United Kingdom

The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Located on the northwest coast of Europe, the United Kingdom includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The biggest part of the United Kingdom (also called the U.K.) is the island of Great Britain, which is made up of England, Wales, and Scotland. After the end of World War II in 1945, thousands of refugees from other war-torn European countries settled in the UK in the 1950s and 1960s, people from places the UK had once ruled as colonies – such as the Caribbean, Jamaica in Nigeria, Africa, and India in Asia – came to the country for work. Today, more than 80 percent of the UK population lives in England.

Facts About UK

Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Form of Government : Parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy

Capital : London

Population : 67,879,000

Currency / Money : Pound sterling

Languages: English; both English and Scots Gaelic in Scotland; both English and Welsh in Wales

Area: 93,630 square miles (242,500 square kilometers)

Major Rivers: Thames, Severn, Trent, Mersey