CAPITAL LONDON - POPULATION 51.8 MILLION - AREA 130,281 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ENGLISH
They do like to be beside the seaside in England, despite the Weather. And no more so than in 2009, when once-fashionable but now-faded resorts (Blackpool, Dover, Torbay) are receiving regeneration grants, and perennially popular spots such as Brighton are getting even trendier, with burgeoning festivals and boutique hotels. Campaigners are attempting to secure public access to every inch of the English coastline, which will eventually enable one of the planet's best long-distance rambles. Of course, you can't ignore the impending London 2012 Olympics, which will do more for deprived areas of the capital than the 2008 Capital of Culture crown has done for regenerating newly spruced-up Liverpool.
SCOTLAND
CAPITAL EDINBURGH - POPULATION 5.3 MILLION - AREA 77,925 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ENGLISH
Auld Lang Syne will be sung with extra gusto this Hogmanay, heralding the 250th anniversary of the birth of national poet Robert Burns. Whether it'll be accompanied by bagpipes is unsure, after recent revelations that the love-hate instrument – alleged soundtrack to ancient skirmishes – was invented just 200 years ago by middle-class Londoners. But pipes of some kind should salute Scotland's good intentions to become the world's first carbon-neutral destination. Help out by visiting its green spaces: the North West Highlands Geopark is one of the most sparsely populated (and geologically magnificent) areas in Europe, while at the Alladale Estate an unconventional landowner is using African game-park practices to reintroduce moose and, possibly, wolves to their natural home.
WALES
CAPITAL CARDIFF - POPULATION 3.1 MILLION - AREA 20,732 SQ KM -OFFICIAL LANGUAGE ENGLISH
Wales is embracing its Welshness more than ever. Its government has greater autonomy and the Welsh language is enjoying a resurgence – one survey says 50% of locals believe the country will be increasingly bilingual by the mid-21st century. 2008's two films about national poet Dylan Thomas will only further boost patriotism and increase traffic to his old haunts – Tenby, Laugharne and Swansea, home to November's Thomas Festival. However, the most fuss is being made in the mountains – come 2009 the volunteer-constructed Snowdonia Railway, a 60km chug through the Welsh uplands, will puff once more (despite some local opposition), creating one of Europe's most scenic steam-train trips.
London’s Olympic year
London is a pugnacious so-and-so, and after a little light sparring with the world's great cities in 2011 (did someone mention a royal wedding?), it's going for the knock-out blow in 2012. The Olympics are riding into town, with London becoming the first city to host the games three times, and a whole swath of the capital is being transformed in the process. Forget the usual rule of an Olympic city: overpriced rooms that are booked out before a flurry of last-minute deals. London will be popular, but it has room for everyone, whether you get in quick with an early-bird hotel deal, stay a few miles out and travel in for the day, or blag a stay with a Londoner in a surprising suburb.
London's east will be thrust into the spotlight (and Shoreditch, Hoxton and Dalston are all worth exploring by night), but the rest of the capital will be rolling out the red carpet, too. Even if sport's not your bag, it's still worth visiting - queues at some of the world's best museums and galleries should be a little shorter as the Games divert everyone's attention.
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