Interesting, puzzling or amusing aspects of life in contemporary Britain are explained in over 3000 alphabetically arranged entries, providing up-to-date information on the media, sport, entertainment, people in the news, food, education, art, historical events and important places. Extensive cross-references enable students to find subjects easily. A thematic index encourages students to follow their own paths through the material, and provides a framework for studying topics. The appendices include detailed maps of the UK and other useful information in chart or list form.