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| Anthem | "God Save the King" | ||||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
London | ||||||
| Other cities | Manchester Glasgow Cardiff | ||||||
| Language | English | ||||||
| Demonym | British | ||||||
| Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | ||||||
| Legislature | Parliament | ||||||
| Monarch | Ferdinand II | ||||||
| Prime Minister | Sadiq Khan | ||||||
| Area | 209,331 km² | ||||||
| Population | 65,181,000 | ||||||
| Established | Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Union of the Crowns 24 March 1603 Acts of Union of England and Scotland 1 May 1707 Acts of Union of Great Britain and Ireland 1 January 1801 Confederation Act 8 October 1885 Dissolution of the Commonwealth 25 December 1993 | ||||||
| Currency | Pound sterling | ||||||
| Time Zone | UTC (WET) | ||||||
| summer | UTC+1 (WEST) | ||||||
| Driving Side | left | ||||||
| Calling Code | +44 | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .gb | ||||||
The Kingdom of Great Britain, commonly known as Great Britain (GB), or informally just as Britain, is a sovereign country in north-western Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland. Its territory includes the island of Great Britain and many smaller islands within the British Isles. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the English Channel separating Great Britain and France, and the Irish Sea separating Ireland. The total area of Great Britain is 209,331 square kilometers, with an estimated population of 65 million people.
Great Britain has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which included Wales, annexed in 1542) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1662 formed the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its union in 1715 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The modern history of Great Britain comes with the formation of the United Commonwealth of British Nations in 1885. A confederation, the number of entities in the Commonwealth varied throughout the years. After World War II, the United Commonwealth emerged as a superpower along with Germany, entering the Cold War. Following the calls for autonomy, the Commonwealth as a proper state was dissolved and reformed as a political and economic union between the former states.
Great Britain is a unitary parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. With its capital in London, the country is generally considered the successor state to the former United Commonwealth and a great power. The monarch, King Ferdinand II, has reigned since 2021. The capital and largest city is London, a global city and financial centre with a metropolitan area population of 14 million. Great Britain consists of three crowns: England, Scotland and Wales. All the constituent countries have their own devolved governments, each with varying powers.
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