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| Royal Motto Dieu et mon droit ( French: "God and my right")1 | |||||
| Official language | None, English is de facto 2 | ||||
| Capital | London | ||||
| Capital's coordinates | 51° 30' N, 0° 10' W | ||||
| Largest city | London | ||||
| Monarch | H.M. Queen Elizabeth II | ||||
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair | ||||
| Political system | Constitutional monarchy | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 76th 244,820 km² 1.3% | ||||
| Population - Total - Density | Ranked 21st 60,094,648 249/km² | ||||
| Establishment | 1801 ( Act of Union 1800 3) | ||||
| GDP - Total - GDP/capita | Ranked 4th $1.664 trillion $27,700 | ||||
| Currency | Pound Sterling (£) | ||||
| Time zone | GMT, | ||||
| National anthem | God Save the Queen 4 | ||||
| Internet TLD | .uk 5 | ||||
| Dialling code | 44 | ||||
| International call prefix | 00 | ||||
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(1) The Royal motto in Scotland is Nemo Me Impune Lacessit ( Latin: "No-one harms me with impunity"). | |||||
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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a state in Western Europe, usually known simply as the United Kingdom, the UK, Britain, or less accurately as Great Britain. The UK was formed by a series of Acts of Union which united the formerly distinct nations of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland under a single government in London. The greater part of Ireland left the United Kingdom (then formally called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland) in 1922, and is today the Republic of Ireland, whilst the north-eastern portion of the island, Northern Ireland, remains part of the United Kingdom.
The UK is situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe, surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel and the Atlantic OceanFor other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation The Atlantic Ocean is Earth's second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. The ocean's name, derived from Greek mythology, means the " Sea of Atlas". This ocean occupies an elongated,. Also under the sovereigntySovereignty is the exclusive right to exercise supreme authority over a geographic region or group of people, such as a nation or a tribe. Sovereignty is generally vested in a government or other political agency, though there are cases where it is held b of the United Kingdom, though not part of the United Kingdom itself, are the Crown dependenciesCrown dependencies are possessions of the British Crown, as opposed to overseas territories or colonies. They include the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. None form part of the United Kingdom, being separate jur of the Channel IslandsAlternative meaning: Channel Islands (California The Channel Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Normandy, France, in the English Channel. They comprise two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. History Ma and the Isle of ManThe Isle of Man Ellan Vannin in Manx), a British crown dependency, lies in the Irish Sea almost equidistant from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. With an area of 572 km² (221 square miles) and a population of around 76,315 (2001 Census) it arguably h and a number of overseas territories.
Great BritainGreat Britain (often abbreviated as Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom. Great Britain is also used as a political term describing the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales,, now sometimes called simply BritainThe word Britain is used to refer to the United Kingdom (UK): i. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (from 1927), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ( 1801- 1927) or the United Kingdom of Great Britain ( 1707- 1801)., is the geographical name for the largest island in the British Isles, and includes the mainland nations of England, Wales and Scotland, sometimes also including their islands. Additionally, the media as shorthand for the United Kingdom regularly use "Britain". The term "Great" is used in opposition to "Little" Britain or Brittany in France (the '-ny' ending being diminutive). The British Isles refers to an archipelago of islands including Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Orkney, the Hebrides, Shetland Isles, Channel Islands and others. The term is unpopular in Ireland.