United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country 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 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, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved national administrations, each with varying powers, situated in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh; the capitals of Northern...

Breeds orginating here: Harrier  Border Collie  Bulldog  Flat-Coated Retriever  Cardigan Welsh Corgi  Pembroke Welsh Corgi  Parson Russell Terrier  Rough Collie  Bedlington Terrier  Welsh Terrier
Works Written About This Topic: Absent Minds: Intellectuals in Britain  The Creation of the Modern World: The Untold Story of the British Enlightenment
Parent organization: Skandia  General Electric  The Destination Group
Employees and other personnel: Ted Hughes - Poet Laureate - 1984 - 1998; William Wordsworth - Poet Laureate - 1843 - Apr 23, 1850; Edmund Spenser - Poet Laureate - 1589; Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson - Poet Laureate - 1850; Henry James Pye - Poet Laureate - 1790 - 1813; William Whitehead - Poet Laureate - 1757 - 1785; Thomas Shadwell - Poet Laureate - 1688 - 1692; Nicholas Rowe - Poet Laureate - 1715 - 1718; Thomas Warton - Poet Laureate - 1785 - 1790; Ben Johnson - Poet Laureate - 1619 - 1637;
Fictional Characters Born Here: Sir Robert Peel  Harriet Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, Duchess of Sutherland  Sir John Conroy  Jambo Bolton  Sean Kennedy  Emma Kennedy  Deano Wicks  Josh Barker  Noah  Elaine Mitchell
Featured In Films: Rob and Valentyna in Scotland  Deliver Us From Evil  Model for Murder
Beers from here: Green's Discovery  Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Pale Ale  North Yorkshire Brewing Company Viz Top Tipple  Black Sheep Brewery Monty Python's Holy Ail  Tennent's Robert Burns Scottish Ale  Oakhill Mendip Twister  Harviestoun Numbskull Ale  Mordue India Pale Ale  Hampshire Brewery King Alfred's Bitter  Asia Pacific Tiger
Agencies: Charity Commission  HM Treasury
Agencies: Defence Bills Agency  Forensic Science Service  Rail Accident Investigation Branch  Executive Agency  Highways Agency  Defence Estates  OGCbuying.Solutions  Army Base Repair Organisation  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency  Tribunals Service
Governing officials: Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Queen Victoria - Feb 6, 1855 - Feb 19, 1858; Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Queen Victoria - Jun 12, 1859 - Oct 18, 1865; Gordon Brown - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Jun 27, 2007 - May 11, 2010; Winston Churchill - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - George VI of the United Kingdom - Oct 26, 1951 - Apr 7, 1955; Winston Churchill - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - George VI of the United Kingdom - May 10, 1940 - Jul 27, 1945; Margaret Thatcher - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - May 4, 1979 - Nov 28, 1990; Harold Wilson - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Mar 4, 1974 - Apr 5, 1976; Harold Wilson - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Oct 16, 1964 - Jun 19, 1970; John Major - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Nov 28, 1990 - May 2, 1997; Edward Heath - Prime minister - Prime Minister of the United Kingdom - Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom - Jun 19, 1970 - Mar 4, 1974;
Government: Government of the United Kingdom
Government bodies: Parliament of the United Kingdom  House of Lords  British House of Commons  Board of Ordnance  Cabinet of the United Kingdom  Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Government positions: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom  Home Secretary  Member of the House of Lords  Speaker of the British House of Commons  Secretary to the Treasury  UK Assistant Postmaster-General
Administrative Divisions: Wales  Northern Ireland  Scotland  England  Metropolitan Borough of Bolton  Edinburgh  London Borough of Harrow  Ceredigion  Denbighshire  Falkirk
Calling Code: 44;
Capital: London
Currency Used: UK £  Euro  Falkland Islands pound  Cayman Islands dollar  Bermuda dollar  East Caribbean dollar  Saint Helena pound  New Zealand dollar
FIPS Code: UK;
Form of Government: Parliamentary system  Constitutional monarchy  Hereditary monarchy  Unitary state
Internet TLD: uk  eu  gb
ISO Short Name: UNITED KINGDOM;
Languages spoken: English Language  Welsh Language  Scots Language  Scottish Gaelic language  Irish  Esperanto Language
National anthem: God Save the Queen;
Official Language: English Language
Date founded: 1801;
Adjectival form: British; English;
Adjoins: Republic of Ireland; France;
Area: 244,820 km²;
Contained by: Western Europe  Europe  Earth
Contains: London  Cornwall  City of Westminster  Bangor  Bristol  Gloucestershire  Suffolk  Edinburgh  Tottenham  Liverpool
Events: Battle of Britain  United Kingdom general election, 2005  United Kingdom general election, 1885  The Blitz  United States Air Force in the United Kingdom  Strategic Air Command in the United Kingdom  Battle of Britpop  Black Friday  Liverpool Dockers' Strike  Colour Strike
Geolocation: 53.11425, -2.57711;
Partially Contains: Euroregion East Sussex/Seine Maritime/Somme
Time zone(s): Greenwich Mean Time  UTC+0
USBG name: UNITED KINGDOM;
GDP (nominal): US$ - 2.787E+12 - 2008; US$ - 2.17453E+12 - 2009; US$ - 2.66265E+12 - 2008; US$ - 2.79904E+12 - 2007; US$ - 2.43942E+12 - 2006; US$ - 2.28011E+12 - 2005; US$ - 2.20249E+12 - 2004; US$ - 1.86081E+12 - 2003; US$ - 1.61206E+12 - 2002; US$ - 1.47089E+12 - 2001;
GDP (nominal per capita): US$ - 37,400 - 2008;
Minimum wage: Euro - 902.03 - Month - Jul 1, 1999; Euro - 952.23 - Month - Jan 1, 2000; Euro - 936.26 - Month - Jul 1, 2000; Euro - 977.41 - Month - Jan 1, 2001; Euro - 1,011.44 - Month - Jul 1, 2001; Euro - 1,109.29 - Month - Jan 1, 2002; Euro - 1,038.78 - Month - Jul 1, 2002; Euro - 1,063.8 - Month - Jan 1, 2003; Euro - 998.27 - Month - Jul 1, 2003; Euro - 1,054.2 - Month - Jan 1, 2004;
Places exported to: United States of America - US$ - 1.89E+10 - 2008; Sierra Leone; Angola; Anguilla; Canada - Canadian dollar - 8,538,500,000 - 2009;
Places imported from: United States of America - US$ - 1.92E+10 - 2008; Afghanistan; Madagascar; Anguilla - 2006; Antigua and Barbuda; Canada - Canadian dollar - 1.31451E+10 - 2009; New Zealand;
Population: 58,892,514 - 2000; 58,682,466 - 1999; 58,487,141 - 1998; 58,316,955 - 1997; 58,166,950 - 1996; 58,019,030 - 1995; 57,865,745 - 1994; 57,718,614 - 1993; 57,580,403 - 1992; 57,424,897 - 1991;
Religions: Church of England - 22.2 % - 2006; Hinduism - 1.4 % - 2006; Methodism - 1.8 % - 2006; Presbyterianism - 2.4 % - 2006; Islam - 3.3 % - 2006; Roman Catholicism - 9 % - 2006; Sikhism - 0.3 % - 2006; Judaism - 0.5 % - 2006;
Titles: Greenaway: The Shorts  The Prisoner  The Third Man  Elizabeth  To Sir, with Love  7 Television Commercials  Total Eclipse  The Draughtsman's Contract  The Return of the Musketeers  A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia
Armed forces: Special Operations Executive  British Expeditionary Force  Royal Air Force  Royal Navy  British Army
Belongs To Combatant Group: Allies of World War II  Triple Entente  Anglo Portuguese Forces  Allies of World War I
Casualties: Gulf War, Military - Dead, 24; Korean War, Military - Dead, 1,109; 2003 invasion of Iraq, Military - Dead, 33; World War I, Military - Dead, 885,138; World War II, Military - Dead, 382,600; Falklands War, Military - Dead, 258; Falklands War, Military - Wounded, 777; Battle of Dunkirk, French Third Republic/Belgium, 30,000; 2001 war in Afghanistan, Military - Dead, 227; Battle of Gallipoli, Australia/British Raj/Dominion of New Zealand/Dominion of Newfoundland/French West Africa, 220,000;
Force Deployments: Battle of Dunkirk - Belgium/French Third Republic - 400,000; 2001 war in Afghanistan - 9,000; Battle of Gallipoli - Australia/French West Africa/British Raj/Dominion of New Zealand/Dominion of Newfoundland - 5 - 16 - Division; Landing at Cape Helles - 12 - Battalion; Operation Crusader - 118,000; Battle of Hong Kong - 14,000; Battle of Atbara - 12,000 - 1898;
Military Commanders: World War II - Winston Churchill; Falklands War - Margaret Thatcher; Suez Crisis - Charles Keightley; Battle of the Bulge - Bernard Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein; Battle of Britain - Keith Park; Battle of Britain - Trafford Leigh-Mallory; Battle of Britain - Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding; Battle of Britain - Christopher Quintin Brand; Battle of Britain - Richard Saul; Battle of Waterloo - Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington;
Military Conflicts: Falklands War; World War I - Australia/France/Russia/Italy/United States of America; Gulf War - United States of America/Australia/France; 2003 invasion of Iraq - United States of America/Australia/Denmark/Poland/Philippines/Peshmerga; Suez Crisis - France/Israel; Iraq War; Battle of France - Luxembourg/France/Canada/Netherlands/Poland/Belgium/Czechoslovakia/Kingdom of Italy/Nazi Germany; Battle of the Bulge - United States of America; Battle of Britain; Battle of Waterloo - Prussia/Kingdom of Hanover/Nassau/United Kingdom of the Netherlands/Brunswick-Lüneburg;
Athletes: Leon Taylor - 2004 Summer Olympics; Peter Waterfield - 2004 Summer Olympics; Elizabeth Anne E. Ferris - 1960 Summer Olympics; Isabelle White - 1912 Summer Olympics; Beatrice Armstrong - 1920 Summer Olympics; Brian Phelps - 1960 Summer Olympics; Harold Clarke - 1924 Summer Olympics; Kelly Holmes - 2004 Summer Olympics - Track and field athletics; Kelly Holmes - 2000 Summer Olympics - Track and field athletics; Joanne Pavey - 2004 Summer Olympics - Track and field athletics;
IOC Code: GBR;
Athletic performances: Silver medal - Leon Taylor/Peter Waterfield - Diving at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's synchronized 10 metre platform - 2004 Summer Olympics; Bronze medal - Elizabeth Anne E. Ferris - Diving at the 1960 Summer Olympics - Women's 3 metre springboard - 1960 Summer Olympics; Gold medal - Kelly Holmes - Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 1,500 metres - 2004 Summer Olympics; Gold medal - Kelly Holmes - Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 800 metres - 2004 Summer Olympics; Bronze medal - Kelly Holmes - Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 800 metres - 2000 Summer Olympics; Bronze medal - Louis Smith - Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's pommel horse - 2008 Summer Olympics; Bronze medal - Katharine Merry - Athletics at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 400 metres - 2000 Summer Olympics; Paul Ingle - Boxing at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Flyweight - 1992 Summer Olympics; Gold medal - Nicole Cooke - Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's individual road race - 2008 Summer Olympics; Silver medal - Emma Pooley - Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Women's road time trial - 2008 Summer Olympics;
Olympics participated in: 2008 Summer Olympics  1896 Summer Olympics  1900 Summer Olympics  1904 Summer Olympics  1908 Summer Olympics  1912 Summer Olympics  1920 Summer Olympics  1924 Summer Olympics  1928 Summer Olympics  1932 Summer Olympics
Organizations founded: Council of Europe
Member of: European Union - Jan 1, 1973; Western European Union; African Development Bank; Asian Development Bank; Caribbean Development Bank; Zangger Committee; Paris Club; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); Commonwealth of Nations - 1931;
Organizations with this scope: National Secular Society  British Humanist Association  Campaign for Real Ale  Rationalist Association  Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation  British Kendo Association  British Naginata Association  Trades Union Congress  Labour Research Department  Irish Congress of Trade Unions
People interred here: Natasha Andersen  William Moon  Marie Tussaud  Maureen Blott  John Rae  Leah King  Thomas Durand Baker  Billy Platt  Steph Dean  Sophie Burton
Newspapers: The Guardian  The Observer  The Daily Telegraph  Daily Mail  The Sun  Financial Times  The Independent  Metro  The Times  The Economist
Rulers: Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom  Edward VII of the United Kingdom  Edward VIII of the United Kingdom  Queen Victoria
Athletic performances: Bronze medal, Harry Aikines-Aryeetey/Marlon Devonish/Simeon Williamson/Tyrone Edgar, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 x 100 metres relay, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Bronze medal, Jenny Meadows, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 800 metres, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Silver medal, Lisa Dobriskey, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Bronze medal, Christian Malcolm/Marlon Devonish/Mark Lewis-Francis/Craig Pickering, 2007 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 x 100 metres relay, 2007 World Championships in Athletics; Silver medal, Conrad Williams/David Greene/Robert Tobin/Martyn Rooney/Michael Bingham, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 4 x 400 metres relay, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Gold medal, Phillips Idowu, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's triple jump, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Gold medal, Jessica Ennis, 2009 World Championships in Athletics – Women's heptathlon, 2009 World Championships in Athletics; Silver medal, 2, Joanne Jackson, Swimming at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400m freestyle, 2009 World Aquatics Championships; Bronze medal, 3, Rebecca Adlington, Swimming at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships – Women's 400m freestyle; Gold medal, 1, Sebastian Coe, Baron Coe, 1986 European Athletics Championships – Men's 800 metres, 1986 European Athletics Championships;
Teams: Williams F1  McLaren  Great Britain men's national volleyball team  A1 Team Great Britain  Great Britain national Australian rules football team  Great Britain national baseball team  Great Britain Davis Cup team  Great Britain Fed Cup team  Great Britain national women's field hockey team  Great Britain and Northern Ireland national field hockey team
Artworks owned: The Burghers of Calais (Victoria Tower Gardens);
Related Web Pages: Daylife Topic Page  Ranker Lists  http://freebase.com/edit/topic/base/aareas/schema/uk/constituent_country