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 | |||||||||||||
Ethnic groups (2011) | |||||||||||||
Religion (2011) |
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Demonym |
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Countries (constituent parts) | |||||||||||||
Government | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||||
• Monarch
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Elizabeth II | ||||||||||||
Theresa May | |||||||||||||
Legislature | Parliament | ||||||||||||
House of Lords | |||||||||||||
House of Commons | |||||||||||||
Formation | |||||||||||||
1535 and 1542 | |||||||||||||
24 March 1603 | |||||||||||||
1 May 1707 | |||||||||||||
1 January 1801 | |||||||||||||
5 December 1922 | |||||||||||||
1 January 1973 | |||||||||||||
Area | |||||||||||||
• Total
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242,495 km2 (93,628 sq mi) (78th) | ||||||||||||
• Water (%)
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1.34 | ||||||||||||
Population | |||||||||||||
• 2016 estimate
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65,648,000 (22nd) | ||||||||||||
• 2011 census
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63,181,775 (22nd) | ||||||||||||
• Density
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270.7/km2 (701.1/sq mi) (50th) | ||||||||||||
GDP (PPP) | 2016 estimate | ||||||||||||
• Total
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$2.79 trillion (9th) | ||||||||||||
• Per capita
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$42,514 (25th) | ||||||||||||
GDP (nominal) | 2016 estimate | ||||||||||||
• Total
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$2.63 trillion (5th) | ||||||||||||
• Per capita
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$40,096 (19th) | ||||||||||||
Gini (2014) |
31.6 medium · 33rd |
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HDI (2015) |
0.909 very high · 16th |
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Currency | Pound sterling (GBP; £) | ||||||||||||
Time zone | Greenwich Mean Time(UTC) | ||||||||||||
• Summer (DST)
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British Summer Time (UTC+1) | ||||||||||||
Date format | dd/mm/yyyy (AD) | ||||||||||||
Drives on the | left | ||||||||||||
Calling code | +44 | ||||||||||||
ISO 3166 code | GB | ||||||||||||
Internet TLD | .uk |
Scots: | Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland |
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Ulster Scots: | Claught Kängrick o Docht Brätain an Norlin Airlann |
Welsh: | Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon |
Cornish: | Rywvaneth Unys Breten Veur ha Kledhbarth Iwerdhon |
Scottish Gaelic: | Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn is Èireann a Tuath |
Irish: | Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann |
– 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) and colloquially Great Britain (GB) or simply Britain, is a sovereign country in western Europe. Lying off the north-western coast of the European mainland, the United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands.Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom 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-south-west, 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 United Kingdom 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 (EU).