The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the U.K., or Britain,
is a
sovereign
island country
located off the northwestern coast of
mainland Europe
consisting of
England
,
Northern Ireland
,
Scotland
and
Wales
and - the four
constituent countries
. It includes the island of
Great Britain
, the northeast part of the island of
Ireland
and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the
Republic of Ireland
.
Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the
Atlantic Ocean
, the
North Sea
, the
English Channel
and the
Irish Sea
. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to
France
by the
Channel Tunnel
.
The United Kingdom is a
parliamentary democracy
with its
seat of government
in
London
, the
capital
. It is a
constitutional monarchy
with
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
the
head of state
. The
Crown Dependencies
of the
Channel Islands
and the
Isle of Man
, formally possessions of
the Crown
, are not part of the UK but form a
federacy
with it.
The UK has fourteen
overseas territories
,
all remnants of the
British Empire
, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, making it the
largest empire in history
. As a direct result of the empire, British influence can be observed in the language and culture of states such as
Canada
,
Australia
,
New Zealand
,
India
,
South Africa
, and the
United States of America
, and other less globally influential independent states. HM Queen Elizabeth II remains the head of the
Commonwealth of Nations
and head of state of the
Commonwealth realms
. The UK is a
developed country
, with the
fifth
or
sixth
largest
economy
depending on source.
The UK was the world's foremost
power
during the th and early th century,
but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains strong economic, cultural, military and political influence and is a
nuclear power
, with the
third highest defence spending in the world
. It holds a permanent seat on the
United Nations Security Council
, and is a member of the
G
,
NATO
, the
European Union
and the
Commonwealth of Nations
. |