sharing one track get in each other's way, which limits how many can run. Separating them increases capacity on both routes. So new lines are argued for on the number of trains and passengers they allow, not only on shorter journey times.

The traditional industries were concentrated in the north

HintThink about the map of the coalfields.

The whyCoal, steel, shipbuilding and textiles employed a large share of workers in northern England, central Scotland and South Wales. When they shrank, whole towns lost their main employer. The south-east, with London's finance and services, was growing at the same time.

Life expectancy

HintIt is one of the measures inside the Human Development Index.

The whyIn 2024 output per head was highest in London (£72,201) and lowest in the North East (£29,957). For 2022 to 2024, men's life expectancy at birth was 80.7 years in the South East and 77.7 years in the North East. These are the kinds of economic and social evidence used to describe the divide.

There are wealthy areas in the north and deprived areas in the south

HintAverages hide what happens inside a region.

The whyThe divide describes regional averages. Within every region there are prosperous towns and suburbs and places with high unemployment. Some of the greatest contrasts in the country are found inside single cities, including London. A good answer describes the pattern and then points out its limits.

An enterprise zone

HintIt encourages new businesses to set up there.

The whyThese areas are one strategy for reducing regional differences. Firms that move in can save on a local property tax for their first years and get permission to build more quickly. In 2024 there were 48 in England. Critics say some firms simply move in from just outside, without creating new jobs.

Decisions and budgets pass from central government to local leaders

HintChoices are made closer to the people they affect.

The whyScotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own parliaments or assemblies, and many English city regions now have elected mayors with control over transport, housing and skills. The argument is that local leaders know best what their area needs. Critics say the money passed down is too small to change much.

transport

HintRoads and railways.

The whyFaster, more frequent journeys let people reach jobs in a neighbouring city and let firms draw on a bigger pool of workers and customers. Plans of this kind change with governments and budgets, so learn the idea, and check the current state of any scheme you name.

2020

HintThe same year the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The whyThe UK joined what became the EU in 1973 and left on 31 January 2020, after a referendum in 2016. It is no longer a member and takes no part in making EU laws. The EU remains a close neighbour and a major partner in trade, travel, science and security.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement

HintIts title has two nouns: one about buying and selling, one about working together.

The whyThe agreement was signed on 30 December 2020, applied from 1 January 2021 and fully entered into force on 1 May 2021. Goods that meet its rules can be traded with no tariffs or quotas. There are now customs checks and paperwork that did not exist when the UK was a member, and people can no longer move freely to live and work.

The European Union (EU)

HintA group of 27 neighbouring countries.

The whyIn 2025 the bloc accounted for 45.2% of UK trade in goods and services. The largest single-country partner was the United States, with 17.5%. Distance matters: it is cheaper and quicker to trade with near neighbours.

56

HintA little more than fifty.

The whyThe Commonwealth is a voluntary association of independent and equal countries, home to about 2.7 billion people. It works on shared goals such as development, democracy and peace, and its members have links of language, law, sport and trade. The most recent members, in 2022, were Gabon and Togo.

They were once part of the British Empire

HintThink about why so many of them use English.

The whyMost members were once ruled by Britain and chose to keep a link after independence. Today any country can apply to join, and a few members have no such history. Shared language and similar legal systems make trade, study and migration between members easier.

Through fibre-optic cables on the sea bed

HintNot by way of the sky.

The whyElectronic communication links the UK to the world for trade, finance, news and entertainment. Signals travel as pulses of light along thin glass strands laid across the ocean floor. Satellites carry only a small share, because these lines are faster and carry far more.