the uk

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The UK is situated north-west of the European continent. It is bordered to the south by the English Channel; to the east by the North Sea; to the west by the Irish Sea and the tlantic !cean. "ro# north to south it is about $%&&& 'ilo#etres long. The official na#e of the UK is( United Kingdom Kingdom of Gre Great at Britain Britain and Northern Ireland Ireland )% )United although #ost people *ust refer to it as The United Kingdom or Kingdom or the UK .

The United Kingdo# is #ade up of( England - The capital is London England is  London.. Scotland Scotland  - The capital is Edinburgh is  Edinburgh .  . +ales +ales  - The capital is Cardiff.  Northern Ireland Ireland ,also  ,also 'nown as Ulster - The capital is  Belfast . England% Scotland and +ales together for# Great Britain. Britain. Great Britain  Britain  an and  Northern Ireland  Ireland   together for# the ) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ) ,UK.  The capital of the UK is  London  London.. So#eti#es people use the shorten na#e Britain instead of Great Britain% but really Britain really  Britain only  only refers to England and +ales. The na#e /ritain0 goes bac' to 1o#an ti#es when the 1o#an pro2ince of   Britannia0 co2ered the areas of #odern England and +ales. +ales. The area of #odern Scotland was ne2er finally con3uered. The UK is di2ided into s#all regions called  #ounties0. #ounties 0. There are F counties in  England . S#otland  has  has 44 counties. ales has F4 counties.  Northern Ireland  Ireland  has  has *ust 8 counties. British Isles is a geograph The British geographical ically ly ter# which includes two large islands% Great Britain and Ireland% and 5,000 small islands% #ost notably the Isle the  Isle of Man which has its own parlia#ent and laws. Highest mountain: Ben Nevis in Nevis in Scotland ,$%454# Longest river: Se Seve vern rn ,  , 465  465 '# long Larg Larges estt lake lake::  Lough Neagh 478 478 s3.'# , Northern Ireland Ireland a!o a!orr lang langua uage ges: s: Englis English% h% +elsh% elsh% Irish Irish 9aeli 9aelic% c% Scottish 9aelic. Total "o"ulation ( about 8& #illion T#"e of Government : Constitutional #onarchy $urren%#: :ound Sterling ,

The U' is a Constitutional ueen Eli?abeth Eli?abeth II ascended the throne on *e)ruar# +, -5. upon the death of her father% King 9eorge @I / Aer Coronation% at estminster !bbe", folloed on 1une ., -52 /  Bu#$ingham %ala#e is %ala#e  is the >ueen=s official and #ain royal Bondon ho#e% although the >ueen regularly spends ti#e at indsor Castle and Castle and Balmoral   Balmoral  in  in Scotland. The >ueen does not nor#ally nor#ally use a surna#e ,she doesn=t need a passport passport or a dri2ing licence licence for ea#ple but she  belongs to the  &ouse of indsor'. The /ritish royal fa#ily changed their last na#e fro# Sae-Coburg-9 Sae-Coburg-9otha otha to +indsor in $7$D% when King 9eorge 9eorge @ ,because of the anti-9er#an feeling during during +orld +orld +ar +ar !ne renounced all the 9er#an titles belonging to hi# and his fa#ily and adopted the na#e of his castle% 3indsor. The Union *lag% popularly 'nown as the Union (a#$ % sy#bolises the union of the countries of the UK.

Up until the $Dth century there had been four =countries= in the /ritish Isles.

England

Scotland

+ales

Ireland

 )lag of St. George

 )lag of St. !ndre*

 +ed ragon

Cross of St. %atri#$ 

Each one had its own separate sense of identity% its own history% e2en its own language. There was no such word as  British. :eople were si#ply either 'nglish% 4%ottish% 3elsh or Irish/

The ter# Great Britain was first used during the reign of King Ga#es I of England ,also Ga#es @I of Scotland in $8&4% to refer to the separate 'ingdo#s of England and Scotland that were ruled o2er  by the sa#e #onarch. The =United Kingdom of Great Britain = was for#ed in $D&D by the ct of Union that created a single 'ingdo# with a single :arlia#ent. ,Scotland has always retained its own legal syste#

The word  British0 was used for the first ti#e% and the Union *lag created.

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 hundred years later the ct of Union of $&$ *oined Ireland to =Great Britain= and the na#e ) United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ) was adopted. The cross of St :atric' was co#bined with the Union "lag of St 9eorge and St ndrew% to create the Union *lag that has  been flown e2er since.

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+hen Ireland beca#e a republic in $7F$% /ritain negotiated with Ireland to 'eep the si counties in the north-east of Ireland.These si counties now #a'e up what is 'nown as  Northern Ireland. NB/ St. :atric'=s Cross re#ains in the flag e2en though today only Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdo#.  Northern Ireland has not its own flag% but during official e2ents% the Union "lag is used by its go2ern#ent. The 1ed dragon of +ales does not appear because when the first Union "lag was created% +ales was not a Kingdo#% but a :rincipality% so it could not be included on the flag. In No2e#ber F&&D% a +elsh <:% Ian Bucas% as'ed parlia#ent why +ales is not represented in the Union Gac'. ccording to hi# if the +elsh Hragon was represented on the Union Gac'% the flag would loo' li'e this(