The United Kingdom

Name of the Country
Conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales.

Conventional short form: UnitedKingdom

Abbreviation: UK

Capital city: London

Other main cities:
London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Edinburgh, Sheffield.

Geographical Location:
Western Europe, islands - including thenorthern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France

The most important geographical features:
The total area of the United Kingdom isapproximately 243,610 square kilometre . The country occupies the major part of the British Isles archipelago and includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern one-sixth of the island ofIreland and some smaller surrounding islands. It lies between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea with the south-east coast coming within 35 kilometres of the coast of northern France, from which itis separated by the English Channel. The Royal Greenwich Observatory in London is the defining point of the Prime Meridian.

The United Kingdom lies between latitudes 49° to 61° N, and longitudes 9° Wto 2° E. Northern Ireland shares a 360-kilometre land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The coastline of Great Britain is 17,820 kilometres long. It is connected to continental Europe by theChannel Tunnel, which at 50 kilometres and 38 kilometres underwater is the longest underwater tunnel in the world.
Currency: Pound sterling (GBP)

Official language (s): English
Recognised regionallanguages: Irish, Ulster Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Scots, Welsh, Cornish.

Year of EU entry:
In 1973, the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community (EEC), and when it became the EuropeanUnion (EU) in 1992, the UK was one of its 12 founding members.
The flag:
Blue field with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross...