The United Kingdom - officially, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - lies off the coast of northwestern Europe. It consists of the island of Great Britain, part of the island of Ireland, and many small nearby islands.
Overall, the United Kingdom (UK) has an area of 94,058 square miles (243,609 square kilometers.)
It is made up of two constituent countries, England and Scotland, as well as the Principality of Wales and the Province of Northern Ireland.
The capital of the United Kingdom, and of England, is London. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, Cardiff is the capital of Wales and Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland.
Although the United Kingdom retains its monarchy, it has a parliamentary system of government.
The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union, but it does not use the euro as currency. The official currency of the UK is the pound sterling, which is equal to 100 pence.
More than half of the land of the United Kingdom is located in England, where much of the terrain is flat or rolling.
The Mendips in southwest England, the Chilterns in southeast England and the Cotswolds in central west England are ranges of rolling hills that were formed when the Alps were formed, 65 million years ago.
A low-lying region known as the Fens can be found in eastern England. This area has been reclaimed from the sea.
England's upland regions include the Pennine Mountains in the north-central England, the hilly Lake District in the northwest, and the Cheviot Hills on the border with Scotland.
The Pennines are sometimes known as England's "backbone".
Ullswater Lake in the Lake District was formed when a valley that was created by glacial erosion became filled with water.
Dartmoor, in southwestern England, is covered in large granite outcrops known as tors. These are the exposed sections of a large granite dome that was formed by an intrusion of molten rock into the Earth's crust.
Durdle Door, also in southwest England, is a limestone arch that was formed by erosion from the seawater.
Scotland has lowlands in the center of the country and uplands in the south. The Highlands, which contain the highest mountains in the UK, are in the north.
The Clyde, Tay and Forth rivers drain Scotland's lowlands, which center around a rift valley.
Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the United Kingdom, is in the Scottish Highlands. Ben Nevis is 4,409 feet (1,343 meters) high.
Scotland has more than 600 islands north and west of the mainland. Most of these islands are uninhabited.
Wales has many mountains, hills and river valleys.
Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, is 3,556 feet (1,085 meters) high.
The terrain of Northern Ireland is made up of plains and relatively low uplands. The largest lake in the United Kingdom, Lake Neagh, is located in Northern Ireland.
Giant's Causeway, on the north coast of Country Antrim, is made up of thousands of hexagonal columns of basalt that were formed by volcanic activity.
Climate in the United Kingdom is very variable. In general, it is mild but wet.
The United Kingdom has a population of 61,565,000.
More than 80% of the people live in England.
Southern England, is the most crowed region of the UK. More than 8 million people live in the London area.
English is the official language of the United Kingdom. Welsh is an official language in Wales, where it is spoken along with English. Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic are also spoken in, respectively, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
45% of the people in the United Kingdom are Anglican, 9% are Roman Catholic and 4% are Presbyterian.
Service industries dominate the UK economy.
Tourism is very important.
Banking forms a major part of the economy. London is an important international financial center.
The United Kingdom has a high level of agricultural production, which includes crop-growing and cattle and sheep raising. Dairy farming is an important industry. Nevertheless, about one third of the UK's food is imported.
There are reserves of coal, oil and natural gas. Oil and natural gas reserves are found in the North Sea.
Important manufacturing industries are machinery, electronic and electrical equipment, motor vehicles and parts, aerospace equipment, chemicals and chemical products, and food and drink.
About one third of national income comes from international trade.
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