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United Kingdom

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:''For other meanings of the terms "United Kingdom" and "UKâ€?, see United Kingdom (disambiguation) and UK (disambiguation). For an explanation of these and terms such as Great Britain, British, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, see British Isles (terminology).'' {{Infobox_Country| native_name = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ¹ | common_name = the United Kingdom | image_flag = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg | image_coat = UK_Royal_Coat_of_Arms.png | image_map = LocationUnitedKingdom.png | national_motto = ''Dieu et mon droit''
(Royal motto; French language French for "God and my right") ³ | national_anthem = ''God Save the Queen''⁴ | official_languages = English language English ''de facto'' ⁵ | other_languages = Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish, Cornish, Scots language Scots, British Sign Language, Romany ⁵ | capital = London | latd=51|latm=30|latNS=N|longd=0|longm=7|longEW=W| largest_city = London| other_cities = Manchester Birmingham Glasgow Newcastle-upon-Tyne| government_type = Constitutional monarchy | leader_titles = British monarchy Queen
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Prime Minister | leader_names = Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II
Tony Blair | area_rank = 80th | area_magnitude = 1 E11 | area = 244,820 | percent_water = 1.34% | population_estimate_year = July 2004 | population_estimate = 59,834,300 ⁷| population_estimate_rank = 21st | population_census = 58,789,194 | population_census_year = 2001 | population_density = 246.5 | population_density_rank = 33rd | GDP_PPP_year = 2004 | GDP_PPP = $1.736 trillion | GDP_PPP_rank = 6th | GDP_PPP_per_capita = $28,938 | GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = 17th | HDI_year=2003 | HDI=0.939 | HDI_rank=15th | HDI_category=high | sovereignty_type = Act of Union 1800 Establishment | established_events = | established_dates = 1801⁶| currency = Pound sterling (Â£) | currency_code = GBP | country_code = GBR | time_zone = Greenwich Mean Time GMT | utc_offset = +0 | time_zone_DST = British Summer Time BST | utc_offset_DST = +1 | cctld= .uk⁸ | calling_code = 44 | footnotes = ¹In the UK, Languages in the United Kingdom some other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous language autochthonous regional language (regional) languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, the UK's official name is as follows: *Welsh language Welsh: ''Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon'' *Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic: ''An RÃ¬oghachd Aonaichte na Breatainn MhÃ²r agus Eirinn a Tuath'' *Irish language Irish: ''RÃocht Aontaithe na Breataine MÃ³ire agus Tuaisceart na hÃ‰ireann'' *Scots language Scots: ''Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland'' *Cornish language Cornish: ''An Rywvaneth Unys a Vreten Veur hag Iwerdhon GlÃ©dh''
²There is also a variant for use in Scotland, see Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom for details.
³ The Royal motto used in Scotland is ''Nemo Me Impune Lacessit'' (Latin for "No-one provokes me with impunity").
⁴ De facto.
⁵Languages in the United Kingdom Officially recognised languages: in Wales, Welsh language Welsh; and in Scotland, Scottish Gaelic language Scottish Gaelic since 2005 Act. Anglo-Norman language Norman French is also used for occasional items of official business.
⁶ Formed as ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland''. Name changed to the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'' in 1927.
⁷ Official estimate provided by the UK Office for National Statistics [http://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?ID=6].
⁸ ISO 3166-1 is Great Britain GB, but .gb is unused }} The '''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''' (usually shortened to the '''United Kingdom''', or the '''UK''') occupies part of the British Isles in northwestern Europe, with most of its territory and population on the island of Great Britain. It shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland on the Ireland island of Ireland and is otherwise surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. The United Kingdom, often referred to as "Britain", is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state composed through a political union of four constituent entities: the three Constituent Countries constituent countries of England, Scotland and Wales (known as the Home Nations) on Great Britain, and the province of Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland. The UK has several British overseas territory overseas territories, including Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, and through the Crown has a constitutional relationship with the Crown dependency Crown dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The UK has close relationships with the fifteen other Commonwealth Realms, which share the same monarch as head of state. The UK has a highly developed country developed economy, the fourth-largest in the world (as measured in terms of Gross domestic product). It is one of the most populous member states of the European Union and a founding partner of both the United Nations UN (with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council Security Council) and NATO. The UK is also one of the major List of countries with nuclear weapons nuclear weapon states.

History
{{main|History of the United Kingdom}} Image:ActsOfUnion1707-Painting.jpg thumb|280px|left|''Parliamentary Union of England and Scotland 1707'', painting by Walter Thomas Monnington. The present United Kingdom is the latest of several unions formed over the last 840 years. Scotland and England have existed as separate political entities since the 9th century. Wales, under the control of English monarchs from the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, became part of the Kingdom of England by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 Laws in Wales Act 1535. With the Act of Union 1707, the independent states of England and Scotland, having been in personal union since 1603, agreed to a political union as the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Act of Union 1800 united the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland, which had been gradually brought under English control between 1169 and 1691, to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Independence for the now Republic of Ireland in 1922 brought the partition of the island of Ireland, with six of the nine Counties of Ireland counties of the Provinces of Ireland province of Ulster remaining within the UK, which changed to the current name in 1929 in recognition. Image:British Empire 1897.jpg thumb|300px|left|The British Empire in 1897. The United Kingdom, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, played a leading role in developing Western world Western ideas of property, capitalism and Parliamentary system parliamentary democracyâ€”to say nothing of its part in advancing world literature and science. At its zenith, the British Empire stretched over one quarter of the Earth's surface and encompassed a third of its population - making it the largest empire in history. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted from the effects of World War I and World War II. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous nation. The UK has been a member of the European Union since 1973. The attitude of the present government towards further integration is conservative, with the official opposition favouring a return of some powers and competencies to the UK. It has not chosen to adopt the Euro as domestic political opinion runs strongly against such a move, whilst the government itself has not seen fit to advance membership based on a judgement of the economic costs and benefits in doing so. {{seealso|List of monarchs in the British Isles|History of Britain|History of England|History of Ireland|History of Northern Ireland|History of Scotland|History of Wales|UK local history terms}}

Government and politics
{{main|Politics of the United Kingdom}} {| align=left | | Image:Ac.thequeen.jpg Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|182px|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.html" title="Meaning of 182px|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom">thumb|182px|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom">182px|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom">thumb|182px|left|Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom |- | Image:BlairL.jpg Prime_Minister of the United Kingdom thumb|182px|left|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister Tony Blair.html" title="Meaning of Prime Minister.html" title="Meaning of thumb|182px|left|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister">thumb|182px|left|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister Tony Blair">Prime Minister.html" title="Meaning of thumb|182px|left|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister">thumb|182px|left|[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister Tony Blair |} The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with Executive (government) executive power exercised on behalf of the British monarchy Queen by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Prime Minister and other Cabinet of the United Kingdom cabinet ministers who head Departments of the United Kingdom Government departments. The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other political minister ministers collectively make up Her Majesty's Government. These ministers are drawn from and are responsible to Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament, the legislative body, which is traditionally considered to be "supreme" (that is, able to legislate on any matter and not bound by decisions of its predecessors). The UK is one of the few countries in the world today that does not have a codified constitution, relying instead on customs and separate pieces of constitutional law. While the monarch is Head of State and theoretically holds all executive power, it is the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The government is answerable chiefly to the British House of Commons House of Commons and the Prime Minister is drawn from this chamber of Parliament by constitutional convention. The majority of cabinet members will be from the House of Commons, the rest from the House of Lords. Ministers do not, however, legally have to come from Parliament, though that is the modern day custom. The British system of government has been emulated around the world - a legacy of the United Kingdom's colonialism colonial past - most notably in the other Commonwealth Realms. The Prime Minister is chosen as the MP who can command a majority in the House of Commons - usually the leader of the largest party or, if there is no majority party, the largest coalition. The current Prime Minister is Tony Blair of the Labour Party (UK) Labour Party, who has been in office since 1997. In the United Kingdom the monarch has extensive theoretical powers, but his or her role is mainly, though not exclusively, ceremonial. The monarch is an integral part of Parliament (as the "Crown-in-Parliament") and theoretically gives Parliament the power to meet and create legislation. An Act of Parliament does not become law until it has been signed by the Queen (known as Royal Assent), although no monarch has refused assent to a bill that has been approved by Parliament since Anne of Great Britain Queen Anne in 1708). Although the abolition of the monarchy has been suggested several times, the popularity of the monarchy remains strong in spite of recent controversies. Support for a Republicanism in the United Kingdom British republic usually fluctuates between 15% and 25% of the population, with roughly 10% undecided or indifferent [http://www.mori.com/mrr/2000/c000616.shtml]. The current monarch is Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953. Parliament of the United Kingdom Parliament is the national legislature of the United Kingdom. It is the ultimate legislative authority in the United Kingdom, according to the doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty (however, questions over sovereignty have been brought forward due to the U.K's entry in to the European Union). It is bicameral, composed of the elected British House of Commons House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords, whose members are mostly appointed. The House of Commons is the more powerful of the two houses. The House of Commons houses 646 members who are directly elected from single-member constituencies based on population. The House of Lords has 724 members (though this number is not fixed), constituted of hereditary peers, life peers, and bishops of the Church of England. The Church of England is the established church of the state in England. Image:houses.of.parliament.overall.arp.jpg Palace of Westminster.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|300px|The [[Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames.html" title="Meaning of right|300px|The [[Palace of Westminster">thumb|right|300px|The [[Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames">right|300px|The [[Palace of Westminster">thumb|right|300px|The [[Palace of Westminster, on the banks of the River Thames Since the 1920s, the two largest political parties in British politics have been the Labour Party (UK) Labour Party and Conservative Party (UK) Conservative Party. Though coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of Parliamentary politics, the Plurality electoral system first-past-the-post electoral system used for Elections in the United Kingdom general elections tends to maintain the dominance of these two parties, though each has in the past century relied upon a third party to deliver a working majority in Parliament. The Liberal Democrats (UK) Liberal Democrats are the third major party in the UK parliament and actively seek a reform of the electoral system to address the dominance of the two-party system. Though many in the United Kingdom consider themselves 'British' as well as 'Welsh', 'English', 'Scottish' or 'Irish' (and increasingly also 'Afro-Caribbean', 'Indian' or 'Pakistani'), there has long been a widespread sense of separate national identities in the nations of Wales and Scotland and amongst the Catholic community in Northern Ireland. Independence for the Republic of Ireland in 1922 provided only a partial solution to what had been termed in the 19th Century the 'Irish Question', and competing demands for a united Ireland or continued union with Great Britain have brought civil strife and political instability up to the present day. Though 'nationalist' (as opposed to 'unionist') tendencies have shifted over time in Scotland and Wales, with the Scottish National Party founded in 1934 and Plaid Cymru (the Party of Wales) in 1925, a serious political crisis threatening the integrity of the United Kingdom as a state has not occurred since the 1970s. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each possess a legislature and government alongside that for the United Kingdom. However, this increased autonomous entity autonomy and devolution of executive and legislative powers has not contributed to a reduction in support for independence from the UK, with the rise of new pro-independence parties: for example the Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Socialist Party. The contradictions the West Lothian Question places upon the state may yet prove to be considerable. There is currently little appetite, outside of smaller parties such as the English Democrats, for a devolved English parliament, although senior Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have voiced support. Proposals for English English regions regional government have stalled, following a disastrous referendum on devolved government for the North East England North-East of England, which was hitherto considered the region most in favour of the idea. England is therefore governed according to the balance of parties across the whole of the United Kingdom. The well-received resurgence in Modern Celts Celtic (Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Cornwall Cornish) cultures and languages, as well as 'regional' politics and development, have contributed to the forces pulling against the unity of the state. However, there is at present little sign of any imminent 'crisis' (at the last UK General Election 2005 General Election, both the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru saw their percentage of the overall vote drop, though the SNP did gain two more seats). In Northern Ireland there has been a large drop in violence over the last twenty years, though the situation remains tense, with the more hardline parties, such as Sinn FÃ©in and the Democratic Unionists, now holding the most parliamentary seats. {{see also|Law of the United Kingdom|Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland |Politics of Scotland|Courts of the United Kingdom}}

Geography
Image:Uk-map.png United States.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|230px|left|A [[United States CIA World Factbook Map of the United Kingdom.html" title="Meaning of 230px|left|A [[United States">thumb|230px|left|A [[United States CIA World Factbook Map of the United Kingdom">230px|left|A [[United States">thumb|230px|left|A [[United States CIA World Factbook Map of the United Kingdom {{main|Geography of the United Kingdom}} Most of England consists of rolling lowland terrain, divided east from west by more mountainous terrain in the Northwest (Cumbrian Mountains of the Lake District) and north (the upland moors of the Pennines) and limestone hills of the Peak District by the Tees-Exe line. The lower limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck, Cotswolds, Lincolnshire and chalk downs of the Southern England Chalk Formation. The main rivers and estuaries are the Thames, Severn and the Humber Humber Estuary. The largest urban area is Greater London. Near Dover, England Dover, the Channel Tunnel links the United Kingdom with France. There is no peak in England that is 1,000 metres (3,300 foot (unit of length) ft) or greater. Scotland's geography is varied, with Scottish Lowlands lowlands in the south and east and Scottish Highlands highlands in the north and west, including Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles at 1,344 metres (4,408 ft). There are many long and deep-sea arms, firths, and lochs. Scotland has nearly 800 Scottish islands islands, mainly west and north of the mainland, notably the Hebrides, Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands. The capital city is Edinburgh, the centre of which is a World Heritage Site. The largest city is Glasgow. Wales is mostly mountainous, the highest peak being Snowdon at 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level. North of the mainland is the island of Anglesey. The largest and capital city is Cardiff, located in South Wales. Northern Ireland, making up the north-eastern part of Ireland, is mostly hilly. The main cities are Belfast ('BÃ©al Feirste' in Irish language Irish) and Londonderry / Derry ('Doire' in Irish language Irish). The province is home to one of the UKâ€™s World Heritage Sites, the Giant's Causeway, which consists of more than 40,000 six-sided basalt columns up to 40 feet (12 m) high. Lough Neagh, the largest body of water in the British Isles, by surface area (388 kmÂ² / 150 miÂ²), can be found in Northern Ireland. In total it is estimated that the UK includes around 1,098 small islands, some being natural and some being crannogs, a type of artificial island which was built in past times using stone and wood, gradually enlarged by natural waste building up over time.

Demographics
{{main|Demographics of the United Kingdom}} At the April 2001 UK Census, the United Kingdom's population was 58,789,194, the third-largest in the European Union (behind Germany and France) and the twenty-first largest in the world. This had been estimated up to 59,834,300 by the Office of National Statistics in 2004. Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. Almost one-third of the population lives in England's prosperous south-east and is predominantly urban and suburban--with about 7.2 million in the capital of London. The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) is attributable to universal public education introduced for the primary level in 1870 and secondary level in 1900 (except in Scotland where it was introduced in 1696, see Education in Scotland). Education is mandatory from ages five to sixteen. Image:Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester.jpg thumb|Piccadilly Gardens, one of Manchester's main public squares As a group of islands close to continental Europe, the British Isles have been subject to many invasions and migrations, especially from Scandinavia and the continent, including Roman occupation for several centuries. Contemporary Britons are descended mainly from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before the eleventh century. The pre-Celtic, Celtic, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse influences were blended on Great Britain under the Normans, Scandinavian Vikings who had lived in Northern France.

Language
{{main|Languages in the United Kingdom}} The predominant language of the United Kingdom is English language English, which is a West Germanic language descended from Old English, featuring a large amount of borrowings from Norman French. The English language has spread to all corners of the world (primarily because of the British Empire) and is referred to as a "global language". It is taught as a second language more than any other around the world. Other indigenous languages include Celtic languages such as Welsh language Welsh, the closely related Irish language Irish and Scots Gaelic, and the Cornish language. Additional languages are Scots language Scots, which is closely related to English language English; Romany language Romany; and British Sign Language (Northern Ireland Sign Language is also used in Northern Ireland). Celtic dialectal influences from Cumbric persisted in Northern England for many centuries, most famously in a unique set of numbers used for counting sheep. The United Kingdom's other languages are also spoken by small groups across the world, including Canadian Gaelic Gaelic in Canada and limited Welsh in [[Argentina], though vitually extinct in spoken form, some music is still sung in Welsh [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/11146/79337]. Recent immigrants, especially from the Commonwealth of Nations Commonwealth, speak many other languages, including Gujarati language Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, and Cantonese (linguistics) Cantonese. The United Kingdom has the largest number of Hindi-speaking peoples outside of the Indian subcontinent.

Religion
{{main|Religion in the United Kingdom}} The Church of England and the Church of Scotland function as the official national religions in their respective countries, but most religions found in the world are represented in the United Kingdom. Anglicanism is the state religion that has been established in England since 1534 during the reign of King Henry VIII of England Henry VIII. During his reign, England broke ties with the Roman Catholic Church and established the Church of England as the official religion of England. Reforms to the nature of the church's relationship to the state have been ongoing, especially concerning the nature of the House of Lords and the appointment of a fixed amount of the lordships going to Lords Spiritual, Bishops of the Church of England.

Economy
Image:1pound2000front.jpg left|frame|One-pound coin {{main|Economy of the United Kingdom}} The United Kingdom, a leading trading power and financial centre, has an essentially capitalist economy, the fourth largest in the world in terms of market exchange rates and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates. Over the past three decades, the government has greatly reduced public ownership by means of privatisation programmes, and has contained the growth of the Welfare State. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanised, and efficient by European standards, producing about 70% of food needs with only 1% of the labour force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and Petroleum oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of Gross domestic product GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial state. Services, particularly banking, insurance and business services, account for by far the largest proportion of GDP. Industry continues to decline in importance, although the UK is still Europe's largest manufacturer of armaments, petroleum products, personal computers, televisions, and mobile telephones. Tourism in the United Kingdom Tourism is also important: with over 24 million tourists a year, the United Kingdom is World Tourism Rankings ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world, between People's Republic of China China (33) and Austria (19.1). The Tony Blair Blair government has put off the question of participation in the Euro system, citing five economic tests that would need to be met before they recommend that the UK adopts the Euro, and hold a referendum.

Subdivisions
{{main|Subdivisions of the United Kingdom}} {{col-begin}} {{col-2}} The United Kingdom is divided into four constituent parts, commonly referred to as the home nations: *England *Scotland *Northern Ireland *Wales {{col-2}} The constituent parts of the United Kingdom have administrative
subnational entity subdivisions as follows: *The Regions of England regions and Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England *The Subdivisions of Scotland council areas of Scotland *The Districts of Northern Ireland districts of Northern Ireland *The Unitary Authorities of Wales counties and county boroughs of Wales {{col-end}} The Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542 Laws in Wales Act 1535 incorporated Wales and England into England and Wales for legal purposes. Although all four have historically been divided into Traditional counties of the British Isles counties, England's population is an order of magnitude larger than the others so in recent years it has for some purposes been divided into nine intermediate-level Regions of England Government Office Regions. Each region is made up of metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England counties and unitary authorities, apart from London, which consists of London boroughs. Although at one point it was intended that each or some of these regions would be given its own regional assembly, the plan's future is uncertain, as of 2004, after the North East region rejected its proposed assembly in a referendum. Scotland consists of 32 Council Areas. Wales consists of 22 Unitary Authorities, styled as 10 County Boroughs, 9 Counties, and 3 Cities. Northern Ireland is divided into 26 Districts. Also sometimes associated with the United Kingdom, though not constitutionally part of the United Kingdom itself, are the Crown dependency Crown dependencies (the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man) as self-governing possessions of the Crown, and a number of Crown colony overseas territories under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom. {{seealso|City status in the United Kingdom|Towns of the United Kingdom|Local government in the United Kingdom}}

Military
{{main|British Armed Forces}} The armed forces of the United Kingdom are known as the ''British Armed Forces'' or ''Her Majesty's Armed Forces'', but officially ''Armed Forces of the Crown''. Their Commander-in-Chief is Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) Ministry of Defence. Image:Triserv-600.jpg thumb|150px|right|The Tri-service badge of Her Majesty's Armed Forces. The anchor representing the Royal Navy, the crossed swords the Army, and the Eagle the Royal Air Force The British Armed Forces are charged with protecting the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, promoting the United Kingdom's wider security interests, and supporting international peacekeeping efforts. They are active and regular participants in NATO and other coalition operations. The United Kingdom fields one of the most powerful and comprehensive military forces in the World. Its global power projection capabilities are second only to those of the United States Armed Forces. The British Army had a reported strength of 102,440 in 2005 and the Royal Air Force a strength of 49,210. The 36,320-member Royal Navy is in charge of the United Kingdom's independent strategic nuclear arm, which consists of four Vanguard class submarine Trident Ballistic Missile Submarines, while the Royal Marines provide infantry units for amphibious assault and for specialist reinforcement forces in and beyond the NATO area. This puts total active duty military troops in the 190,000 range, currently deployed in over 80 countries. 9% of the regular Armed Forces are women, a figure that is higher still for the reserve forces. The UK's Special Forces, principally the Special Air Service SAS, provide elite commandos trained for quick, mobile, military responses; often where secrecy or covert operations are required. The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the World in terms of gross tonnage. Despite the United Kingdom's wide ranging capabilities, recent pragmatic defence policy has a stated assumption that any large operation would be undertaken as part of a coalition. Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq (Operation Granby ''Granby'', No-Fly-Zones, Operation Desert Fox ''Desert Fox'' and Operation Telic ''Telic'') may all be taken as precedent - indeed the last true war in which the British military fought alone was the Falklands War of 1982, in which military action was initiated by Argentina and the United Kingdom was fighting a defensive, rather than offensive, campaign.

Culture
{{main|Culture of the United Kingdom}}

Education and Science
The United Kingdom contains some of the world's leading universities, including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the University of London (which incorporates, amongst others, King's College London, Imperial College London, The London School of Economics and University College London). It has produced many great scholars, scientists and engineers including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Adam Smith, James Clark Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, and Isambard Kingdom Brunel; the nation is credited with many inventions including the locomotive, vaccination, television, the railway, and both the internal combustion engine internal combustion and the jet engine. In 2006, it was reported that the UK was the most productive source of research after the United States; with the UK producing, for instance, 9% of the world's scientific research papers with a 12% share of citations [http://education.guardian.co.uk/higher/research/story/0,,1736095,00.html]. In the UK, there are two types of schools, Independent school (United Kingdom) Public Schools and Public school State Schools. Public schools are typically funded by the individual whom attends it, making it a more popular choice among the more wealthy citizens. State schools, however, are funded by the government through taxation taxes.

Literature
Image:Shakespeare.jpg William_Shakespeare.html" title="Meaning of 200px 200px|thumb|[[William Shakespeare, famed playwright.html" title="Meaning of thumb|[[William Shakespeare">200px|thumb|[[William Shakespeare, famed playwright">thumb|[[William Shakespeare">200px|thumb|[[William Shakespeare, famed playwright {{main|British literature}} Playwright William Shakespeare is arguably the most famous writer in the history of the English language; other well-known writers from the United Kingdom include the BrontÃ« sisters (Charlotte BrontÃ« Charlotte, Emily BrontÃ« Emily, and Anne BrontÃ« Anne), Jane Austen, William Thackeray, J.K. Rowling, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, John Milton, Oscar Wilde, H. G. Wells, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Sir Walter Scott, John Buchan, J.M.Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and George Orwell. Important poets include George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron Lord Byron, Robert Burns, Alfred, Lord Tennyson Lord Tennyson and William Blake.

Music
{{main|Music of the United Kingdom}} Notable composers from the United Kingdom have included William Byrd, John Taverner, William Lawes, John Dowland, Thomas Tallis, and Henry Purcell from the 16th and 17th centuries, and, more recently, Sir Edward Elgar, Sir Arthur Sullivan (most famous for working with librettist Sir W. S. Gilbert), Henri Eccles, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten in the 19th and 20th. George Frideric Handel spent most of his composing life in England. The UK was, with the US, one of the two main contributors in the development of rock and roll, and the UK has provided some of the most famous rock stars, including The Beatles, Black Sabbath, David Bowie, Queen (band) Queen, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and many others. The UK was at the forefront of punk rock music in the 1970s with bands such as the Sex Pistols and The Clash, and the subsequent rebirth of Heavy metal music heavy metal with bands such as MotÃ¶rhead and Iron Maiden. In the mid to late 1990s, the Britpop phenomenon saw bands such as Oasis (band) Oasis, Blur, Supergrass, Radiohead and Coldplay gain international fame. The UK is also at the forefront of electronica, with British artists such as The Prodigy, Faithless, Aphex Twin, Nitin Sawhney and Lamb (band) Lamb at the cutting edge. The United Kingdom is also associated with music from the Caribbean, with a large number of Jamaicans and other Caribbean nationals being present in the UK. Recent rock bands to emerge include the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand and the Arctic Monkeys.

Media
''See also List of British television channels'' The BBC is the oldest and perhaps the most respected broadcasting network in the world, with the BBC World Service radio channel and its BBC News news output held in particularly high regard. The other main television networks are ITV, Channel 4 and five (TV) Five. The main satellite broadcaster is Sky Digital (UK) British Sky Broadcasting, the vast majority of digital Cable television cable services are provided by NTL NTL:Telewest (created by the merger of NTL and Telewest in March 2006), and free-to-air digital terrestrial television by Freeview. Popular programmes in the UK include the three major Soap opera soaps - EastEnders, Coronation Street and Emmerdale. The most popular sitcom is Only Fools and Horses as voted by the British public for a BBC poll, although the show has actually finished its run and will not be returning for another series. Various British TV formats have been exported to other nations, such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, The Weakest Link and The Office. Doctor Who is the leading British science-fiction series.

Sports
{{main|Sport in the United Kingdom}} Image:Wimbledon Grojean 2004 RJL.JPG The Championships, Wimbledon right|thumb|Tennis originated in the UK. The [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam (tennis) Grand Slam tournament is held in London every July .html" title="Meaning of Wimbledon.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|Tennis originated in the UK. The [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon">right|thumb|Tennis originated in the UK. The [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam (tennis) Grand Slam tournament is held in London every July ">Wimbledon.html" title="Meaning of right|thumb|Tennis originated in the UK. The [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon">right|thumb|Tennis originated in the UK. The [[The Championships, Wimbledon|Wimbledon Championships Grand Slam (tennis) Grand Slam tournament is held in London every July A great number of major sports originated in the United Kingdom, including association football (soccer), rugby football (rugby), golf, cricket, tennis and boxing. The national sport of the UK is Football (soccer) association football, but the UK does not compete as a nation in any major football tournament. Instead, the home nations compete individually as England national football team England, Wales national football team Wales, Scotland national football team Scotland and Northern Ireland national football team Northern Ireland. It is because of this unique four-team arrangement that the UK currently does not compete in football events at the Olympic Games. However, a united team will probably take part in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, as these are hosted in London. The English and Northern Irish football associations have confirmed participation in this team while the Scottish FA and the Welsh FA have declined to participate. The UK also hosts many world-renowned football clubs, such as Manchester United F.C. Manchester United, Liverpool F.C. Liverpool, Chelsea F.C. Chelsea and Arsenal F.C. Arsenal in England and Rangers F.C. Rangers and Celtic F.C. Celtic in Scotland. Clubs compete in Football in the United Kingdom national leagues and competitions and some go on to compete in European competitions. British teams are generally successful in European Competitions, including the following European Cup/UEFA Champions League winners: Liverpool F.C. Liverpool (five times), Manchester United (twice), Nottingham Forest (twice), Aston Villa and Celtic F.C. Celtic. Both forms of rugby are national sports. Rugby League originates from and is generally played in the North of England, whilst Rugby Union is played all over Britain. In Rugby League the UK plays as one nation - Great Britain national rugby league team Great Britain - whilst in union it is represented by the four nations. England is the current holder of the Rugby Union World Cup. Every four years the British Lions (comprising the best players from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland) tour other countries. The Wimbledon Championships are international tennis events held in Wimbledon, London Wimbledon in south London every summer and are seen as the most prestigious of the tennis calendar. Thoroughbred racing is also very popular in England. It originated under Charles II of England as the "Sport of Kings" - and is a royal pastime to this day. World-famous horse races include the Grand National and the Epsom Derby Golf is one of the most popular participation sports played in the UK, and St Andrews in Scotland is the sport's home course. Cricket is also popular; although the popularity of the game is dramatically greater in England than the remainder of the UK, all four constituent nations as of 2006 compete at the One-Day International level - Scotland independently, Wales as part of the English team, and Northern Ireland as part of All-Ireland. Gaelic football is the most popular sport in Northern Ireland with the counties of Tyrone and Armagh forming part of the 'Big Three' (along with Kerry). The country is closely associated with motorsport. Many teams and drivers in Formula One and World Rally Championship Rallying are based in the UK. The country also hosts legs of F1 and World Rallying Championship calendars and has its own Touring Car Racing championship, the BTCC. British winners of the Formula One World Championship include Mike Hawthorn, Graham Hill (twice), Jim Clark (twice), John Surtees (who was also successful on motorcycles), Jackie Stewart (three times), James Hunt, Nigel Mansell, and Graham Hill's son, Damon Hill. British drivers have not been as successful in the World Rally Championship, with only Colin McRae and the late Richard Burns winning the title.

Miscellaneous topics
* Cellular frequency: GSM 900, GSM 1800, UMTS 2100 * Cellular technology: Global System for Mobile Communications GSM/General Packet Radio Service GPRS/Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution EDGE/Universal Mobile Telecommunications System UMTS * Calendar date Date format: DD/MM/YYYY (ex. 29/2/2004 or 29/02/2004) or DD/MM/YY (ex. 29/2/04 or 29/02/04), other styles are DD.MM.YY or DD-MM-YY * Decimal separator is a full stop: 123.45 * Thousands are separated (formal) by a comma: 10,000, but younger people sometimes use: 10 000. * Voltage: 230V (except in Northern Ireland 220V) , 50 Hz; Domestic AC power plugs and sockets Power connector: Domestic AC power plugs and sockets#Type G .28British 3-pin.29 3 rectangle pins * Postal code: LN NLL, LLN NLL, LNN NLL, LLNN NLL, LNL NLL or LLNL NLL. See Postcode#UK Postcodes British postal codes {{British topics}}

See also
*Major powers#United Kingdom Major powers - United Kingdom

External links
{{sisterlinks|United Kingdom}} {{portal}}
- Official Site of the British Monarchy
- Official Website of the United Kingdom Government
- Official tourist guide to Britain
- Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom * {{wikitravel}}
{{United Kingdom}} {{UK ties2}} {{EU countries}} {{NATO}} {{Europe}} Category:British Isles Category:European countries Category:Monarchies Category:United Kingdom A {{link FA|ta}} af:Verenigde Koninkryk als:Grossbritannien und Nordirland an:Reino Unito ang:GeÃ¡nlÇ½ht CynedÃ³m ar:Ù…Ù…Ù„ÙƒØ© Ù…ØªØØ¯Ø© ast:Reinu UnÃu az:BirlÉ™ÅŸmiÅŸ KrallÄ±q bg:ÐžÐ±ÐµÐ´Ð¸Ð½ÐµÐ½Ð¾ ÐºÑ€Ð°Ð»Ñ?Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾ Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ? Ð¸ Ð¡ÐµÐ²ÐµÑ€Ð½Ð° Ð˜Ñ€Ð»Ð°Ð½Ð´Ð¸Ñ? bn:à¦¯à§?à¦•à§?à¦¤à¦°à¦¾à¦œà§?à¦¯ br:Rouantelezh Unanet Breizh Veur ha Norzhiwerzhon bs:Velika Britanija ca:Regne Unit de la Gran Bretanya i Irlanda del Nord cs:VelkÃ¡ BritÃ¡nie cy:Y Deyrnas Unedig da:Det Forenede Kongerige de:GroÃŸbritannien und Nordirland el:Î—Î½Ï‰Î¼ÎÎ½Î¿ Î’Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î»ÎµÎ¹Î¿ eo:UnuiÄ?inta ReÄ?lando es:Reino Unido et:Suurbritannia fa:Ù¾Ø§Ø¯Ø´Ø§Ù‡ÛŒ Ù…ØªØØ¯ Ø¨Ø±ÛŒØªØ§Ù†ÛŒØ§ÛŒ Ú©Ø¨ÛŒØ± Ùˆ Ø§ÛŒØ±Ù„Ù†Ø¯ Ø´Ù…Ø§Ù„ÛŒ fi:Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta fo:StÃ³ra Bretland fr:Royaume-Uni fy:Grut-Brittanje ga:An RÃocht Aontaithe gd:An RÃ¬oghachd Aonaichte gl:Reino Unido - United Kingdom gv:Reeriaght Unnaneyssit he:×”×ž×ž×œ×›×” ×”×ž×?×•×—×“×ª hr:Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo hu:Nagy-Britannia ia:Regno Unite id:Britania Raya ilo:Pagarian ti Britania ken Umamianan nga Irlandia io:Unionita Rejio is:Bretland it:Regno Unito ja:ã‚¤ã‚®ãƒªã‚¹ ka:áƒ“áƒ˜áƒ“áƒ˜ áƒ‘áƒ áƒ˜áƒ¢áƒ?áƒœáƒ”áƒ—áƒ˜ ko:ì˜?êµ ku:QralÃ®yeta YekbuyÃ® kw:Rywvaneth Unys la:Regnum Unitum li:Vereineg Keuninkriek lt:JungtinÄ— KaralystÄ— lv:ApvienotÄ? Karaliste mi:KÄ«ngitanga Whakakotahi mk:ÐžÐ±ÐµÐ´Ð¸Ð½ÐµÑ‚Ð¾Ñ‚Ð¾ ÐšÑ€Ð°Ð»Ñ?Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾ ms:United Kingdom nds:Grootbritannien un Noordirland nl:Verenigd Koninkrijk nn:Storbritannia no:Det forente kongerike Storbritannia og Nord-Irland oc:Reialme Unit os:Ð¡Ñ‚Ñ‹Ñ€ Ð‘Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¸ pl:Wielka Brytania pt:Reino Unido rm:Reginavel UnÃ¬ da la Gronda Britannia ed Irlanda dal Nord ro:Regatul Unit ru:Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ? scn:Regnu Unitu sco:Unitit Kinrick sh:Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo simple:United Kingdom sk:SpojenÃ© krÃ¡Ä¾ovstvo sl:ZdruÅ¾eno kraljestvo Velika Britanija in Severna Irska sr:Ð£Ñ˜ÐµÐ´Ð¸ÑšÐµÐ½Ð¾ ÐšÑ€Ð°Ñ™ÐµÐ²Ñ?Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾ sv:Storbritannien ta:à®?à®•à¯?à®•à®¿à®¯ à®‡à®°à®¾à®šà¯?à®šà®¿à®¯à®®à¯? th:à¸ªà¸«à¸£à¸²à¸Šà¸à¸²à¸“à¸²à¸ˆà¸±à¸?à¸£ tl:United Kingdom tr:BirleÅŸik KrallÄ±k uk:Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ–Ñ? ur:Ø¨Ø±Ø·Ø§Ù†ÛŒÛ? vi:VÆ°Æ¡ng quá»‘c LiÃªn hiá»‡p Anh vÃ Báº¯c Ireland yi:×’×¨×±×¡×‘×¨×™×˜×?Ö·× ×™×¢ zh:è‹±å›½ zh-min-nan:LiÃ¢n-haÌ?p Ã”ng-kok {| class="toccolours" |- ! width="100%" bgcolor="lightsteelblue" | Constituent countries and affiliations of the United Kingdom | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 35px|UK Flag |- | colspan="3" style="font-size: 90%;" align="center" | '''Constituent Countries Constituent countries:''' {{ENG}} | {{SCO}} | {{WAL}} | {{NIR}}
|- | colspan="3" style="font-size: 90%;" align="center" | '''British overseas territories Overseas territories''': Akrotiri and Dhekelia .html">Anguilla _Bermuda .html" title="Meaning of Bermuda.html" title="Meaning of Bermuda">Bermuda ">British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands British Antarctic Territory .html" title="Meaning of British Antarctic Territory "> Cayman Islands .html">Falkland Islands Gibraltar | Montserrat .html">Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena (Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha) .html">South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands |- | colspan="3" style="font-size: 90%;" align="center" | '''Crown dependency Crown dependencies''': Guernsey .html">Isle of Man Jersey |} {{sisterlinkswp|Category:United Kingdom}} The '''United Kingdom''' is a state comprised of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some topics are categorised at a United Kingdom level and others are categorised in the England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland menus, which are at the top of the list below. Category:European countries Category:European Union member states Category:British Isles {{catmore}} ar:ØªØµÙ†ÙŠÙ?:Ù…Ù…Ù„ÙƒØ© Ù…ØªØØ¯Ø© an:Category:Reino Unito ast:CategorÃa:Reinu UnÃu bg:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:ÐžÐ±ÐµÐ´Ð¸Ð½ÐµÐ½Ð¾ ÐºÑ€Ð°Ð»Ñ?Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾ zh-min-nan:Category:LiÃ¢n-haÌ?p Ã”ng-kok be:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚Ñ?Ð³Ð¾Ñ€Ñ‹Ñ?:Ð’Ñ?Ð»Ñ–ÐºÐ°Ð±Ñ€Ñ‹Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ–Ñ? bs:Category:Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo ca:Categoria:Regne Unit cs:Kategorie:VelkÃ¡ BritÃ¡nie da:Kategori:Det Forenede Kongerige de:Kategorie:GroÃŸbritannien et:Kategooria:Suurbritannia el:ÎšÎ±Ï„Î·Î³Î¿Ï?Î¯Î±:Î—Î½Ï‰Î¼ÎÎ½Î¿ Î’Î±ÏƒÎ¯Î»ÎµÎ¹Î¿ es:CategorÃa:Reino Unido eo:Kategorio:Britio eu:Kategoria:Erresuma Batua fo:BÃ³lkur:Bretland fr:CatÃ©gorie:Royaume-Uni ga:Rang:RÃocht Aontaithe gv:Category:Reeriaght Unnaneyssit gl:Category:Reino Unido ko:ë¶„ë¥˜:ì˜?êµ hr:Kategorija:Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo io:Category:Unionita Rejio id:Kategori:Britania Raya is:Flokkur:Bretland it:Categoria:Regno Unito he:×§×˜×’×•×¨×™×”:×”×ž×ž×œ×›×” ×”×ž×?×•×—×“×ª ka:áƒ™áƒ?áƒ¢áƒ”áƒ’áƒ?áƒ áƒ˜áƒ?:áƒ“áƒ˜áƒ“áƒ˜ áƒ‘áƒ áƒ˜áƒ¢áƒ?áƒœáƒ”áƒ—áƒ˜ kw:Category:Breten Vur lt:Kategorija:JungtinÄ— KaralystÄ— li:Kategorie:Vereineg Keuninkriek hu:KategÃ³ria:Nagy-Britannia nl:Categorie:Verenigd Koninkrijk nds:Kategorie:Grootbritannien ja:Category:ã‚¤ã‚®ãƒªã‚¹ no:Kategori:Storbritannia nn:Kategori:Storbritannia os:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸:Ð¡Ñ‚Ñ‹Ñ€ Ð‘Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¸ pl:Kategoria:Wielka Brytania pt:Categoria:Reino Unido ro:Categorie:Regatul Unit ru:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ð¸Ñ? sco:Category:Unitit Kinrick sh:Category:Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo scn:Category:Regnu Unitu simple:Category:United Kingdom sk:KategÃ³ria:SpojenÃ© krÃ¡Ä¾ovstvo sl:Kategorija:ZdruÅ¾eno kraljestvo Velike Britanije in Severne Irske sr:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ˜Ð°:Ð£Ñ˜ÐµÐ´Ð¸ÑšÐµÐ½Ð¾ ÐšÑ€Ð°Ñ™ÐµÐ²Ñ?Ñ‚Ð²Ð¾ fi:Luokka:Yhdistynyt kuningaskunta sv:Kategori:Storbritannien tl:Category:UK ta:à®ªà®•à¯?à®ªà¯?à®ªà¯?:à®?à®•à¯?à®•à®¿à®¯ à®‡à®°à®¾à®šà¯?à®šà®¿à®¯à®®à¯? th:Category:à¸ªà¸«à¸£à¸²à¸Šà¸à¸²à¸“à¸²à¸ˆà¸±à¸?à¸£ vi:Thá»ƒ loáº¡i:VÆ°Æ¡ng quá»‘c LiÃªn hiá»‡p Anh vÃ Báº¯c Ireland tr:Kategori:BirleÅŸik KrallÄ±k uk:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ñ–Ñ?:Ð’ÐµÐ»Ð¸ÐºÐ¾Ð±Ñ€Ð¸Ñ‚Ð°Ð½Ñ–Ñ? zh:Category:è‹±å›½ see United Kingdom __NOTOC____NOEDITSECTION__ {{browsebarcountry|the United Kingdom|British}}

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