| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Timeline: Nihon no heiwa | ||||||
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| Anthem: God Save the Queen |
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United Kingdom (green)
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| Capital | London | |||||
| Official languages | English | |||||
| Regional languages | Scots • Ulster Scots • Welsh • Cornish • Scottish Gaelic • Irish • British Sign Language | |||||
| Demonym | British | |||||
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |||||
| - | Monarch | Andrew I | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Rory Stewart | ||||
| Legislature | Parliament | |||||
| - | Upper house | House of Lords | ||||
| - | Lower house | House of Commons | ||||
| Formation | ||||||
| - | 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 | ||||
| - | Irish Free State Constitution Act 1922 | 5 December 1922 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2022 estimate | 68,619,220 | ||||
| Currency | Pound sterling (£) (GBP) |
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| Drives on the | left | |||||
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly referred to as the United Kingdom (UK or U.K.), is a sovereign country located on the British isles near Western Europe. The United Kingdom only shares a land border with Ireland via Northern Ireland, although it shares overseas borders with the Netherlands, Belgium and France to the southeast. The United Kingdom is the ninth-largest country in Europe, and has a population of around 71 million.
The United Kingdom emerged from a series of annexations and unifications, beginning with the unification of England (including Wales, which had been annexed in 1542) and Scotland in 1707, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain. Its union in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Throughout the 19th century, Great Britain expanded its colonial empire, becoming the biggest empire in history by 1921 in the aftermath of World War I. In 1922, Ireland seceded from the union, resulting in the United Kingdom reconstituting itself as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy - the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, has reigned since 1952. The capital and largest city is London, a global city and financial centre with a metropolitan area population of 14 million. The United Kingdom consists of five constituent countries: England, Scotland, Cornwall, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The British Parliament is the federal legislature and government headed by an elected prime minister.
The United Kingdom is a member of the European Economic Community, PATO, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Commonwealth of Nations, the World Democratic Organisation, and other organisations.