United Kingdom

GB / GBR 54.6°, -2.0°

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a population of over 69 million in 2024. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering 94,354 square miles (244,376 km2). It shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea, while maintaining sovereignty over the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. The capital and largest city of England and the UK is London; Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast are the national capitals of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, respectively.

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Capital

London

Population

67,326,569

Area

242,495 km2

Climate

Temperate

Government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Currency

pound sterling

Languages

English 58.2M

Sells

cars, gold, gas turbines, packaged medicine

Sells to

USA 14%, China 8%, Germany 8%

Land borders

1: Ireland

Drives on the

left

Calling code

+44

Founded

1801

Hemisphere

Northern

Where it is

Languages

Share of the population that speaks each. Click one to see every country that speaks it.

Englishofficial

58.2M speakers

What it sells, and to whom

Every line is a thread: click a commodity or a partner to see who else trades in it.

Farms and fisheries

milk
wheat
sugar beets
barley
potatoes
chicken

Largest cities

London capital	8,961,989
Birmingham	1,157,603
Glasgow	626,410
Manchester	568,996
Sheffield	556,500

Wars and conflicts

Click one to see everyone else who fought in it.

World War I1914–1918 Napoleonic Wars1803–1815 Seven Years' War1756–1763 Hundred Years' War1337–1453 Crimean War1853–1856 War of 18121812–1815 American Revolutionary War1775–1783 Second Boer War1899–1902 Suez Crisis1956 War in Afghanistan (2001-2021)2001–2021 First Libyan Civil War2011 Greek War of Independence1821–1829 World War II1939–1945 Korean War1950–1953 Gulf War1990–1991 Iraq War2003–2011 Falklands War1982 War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)2001–2021 Kosovo War1998–1999 War on Terrorism2001–2021 Indonesian National Revolution1945–1949 Anglo-Iraqi War1941 insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa2004–now Third Indochina War1975–1991

Form of government

Parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

unitary state parliamentary monarchy constitutional monarchy

Money, belief and alliances

Money

pound sterling

Belief

Christianity

Belongs to

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe European Southern Observatory United Nations World Meteorological Organization European Free Trade Association European Union International Energy Agency International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance International Development Association Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons NATO International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Australia Group Asian Development Bank Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Missile Technology Control Regime

Climate and geography

temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast

Climate zone

Temperate

Highest point

Ben Nevis

Landmarks and landscapes

Stonehenge Tower of London Big Ben Lake District Giant's Causeway

Northern hemisphere.

Land borders (1)

Ireland

In charge right now

Charles III Head of state

Andy Burnham Head of government

Figures from its history

Winston Churchill Wartime prime minister Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955.

Elizabeth II Queen, 1952-2022 Elizabeth II was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022.

William Shakespeare Playwright William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist.

Isaac Newton Physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author and inventor.