原味人文风情：

Britain and the European Union may be in for a messy divorce. Britain's exit, or Brexit, from one of the world's most powerful trading blocs will happen if Brits vote to leave, in a national referendum on June 23. Polls showed the Brexit vote could go either way.

So here's how we got to this situation: The camp that wants to leave the EU are the so-called Euroskeptics. They kept the UK from adopting the Euro when it was launched in 1999. Nowadays, they're more worried about the surge of immigration. The UK gets about 500 people added to its population every day. Since EU systems have the freedom to live in any country they choose, leaving the bloc is the only sure way to stem the flow of people.

Arguing to stay in is Prime Minister David Cameron. He negotiated new terms to the UK's EU membership, including some reassurances for London's financial industry and the right to restrict welfare payments to migrants. He says a breakup would be an economic disaster. Europe accounts for nearly half of UK exports. And, he says, a Brexit would create a decade of uncertainty for financial markets, investment, and the wider economy. The debate is whiplashing markets and has sent the pound tumbling.