United Kingdom UK Britain

THE UNITED KINGDOM, UK, BRITAIN

The United Kingdom, or in the colloquial language usually only briefly referred to England, called correctly expressed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a sovereign state and the largest island off the north-west coast of Europe. This Union has four sub-states. These are England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also has several overseas territories. The crown dependency of the island and the Channel Islands are subordinate to the British crown. However, they are as independent countries not part of the United Kingdom ( suzerain ). As a constitutional monarchy, the country also maintains relationships with 15 Commonwealth Realms. Its head of state is the British monarch and the capital is London.

The United Kingdom is a highly industrialized country. The United Kingdom has the world s fifth gross domestic product. Besides, it is with about 60.2 million inhabitants, the third largest country in the European Union. The United Kingdom has not introduced the Euro currency. The United Kingdom is one of the founding members of NATO and the United Nations. Moreover, it is a nuclear power and a permanent member of the Security Council. Moreover, it is also Member of the Group of Eight (G8).



English is still the world s most widely spoken language in the world. The official languages in the United Kingdom are being regionally English and Irish, Scots-Gaelic, Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Cornish and Manx. The Head of State is currently the Queen Elizabeth II and the head of government is Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The currency is sterling ( ), the vehicle is character is GB and the Internet TLD is .uk and the telephone area code is +44. The United Kingdom consists of the main island of Great Britain and Ireland. Furthermore, it has several island groups with over 1000 small islands. The most important are the Shetland and Orkney in the North Sea. Most Britons live in England. That is about 83% of the population of the United Kingdom. Thus, Britain s largest state and has more than 50 million inhabitants. Approximately 92.1% of the UK s population are white, 7.9% are non-white. From all over the world are here encountered foreigners. The best known are of Cypriot origin, and are George Michael and Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens).

England consists for the most part from low levels and smaller hills. In the north-west and north are mountains; the Cumbrian Mountains and the Pennines. The highest mountain in England is the Scafell Pike in the Cumbrian Mountains (978 metres). In the southwest, it is the Dartmoor and Exmoor.
The rivers in England include Thames, Severn, Trent, Great Ouse, Humber, Tees and Exe. The largest cities are next to London the city of Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol.
The climate on the whole island is damp. Because of the influence of the Gulf Stream, it is warmer here than in areas on the same latitudes. Due to cold polar air and warm tropical air the weather is very volatile. Rain is there quite a lot and during the 2/3 of the year, so the skies are mostly cloudy in England. Storm winds and floods may occur in the winter especially on the coast. However, the temperature is usually above freezing. Therefore, there is not much snow in England.