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For other meanings of the terms "United Kingdom" and "UK”, 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).

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom or the UK) is a country ^{[1] [2] [3]} occupying part of the British Isles in northwestern Europe. Most of its territory and population are on the island of Great Britain and it shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland on the island of Ireland; it is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and its ancillary bodies of water: the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, and the Irish Sea.

The United Kingdom is a political union made up of four parts, often called the constituent countries or the Home Nations. They are England, Scotland, and Wales on the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland on the island of Ireland.

A unitary state and constitutional monarchy, the UK has several overseas territories, including Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, and through the Crown has a constitutional relationship with the 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 – Queen Elizabeth II – as head of state.

The UK has a highly industrialised economy and the sixth-largest gross domestic product in the world ^[4]. It is one of the most populous states of the European Union ^[5] and is a founding member of the UN (holding a permanent seat on the Security Council) and NATO. The UK is also one of the world's major nuclear powers. ^[6] Having previously been a world superpower it retains an important and influential role in world and European politics, helped by the dominance of the English language in world affairs and its close ties with the United States of America. ^[7]

Contents 1 History 2 Government and politics 3 Law 4 Geography 4.1 Cities 5 Demographics 5.1 Language 5.2 Religion 6 Economy 7 Administrative subdivisions 8 Military 9 Culture 9.1 Education and science 9.2 Literature 9.3 Music 9.4 Media 10 Sport 11 National symbols 12 Miscellaneous data 13 References 14 External links

History

Main article: History of the United Kingdom

Parliamentary Union of England and Scotland 1707, painting by Walter Thomas Monnington.

The British Empire in 1897.

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 Act 1535. ^[8] 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. ^[9]

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. ^[10] Independence for the now Republic of Ireland in 1922 brought the partition of the island of Ireland, with six of the nine counties of the province of Ulster remaining within the UK, which then changed to the current name in 1927. ^[11]

The United Kingdom, the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century, is often credited with being the nation that "created the modern world", ^[12] by playing a leading role in developing Western ideas of property, capitalism and parliamentary democracy—to say nothing of its part in advancing world literature, science and technology. 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 ever 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 mixed ^[13], with the Conservative Party favouring a return of some powers and competencies to the UK ^[14]. The government has yet to choose whether to adopt the Euro; current policy is to hold a referendum on the issue if and when five economic tests indicate that Euro entry would be beneficial. ^[15]

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with executive power exercised on behalf of the Queen by the Prime Minister and other cabinet ministers who head departments. The cabinet, including the Prime Minister, and other ministers collectively make up Her Majesty's Government. These ministers are drawn from and are responsible to 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 custom and separate pieces of constitutional law^[16].

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 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 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, 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 ^[17]. 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 Queen Anne in 1708 ^[18]. Although the abolition of the monarchy has been suggested several times, the popularity of the monarchy remains strong. Support for a British republic usually fluctuates between 15% and 25% of the population, with roughly 10% undecided or indifferent. ^[19] The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II who acceded to the throne in 1952 and was crowned in 1953.

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 UK's entry in to the European Union ^[20]). It is bicameral, composed of the elected 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 (Note: The House of Lords Act 1999 removed the inheritance of peerage and permitted just 92 hereditary peers to remain), life peers, and bishops of the Church of England. The Church of England is the established church of the state in England ^{[citation needed]}.

Since the 1920s, the two largest political parties in British politics have been the Labour Party and Conservative Party. Though coalition and minority governments have been an occasional feature of Parliamentary politics, the first-past-the-post electoral system used for 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 ^[21]. The 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 ^[22].

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 ^[23][24][25]. 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 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.

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 concerns in regard to the West Lothian Question ^[26][27]. Proposals for English regional government have stalled, following a poorly received referendum on devolved government for the 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 Celtic (Welsh, Scottish, Irish and Cornish) cultures and languages, as well as 'regional' politics and development, have contributed to the forces pulling against the unity of the state ^[28]. However, there is at present little sign of any imminent 'crisis' (at the last 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 and are the second largest party in the Scottish Parliament as well as official opposition). In Northern Ireland there has been a significant decrease in violence over the last twenty years, though the situation remains tense, with the more hardline parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists, now holding the most parliamentary seats (see Demographics and politics of Northern Ireland).

Law

Main article: Law of the United Kingdom

The UK has three distinct systems of law. English law which applies in England and Wales; and Northern Ireland law which applies in Northern Ireland, are based on common law principles. Scots law which applies in Scotland is a hybrid system based on both common law and civil law principles. The separate systems of law date from the Act of Union 1707 which guaranteed the continued existence of a separate law system in Scotland.

The House of Lords is the highest court in the land for all criminal and civil cases in England and Wales, and Northern Ireland; and for all civil cases in Scots law. Recent constitutional changes will see the powers of the House of Lords transfer to a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. ^[29]

In England and Wales, the court system is headed by the Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales, consisting of the Court of Appeal, the High Court of Justice (for civil cases) and the Crown Court (for criminal cases). In Scotland, the chief courts are the Court of Session for civil cases and the High Court of Justiciary for criminal cases, while the sheriff court is the Scottish equivalent of the county court.

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the highest court of appeal for several independent Commonwealth countries, the UK overseas territories, and the British crown dependencies.

Geography

Main article: 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 Estuary. The largest urban area is Greater London. Near Dover, the Channel Tunnel links the United Kingdom with France. ^[30] There is no peak in England that is 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) or greater.

Scotland's geography is varied, with lowlands in the south and east and 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 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. ^[31]

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. ^[32]

Northern Ireland, making up the north-eastern part of Ireland, is mostly hilly. The main cities are Belfast ('Béal Feirste' in Irish) and Londonderry / Derry ('Doire' in Irish). The province is home to one of the UK’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 km² / 150 mi²), can be found in Northern Ireland. ^[33]

In total it is estimated that the UK includes around 1000 islands, with 700 in Scotland alone ^[34]. Some of the islands are natural, whilst some are 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.

Cities

Main article: City status in the United Kingdom

There are many different statistics and debates on what are the UK's largest cities, as well as differing opinions on which cities are considered regional capitals. Amongst the cities listed below are regional capitals and conurbations with a significant metropolitan influence ^[35].

• London - Capital City. Largest city in western Europe and the European Union. ^[36].
• Birmingham - City in the West Midlands, the UK's second biggest city by population.
• Leeds - City in West Yorkshire with a large metropolitan population.
• Manchester - City in the North West of England, second largest conurbation in the UK by population.
• Liverpool - Important (maritime port) city in North West England.
• Sheffield - Major city in South Yorkshire.
• Nottingham - Regional centre of the East Midlands.
• Leicester - Largest city in East Midlands by population.
• Bristol - Largest city in the South West of England.
• Newcastle Upon Tyne - Largest city in the North East of England.
• Edinburgh - Capital of Scotland.
• Cardiff - Capital of and largest city in Wales.
• Belfast - Capital of the Province of Northern Ireland.
• Glasgow - Largest city in Scotland.

Demographics

Main article: 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 ^[37] by the Office for National Statistics in 2004. Its overall population density is one of the highest in the world. About a quarter of the population lives in England's prosperous south-east ^[38] and is predominantly urban and suburban, with about 7.2 million in the capital of London. The United Kingdom's high literacy rate (99%) ^[39] 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.

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. Present day 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 article: Languages in the United Kingdom

The predominant language of the United Kingdom is English, which is a West Germanic language descended from Old English, featuring a large amount of borrowings from Norman French. Other indigenous languages include the Celtic languages which are in two groups: the P-Celtic languages (Welsh and the Cornish language); and the Q-Celtic languages (Irish and Scots Gaelic).

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". Worldwide, it is taught as a second language more than any other. The United Kingdom's Celtic languages are also spoken by small groups around the globe, including Gaelic in Canada and Welsh in Argentina.

Additional indigenous languages are Scots, which is closely related to English; 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.

Recent immigrants, especially from the Commonwealth, speak many other languages, including Gujarati, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, and Cantonese. The United Kingdom has the largest number of Hindi-speaking peoples outside the Indian subcontinent. ^{[citation needed]}

Religion

Main article: Religion in the United Kingdom

The main religion in the UK is Christianity ^[40] first introduced by the Romans. Each home nation has their own church hierarchies.

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the 'mother' and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Originally established as part of the Roman Catholic Church in 597AD by Augustine of Canterbury on behalf of Pope Gregory I, the Church split from Rome in 1534 during the reign of Henry VIII of England. The Church of England is a state church, and its bishops sit in the House of Lords. The British monarch is required to be a member of the Church of England under the Act of Settlement 1701 and is the Supreme Governor. Roman Catholics are expressly forbidden from becoming monarch, stemming from conflict over the crown and whether Britain was in the past, Catholic or Protestant. The Church of England is based at Canterbury Cathedral and the Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman.

The Church of Scotland (known informally as The Kirk) is the national church of Scotland. It is a Presbyterian church and is not subject to state control. The British monarch is an ordinary member, although the monarch is required to swear an oath to "defend the security" of the Church at their coronation. Splits in the Church since the reformation have led to the creation of various other Presbyterian churches in Scotland including the Free Church of Scotland and the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

In Wales, the Church in Wales was disestablished in the 1920s, although remains in the Anglican community. The Church of Ireland was disestablished in the 19th century.

The Catholic Church in Great Britain is the second largest denomination of Christianity in the UK. Although after the reformation, strict laws were passed against Catholics; these were removed by the Catholic Emancipation laws in the 1850s. The Catholic hierarchy is separate in England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

In the latter half of the 20th century, large scale immigration from the Commonwealth countries has led to the introduction of other religions that are popular amongst ethnic minorities. This has included religions such as Islam (see Islam in the United Kingdom), Hinduism (see Hinduism in the United Kingdom), Sikhism and Buddhism.

Religions claiming pre-Christian British origins, such as Wicca and Neo-druidism, retain some followers, although actual numbers are not known.

Just over three quarters of the population reported having a religion in the 2001 census. ^[40] There is much evidence however that atheism and agnosticism have grown substantially in the United Kingdom over the last 40 years; according to a 2004 poll 35% of all residents, and a majority of young people, now consider themselves to be either atheist or agnostic. The United Kingdom also has one of the lowest levels of actual worship in the world, with less than 20% of people (of whom the vast majority are of middle-aged and older generations) actually attending any form of worship on a regular basis. ^[41]

Economy

Main article: Economy of the United Kingdom

The British economy is based on the Anglo-Saxon model, focusing on the principles of liberalisation, the free market, and low taxation and regulation. Based on market exchange rates, the United Kingdom is the fifth-largest economy in the world; ^[42], the second largest in Europe after Germany, and the sixth-largest overall by purchasing power parity (PPP) exchange rates. ^[4]

The UK economy was the first in the world to enter the Industrial Revolution, and initially concentrated on heavy industry such as shipbuilding, coal mining, steel production and textiles. The British Empire created an overseas market for British produce, allowing the UK to dominate international trade in the 19th century. However, as other nations began to industrialise, and surplus labour from agriculture began to dry up, the UK began to lose its economic advantage, and heavy industry declined throughout the 20th century. The service sector however has grown substantially, and now makes up 72% of GDP. ^{[citation needed]}

The service sector is dominated by financial services, including banking and insurance. The City of London is one of the largest financial centres in the world, with the London Stock Exchange, the London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange, and the Lloyd's of London insurance market all based here. The City also has the largest concentration of foreign bank branches in the world. ^{[citation needed]} In the past decade, a rival financial centre in London has grown in the Docklands area, with HSBC, Citigroup and Barclays Bank all relocating their head offices here. The Scottish capital, Edinburgh also has a large financial sector, the sixth largest in Europe ^[43].

Tourism is also important: with over 24 million tourists a year, the United Kingdom is ranked as the sixth major tourist destination in the world, between China (33) and Austria (19.1). ^{[citation needed]}

The manufacturing sector, although greatly diminished after World War II, is still significant to the UK economy. However, although the sector accounted for one sixth of national output in 2003 it is still significant contributing over £150 billion to the UK economy^[44]. The British motor industry is a significant part of the manufacturing sector, although all volume producers are now foreign owned. Civil and defence aircraft production is led by the UK's largest aerospace firm, BAE Systems, and the pan European consortium, Airbus. The British manufacturer, Rolls Royce dominates the global aerospace engines market. The chemical and pharmaceutical industry is also strong in the UK, with the world's second and third largest pharmaceutical firms (GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca respectively) being based in the UK. ^{[citation needed]}

The UK's agriculture sector is small by European standards, accounting for only 0.9% of GDP. ^{[citation needed]} The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, ^{[citation needed]} one of the highest shares of any industrial state.

The currency of the UK is pound sterling, represented by the symbol £. The Bank of England is the central bank and is responsible for issuing currency, although banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland retain the right to issue their own notes, subject to retaining enough Bank of England notes in reserve to cover the issue. The UK chose not to join the Euro on that currency's launch, although the government has pledged to hold a public referendum for deciding membership if "five economic tests" are met. ^[15] Currently UK public opinion is against the notion. ^[45]

Control over the economy is exercised by the Chancellor of the Exchequer (currently Gordon Brown), but the Prime Minister (currently Tony Blair), is First Lord of the Treasury, with the Chancellor of the Exchequer being Second Lord.

Administrative subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is divided into four constituent parts, commonly referred to as the home nations. Each nation is further subdivided for the purposes of local government. The Queen appoints a Lord-Lieutenant as her personal representative in lieutenancy areas across the UK. The following table highlights the arrangements for local government, lieutenancy areas and cities across the home nations of the UK:

Flag	Country	Population	Subdivisions	Cities
	England	49,138,000	Regions Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties Lieutenancy areas	English Cities
	Scotland	5,062,000	Council areas Lieutenancy areas	Scottish Cities
	Wales	2,903,000	Unitary authorities Lieutenancy areas	Welsh Cities
	Northern Ireland	1,685,000	Districts	Irish Cities

Historically, the four nations were divided into counties as areas for local government administration. Although these are still used as geographical areas, they are no longer the sole basis for local government administration.

As 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 Government Office Regions. Each region is made up of 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.

City status is governed by Royal Charter. There are currently 66 British cities (50 in England; 6 in Scotland; 5 in Wales; and 5 in Northern Ireland).

The Crown has sovereignty over the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, known collectively as the crown dependencies. These are lands historically owned by the British monarch, but not considered part of the United Kingdom itself. However, the Parliament of the United Kingdom has the authority to legislate for the dependencies, and the British government manages their foreign affairs and defence.

The UK also has 16 overseas territories around the world, the last remaining parts of the British Empire. The overseas territories are also not considered part of the UK, but the local populations have British citizenship and the right to abode in the UK.

Military

Main article: 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 the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II and they are managed by the Ministry of Defence. The armed forces are controlled by the Defence Council currently headed by Air Chief Marshall Sir Jock Stirrup.

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. Infact many other nations regard the British Armed Forces as being the best in the world.

The British Army had a reported strength of 102,440 in 2005 ^[46] 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 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 Operations Forces, principally the SAS and SBS, provide elite commandos trained for quick, mobile, military responses; often where secrecy or covert operations are required. They are, proverbially, the finest in the world ^{[citation needed]}, and indeed, the first such unit to be formed. The Royal Navy is the second largest navy in the world in terms of gross tonnage ^{[citation needed]}. 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 ^{[citation needed]}. Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq (Granby, no-fly zones, Desert Fox and Telic) may all be taken as precedent; indeed the last war in which the British military fought alone was the Falklands War of 1982.

Culture

Main article: Culture of the United Kingdom

Education and science

Further information: Education in the United Kingdom, Education in England, Education in Scotland, Education in Wales and Education in Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom contains some of the world's leading universities, ^[47] including the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford and the University of London (which incorporates, amongst others, The London School of Economics, Imperial College, University College London and King's College). It has produced many great scholars, scientists and engineers including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, 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 and the jet engine. The nation usually goes uncredited with the invention of the computer as the 1944 Colossus computer was top secret for many years.

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. ^[48]

Literature

Main article: British literature

Further information: English literature, Scottish literature and Welsh literature

The 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 Brontë sisters (Charlotte, Emily, and Anne), Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, George Eliot, J. K. Rowling, Laurence Sterne, Salman Rushdie, Lewis Carroll, Thomas Hardy, E.M. Forster, D. H. Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh, Muriel Spark, Ian Fleming, V. S. Naipaul, William Makepeace Thackeray, Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, John Bunyan, Henry Fielding, J. R. R. Tolkien, P. G. Wodehouse, C. S. Lewis, John Milton, Oscar Wilde, H. G. Wells, Walter Scott, Charles Dickens, J. M. Barrie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Walter Scott and George Orwell. Important playwrights include: Harold Pinter,Christopher Marlowe, Ben Jonson and Tom Stoppard. Important poets include: W H Auden, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Blake, Lord Byron, Robert Burns, John Donne, John Keats, Thomas Malory, John Milton and Lord Tennyson.

Music

Main article: 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), 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, Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, Queen, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Duran Duran, The Smiths, Depeche Mode, The Cure, 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 with bands such as Motörhead and Iron Maiden. In the mid to late 1990s, the Britpop phenomenon saw bands such as 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, The Chemical Brothers, Faithless and Aphex Twin 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 indie rock bands to emerge include the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys and Keane.

Media

Main article: Media of the United Kingdom

The UK has a large and diverse media, and the prominence of the English language gives it a widespread international dimension.

The BBC is the UK's publicly-funded radio and television broadcasting corporation, and is the oldest broadcaster in the world. Funded by the compulsory television licence, the BBC operates several television and radio stations both in the UK and abroad. The BBC World Service radio channel is broadcast in 33 languages around the world. BBC News is also broadcast around the world, and its output has won critical acclaim worldwide and praise for its unbiased and balanced reporting. The other television networks in the UK are ITV, Channel 4 and five. The main satellite broadcaster is British Sky Broadcasting, the vast majority of digital cable services are provided by NTL:Telewest (created by the merger of NTL and Telewest in March 2006), and free-to-air digital terrestrial television by Freeview.

Radio in the UK is dominated by BBC Radio, which operates 10 national and 40 regional radio stations. The most popular radio station, by number of listeners, is BBC Radio Two which specialises in popular music aimed at the 'middle aged' age bracket; it is closely followed by BBC Radio One, aimed at the 15-24 aged bracket and the previous market leader. Commercial radio tends to be regionalised, although Virgin Radio and Classic FM broadcast nationally. Popular regional stations include Capital FM in London; Heart in London and Midlands; Galaxy in Birmingham and the north of England; Magic in London and the north of England; and Radio Clyde in Glasgow.

Traditionally British newspapers could be split into "quality", serious-minded newspapers (usually referred to as broadsheets due to their large size) and tabloid, popular newspapers. However, due to considerations of convenience of reading, many traditional broadsheets have both switched to a 'compact'-sized format, traditionally used by tabloids. The Sun has the highest circulation of any daily newspaper in the UK, with approximately a quater of the market; its sister paper, The News of The World similarly leads the Sunday newspaper market ^[49], and traditionally focuses on celebrity led stories. The The Daily Telegraph, a right-of-center paper, is the highest selling broadsheet having overtaken The Times in circulation figures. The Financial Times is the main business paper, printed on distinctive salmon-pink broadsheet paper.

Sport

Main article: Sport in the United Kingdom

A great number of major sports originated in the United Kingdom, including association football (soccer), rugby football (rugby), golf, cricket, tennis and boxing.

The pre-eminent sport in the UK is association football, usually referred to as "football", but the UK does not compete as a nation in any major football tournament. Instead, the home nations compete individually as England, Wales, Scotland and 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 will be 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, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in England and Celtic and Rangers in Scotland. Clubs compete in 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 (five times), Manchester United (twice), Nottingham Forest (twice), Aston Villa and 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 predominantly in Wales, Northern Ireland and Southern England; it is considered the national sport of Wales. In Rugby League the UK plays as one nation – Great Britain – whilst in union it is represented by the four nations. England is the current holder of the Rugby World Cup. Every four years the British and Irish Lions tour other countries.

The Wimbledon Championships are international tennis events held in 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 and hurling are popular sports in Northern Ireland with the counties of Tyrone and Armagh both being very successful in Gaelic football in recent years.

The country is closely associated with motorsport. Many teams and drivers in Formula One and the World Rally Championship are based in the UK. The country also hosts legs of the F1 and World Rallying Championship calendars and has its own Touring Car Racing championship, the BTCC.

British Formula One World Champions 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.

National symbols

• The Flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Flag (commonly, albeit incorrectly, known as the "Union Jack"), and is one of the most recognisable and well-known national flags in the world. Created from the superimposition of the flags of England and Scotland in 1606; the Flag of St. Patrick, representing Ireland, was added to this in 1801. The Union Flag is rarely flown in the UK itself, and is officially flown from public buildings only on specified flag days.
• Britannia is the national personification of the UK, originating from the Roman occupation of Britain^{[citation needed]}. Britannia is symbolised as a young woman with brown or golden hair, wearing a Corinthian helmet and white robes. She holds Poseidon's three-pronged trident and a Greek hoplon shield, bearing the Union Flag. In modern usage, Britannia is often associated with maritime dominance, as in the patriotic anthem Rule Britannia
• The bulldog is sometimes used as a symbol of the UK.
• The national anthem of the UK is God Save the Queen^[50]

Miscellaneous data

• Cellular frequency: GSM 900, GSM 1800, UMTS 2100
• Cellular technology: GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS
• 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
• Time format: 12-hour and 24-hour time formats (military time) are both generally used, although when reading 24-hour time aloud, it is pronounced as 12-hour time (14.00 would be 2 o'clock or "2 pm")
• 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; Power connector: 3 rectangle pins
• Postal code: LN NLL, LLN NLL, LNN NLL, LLNN NLL, LNL NLL or LLNL NLL. See UK postcodes

UK topics
Subdivisions	England | Northern Ireland | Scotland | Wales | Overseas territories
History	Timeline | England | Scotland | Wales | Ireland | British Empire | Social History | Foreign relations of the United Kingdom
Politics	Parliament | House of Commons | House of Lords | The Crown | Prime Minister | Cabinet | Government departments | Constitution | Local government | Elections | Political parties
Geography	Geology | Mountains | Lakes | Rivers | Transport
Economy	Economic History | Companies | Stock Exchange | Pound Sterling | Banks | Bank of England | Taxation
Military	Military history | Royal Navy | British Army | Royal Air Force | Nuclear weapons
Demographics	Languages | Religion | Subdivision | Cities | Towns
Culture	Art | Literature | Music | Cinema | Television | Sport | Media
Symbols of the UK	List of flags | Union Jack | Royal Standard | God Save The Queen | Coat of Arms
2006 in the United Kingdom	British and Irish current events | 2006 English cricket season | 2005-06 in English and Scottish football | 2006 in British music |

References

External links

• All about UK Complete UK guide eg Transportation,Laws,British Music(download),Economy etc etc
• Official website of the British Monarchy
• Official website of the United Kingdom Government
• Official tourist guide to Britain
• Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom travel guide from Wikitravel

Constituent countries and affiliations of the United Kingdom
Constituent countries:  England | Scotland |  Wales |  Northern Ireland
Overseas territories: Akrotiri and Dhekelia | Anguilla | Bermuda | British Antarctic Territory | British Indian Ocean Territory | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Falkland Islands | Gibraltar | Montserrat | Pitcairn Islands | Saint Helena (Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha) | South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands | Turks and Caicos Islands
Crown dependencies: Guernsey | Isle of Man | Jersey

	International relations of the United Kingdom
Geographical and geopolitical: Europe · Northern Europe, British Isles | European Union
Historical and cultural: Commonwealth of Nations | Commonwealth Realm
International organisations: United Nations · UN Security Council (permanent member) NATO | World Trade Organization | OECD | OSCE | G8