Geography >> Europe >> United Kingdom History and Timeline

United Kingdom

Capital: London

Population: 67,530,172

Geography of United Kingdom

Borders: Republic of Ireland (only land border), Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel, maritime (water) borders with France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and Spain

Total Size: 244,820 square km

Size Comparison: slightly smaller than Oregon

Geographical Coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W

World Region or Continent: Europe

General Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast

Geographical Low Point: The Fens -4 m

Geographical High Point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m

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

Major Cities: LONDON (capital) 8.9 million; Birmingham 2.9 million; Manchester 2.8 million; Leeds 2.3 million; Glasgow 1.8 million (Source: Statista Urban area population 2020)

Major Landforms: Island of Great Britain, Island of Ireland (northern fifth), Cumbrian Mountains, Pennines, Hebrides Islands, Shetland Islands, Scottish Highlands, Ben Nevis, Highland Boundary Fault, Mourne Mountains

Major Bodies of Water: Thames River, Severn River, Humber River, Lough Neagh (lake), Loch Lomond, Windermere, Bala Lake, English Channel, North Sea, Irish Sea, Celtic Sea, Atlantic Ocean

Famous Places: Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Stonehenge, Westminster Palace, London Eye, Windsor Castle, Trafalgar Square, Cotswolds, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Hyde Park, Loch Ness, Wembley Stadium, Ben Nevis, Globe Theatre, Edinburgh Castle, White Cliffs of Dover, Channel Tunnel

Economy of United Kingdom

Major Industries: machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, other consumer goods

Agricultural Products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish

Natural Resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land

Major Exports: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food, beverages, tobacco

Major Imports: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels; foodstuffs

Currency: British pound (GBP)

National GDP: $2,288,000,000,000

Government of United Kingdom

Type of Government: constitutional monarchy

Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales, begun in 1284 with the Statute of Rhuddlan, was not formalized until 1536 with an Act of Union; in another Act of Union in 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanently join as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801, with the adoption of the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927.

Divisions: The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each country has its own way of forming administrative divisions of the government. England is divided up into nine regions, Scotland into 32 council areas, Wales into 22 authorities, and Northern Ireland into 26 districts.

The nine regions of England are:

1. North East
2. North West
3. Yorkshire and the Humber
4. East Midlands
5. West Midlands
6. East of England
7. London
8. South East
9. South West

National Anthem or Song: God Save the Queen

National Symbols:

• Animal - Bulldog (England), Lion
• Bird - Red Kite (Wales)
• Flower - Tudor Rose (England), Thistle (Scotland), Flax Flower (Northern Ireland)
• Tree - Royal Oak
• Colors - Red, white, and blue
• Motto - "God and my Right", "In Defense" (Scotland)
• Other symbols - Unicorn (Scotland), Welsh Dragon (Wales), Britannia

Description of flag: The flag of the United Kingdom was adopted on January 1, 1801. The name of the flag is the Union Jack. It has a blue background (field) with a red cross outlined in white and a red "x" outlined in white.

Other flags:

• England - White with a red cross.
• Scotland - Blue with a white "x".
• Wales - Two horizontal stripes of white (top) and green (bottom) with a red dragon.

National Holiday: the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday

Other Holidays: New Years' Day (January 1), Saint Patrick's Day (March 17), Easter, May Day (May 1), Bank Holiday, Christmas (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26)

The People of United Kingdom

Languages Spoken: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Nationality: Briton(s), British (collective plural)

Religions: Christian (Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 71.6%, Muslim 2.7%, Hindu 1%, other 1.6%, unspecified or none 23.1% (2001 census)

Origin of the name United Kingdom: The name "United Kingdom" is short for the official name of the country which is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." The term "Great Britain" is used to describe the island that contains the three countries England, Scotland, and Wales. When Northern Ireland was added, the country became known as the United Kingdom.

Famous People:

• David Beckham - Soccer player
• Winston Churchill - Prime Minister during World War II
• Captain James Cook - Explorer
• Princess Diana - Famous Princess
• Sir Francis Drake - Explorer and privateer
• Elizabeth I - Queen of England and Ireland during the Elizabethan Era
• Elizabeth II - Queen of the United Kingdom and longest ruling British monarch
• Mick Jagger - Singer for the Rolling Stones
• John Lennon - Singer for the Beatles
• David Lloyd George - Prime Minister during World War I
• Henry VIII - King of England broke with the Catholic Church
• Henry Hudson - Explorer
• Isaac Newton - Scientist
• J.K. Rowling - Author who wrote the Harry Potter series
• William Shakespeare - Playwright
• Margaret Thatcher - Prime Minister during the end of the Cold War
• J.M.W. Turner - Painter
• William the Conqueror - Norman invader
• Queen Victoria - Queen of the United Kingdom during the Victorian Era

Geography >> Europe >> United Kingdom History and Timeline


** Source for population (2019 est.) is United Nations. GDP (2011 est.) is CIA World Factbook.