United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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Anthem: "God Save the Queen"
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Location of the United Kingdom (dark green)
– in Europe (green & dark grey) |
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Capital and largest city |
London 51°30′N 0°7′W / 51.500°N 0.117°W |
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Official language and national language |
English | |||||||||||||
Recognised regional languages |
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Ethnic groups (2011) | ||||||||||||||
Demonym |
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Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | |||||||||||||
• | Monarch | Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||
• | Prime Minister | Theresa May | ||||||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | |||||||||||||
• | Upper house | House of Lords | ||||||||||||
• | Lower house | House of Commons | ||||||||||||
Formation | ||||||||||||||
• | Laws in Wales Acts | 1535 and 1542 | ||||||||||||
• | Union of the Crowns under James, King of Scots | 24 March 1603 | ||||||||||||
• | Acts of Union of England and Scotland | 1 May 1707 | ||||||||||||
• | Acts of Union of Great Britain and Ireland | 1 January 1801 | ||||||||||||
• | Irish Free State Constitution Act | 5 December 1922 | ||||||||||||
Area | ||||||||||||||
• | Total | 242,495 km2 (78th) 93,628 sq mi |
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• | Water (%) | 1.34 | ||||||||||||
Population | ||||||||||||||
• | 2016 estimate | 65,110,000 (22nd) | ||||||||||||
• | 2011 census | 63,181,775 (22nd) | ||||||||||||
• | Density | 255.6/km2 (51st) 661.9/sq mi |
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GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate | |||||||||||||
• | Total | $2.79 trillion (9th) | ||||||||||||
• | Per capita | $42,514 (25th) | ||||||||||||
GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate | |||||||||||||
• | Total | $2.65 trillion (5th) | ||||||||||||
• | Per capita | $43,902 (13th) | ||||||||||||
Gini (2014) |
31.6 medium · 33rd |
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HDI (2014) |
0.907 very high · 14th |
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Currency | Pound sterling (GBP; £) | |||||||||||||
Time zone | GMT(UTC) | |||||||||||||
• | Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) | ||||||||||||
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy (AD) | |||||||||||||
Drives on the | left | |||||||||||||
Calling code | +44 | |||||||||||||
ISO 3166 code | GB | |||||||||||||
Internet TLD | .uk |
Cornish: | Rywvaneth Unys Breten Veur ha Kledhbarth Iwerdhon |
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Irish: | Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann |
Scots: | Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland |
Ulster Scots: | Claught Kängrick o Docht Brätain an Norlin Airlann |
Scottish Gaelic: | Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn is Èireann a Tuath |
Welsh: | Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon |
– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, it includes the island of Great Britain (the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country), the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands.Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to its east, the English Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south-southwest, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the UK is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th-largest in Europe. It is also the 21st-most populous country, with an estimated 65.1 million inhabitants. Together, this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the European Union.