15 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

The UK is situated to the northwest of the European continent, between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. There are two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland and a great number of smaller islands including Isle of Man, Orkney, The Shetland and the Isle of Wight. The UK consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Together England, Wales, and Scotland constitute Great Britain, the larger of the two principal islands, while Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland constitute the second largest island, Ireland.

The total area of the United Kingdom is 242,495 square kilometres, with an estimated 2020 population of more than 67 million people. Currency: the pound, also called pound sterling.

The capital of the whole Britain is London. Largest cities are London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester in England; Belfast and Londonderry in Northern Ireland; Edinburgh and Glasgow in Scotland; Swansea and Cardiff in Wales.

Symbols of the country

Each country has their capital city and symbols. England’s capital city is London and its symbol is a rose, Wales’s capital is Cardiff and symbol is a daffodil, Northern Ireland’s is Belfast and its symbol is a shamrock and the Scotland’s capital is Edinburgh and symbol is a thistle.

Great Britain's flag is known as the British Union Flag or the Union Jack. It was officially adopted in 1801. The flag is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the St. George's cross, the patron saint of England. The diagonal white cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The diagonal red cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. (St. David is the patron saint of Wales.)

History

The Kingdom of Great Britain in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which formally adopted that name in 1927. The UK became the world's first industrialised country and was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the 21st century, the UK retains considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific, technological and political influence.

Government type and administration

It is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with monarch, currently king Charles III, and a parliament with two houses: The House of Lords and the House of Commons. The main function of the House of Lord is to make and revise laws and check the work of the government. The House of Commons is the lawmaking body. It is presided over by the Speaker. The House of Lords is presided over by the Lord Chancellor, and is made up of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal.

There are three main political parties in the United Kingdom: The Conservative Party, the Labour party and Liberal Democrats. The executive power of the Crown is exercised by the cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have now their own parliaments.