United Kingdom
,
island
country
located off the northwestern coast of mainland
Europe
. The United Kingdom
comprises
the whole of the island of
Great Britain
?which contains
England
,
Wales
, and
Scotland
?as well as the northern portion of the island of
Ireland
. The name
Britain
is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. The capital is
London
, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. Other major cities include
Birmingham
,
Liverpool
, and
Manchester
in England,
Belfast
and
Londonderry
in
Northern Ireland
,
Edinburgh
and
Glasgow
in Scotland, and
Swansea
and
Cardiff
in Wales.
Country Facts
Audio File:
Anthem of United Kingdom (
see article
)
- Head Of Government:
- Prime Minister:
Rishi Sunak
- Population:
- (2024 est.) 68,278,000
- Currency Exchange Rate:
- 1 USD equals 0.800 British pound
The origins of the United Kingdom can be traced to the time of the Anglo-Saxon king
Athelstan
, who in the early 10th century
ce
secured the
allegiance
of neighbouring Celtic kingdoms and became “the first to rule what previously many kings shared between them,” in the words of a contemporary chronicle. Through subsequent conquest over the following centuries, kingdoms lying farther afield came under English
dominion
. Wales, a congeries of Celtic kingdoms lying in Great Britain’s southwest, was formally united with England by the Acts of Union of 1536 and 1542. Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. (The adjective “British” came into use at this time to refer to all the kingdom’s peoples.) Ireland came under English control during the 1600s and was formally united with Great Britain through the
Act of Union
of 1800. The republic of Ireland gained its independence in 1922, but six of
Ulster
’s nine counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. Relations between these
constituent
states and England have been marked by controversy and, at times, open rebellion and even warfare. These tensions relaxed somewhat during the late 20th century, when devolved assemblies were introduced in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Nonetheless, even with the establishment of a power-sharing assembly after referenda in both Northern Ireland and the Irish republic, relations between Northern Ireland’s unionists (who favour continued British
sovereignty
over Northern Ireland) and nationalists (who favour unification with the republic of Ireland) remained tense into the 21st century.
The United Kingdom has made significant contributions to the world economy, especially in technology and industry. Since
World War II
, however, the United Kingdom’s most prominent exports have been cultural, including literature, theatre, film, television, and
popular music
that draw on all parts of the country. Perhaps Britain’s greatest export has been the
English language
, now spoken in every corner of the world as one of the leading international mediums of cultural and economic exchange.
The United Kingdom retains links with parts of its former empire through the
Commonwealth
. It also benefits from historical and cultural links with the
United States
and is a member of the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO). Moreover, the United Kingdom became a member of the
European Union
in 1973. Many Britons, however, were sometimes reluctant EU members, holding to the
sentiments
of the great wartime
prime minister
Winston Churchill
, who sonorously remarked, “We see nothing but good and hope in a richer, freer, more contented European commonalty. But we have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not
comprised
. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed.” Indeed, in June 2016, in a referendum on whether the United Kingdom should remain in the EU, 52 percent of British voters chose to leave. After much negotiation, several deadline extensions, prolonged domestic political
discord
, and two changes of prime minister, an agreement on “Brexit” (British exit from the EU) was reached that satisfied both the EU and the majority of
Parliament
. Thus, on January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom would become the first country to withdraw from the EU.
Britannica Quiz
Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz
Land
The United Kingdom comprises four geographic and historical parts?
England
,
Scotland
,
Wales
, and
Northern Ireland
. The United Kingdom contains most of the area and population of the British Isles?the geographic term for the group of islands that includes Great Britain, Ireland, and many smaller islands. Together England, Wales, and Scotland
constitute
Great Britain, the larger of the two principal islands, while Northern Ireland and the republic of
Ireland
constitute the second largest island, Ireland. England, occupying most of southern Great Britain, includes the
Isles of Scilly
off the southwest coast and the
Isle of Wight
off the southern coast. Scotland, occupying northern Great Britain, includes the
Orkney
and
Shetland
islands off the northern coast and the
Hebrides
off the northwestern coast. Wales lies west of England and includes the island of
Anglesey
to the northwest.
Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom is surrounded by sea. To the south of England and between the United Kingdom and
France
is the
English Channel
. The
North Sea
lies to the east. To the west of Wales and northern England and to the southeast of Northern Ireland, the
Irish Sea
separates Great Britain from Ireland, while southwestern England, the northwestern coast of Northern Ireland, and western Scotland face the
Atlantic Ocean
. At its widest the United Kingdom is 300 miles (500 km) across. From the northern tip of Scotland to the southern coast of England, it is about 600 miles (1,000 km). No part is more than 75 miles (120 km) from the sea. The capital, London, is situated on the tidal
River Thames
in southeastern England.
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The archipelago formed by
Great Britain
and the numerous smaller islands is as irregular in shape as it is
diverse
in geology and landscape. This
diversity
stems largely from the nature and
disposition
of the underlying rocks, which are westward extensions of European structures, with the shallow waters of the
Strait of Dover
and the
North Sea
concealing former land links. Northern Ireland contains a westward extension of the rock structures of Scotland. These common rock structures are
breached
by the narrow
North Channel
.
On a global scale, this natural endowment covers a small area?approximating that of the U.S. state of
Oregon
or the African country of
Guinea
?and its internal diversity, accompanied by rapid changes of often beautiful scenery, may convey to visitors from larger countries a striking sense of compactness and consolidation. The peoples who, over the centuries, have hewed an existence from this Atlantic extremity of Eurasia have put their own imprint on the
environment
, and the ancient and distinctive palimpsest of their field patterns and settlements complements the natural diversity.
Relief
Great Britain is traditionally divided into a highland and a lowland zone. A
line running from the mouth of the
River Exe
, in the southwest, to that of the Tees, in the northeast, is a crude expression of this division. The course of the 700-foot (213-metre)
contour
, or of the boundary separating the older rocks of the north and west from the younger southeastern strata, provides a more accurate indication of the extent of the highlands.