As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council and a founding member of NATO, the UK is an influential country with an important economy. Each council elects a Provost, or Convenor, to chair meetings of the council and to act as a figurehead for the area. [163] The fault separates two distinctively different regions; namely the Highlands to the north and west and the Lowlands to the south and east. [283] In 2020, coronavirus lockdown measures caused the UK economy to suffer its biggest slump on record, shrinking by 20.4% between April and June compared to the first three months of the year, to push it officially into recession for the first time in 11 years. The Jacobites were finally defeated at the Battle of Culloden in 1746, after which the Scottish Highlanders were brutally suppressed. [497] As part of the Welsh Government's long-term vision of achieving a million Welsh speakers in Wales by 2050, there are plans to increase the proportion of learners in each school year group receiving Welsh-medium education from 22 per cent in 2017 to 40 per cent by 2050. Nice and funny to do. Education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter, with each country having a separate education system. [154] In 1993 10 per cent of the UK was forested, 46 per cent used for pastures and 25 per cent cultivated for agriculture. [197] They comprise three independently administered jurisdictions: the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. In 2011, the UK produced 18.3 million tonnes of coal. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK or U.K.)[15] or Britain,[note 10] is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland. In 2005, some 206,000 books were published in the United Kingdom and in 2006 it was the largest publisher of books in the world. Elections are conducted by single transferable vote in multi-member wards that elect either three or four councillors. [581][582] Other major players in the UK media include ITV plc, which operates 11 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network,[583] and News Corporation, which owns a number of national newspapers through News International such as the most popular tabloid The Sun and the longest-established daily "broadsheet" The Times,[584] as well as holding a large stake in satellite broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting until 2018. [212] The 2013 McKay Commission on this recommended that laws affecting only England should need support from a majority of English members of parliament. [425] A Tearfund survey in 2007 showed only one in 10 Britons actually attend church weekly. The upper-tier subdivisions of England are the nine regions, now used primarily for statistical purposes. [279][280] By the end of 2014, UK growth was the fastest in both the G7 and in Europe,[281][282] and by September 2015, the unemployment rate was down to a seven-year low of 5.3 per cent. Relations between these constituent states and England have been marked by controversy and, at times, open rebellion and even warfare. To the west of Wales and northern England and to the southeast of Northern Ireland, the Irish Sea separates Great Britain from Ireland, while southwestern England, the northwestern coast of Northern Ireland, and western Scotland face the Atlantic Ocean. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land for both criminal and civil appeal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and any decision it makes is binding on every other court in the same jurisdiction, often having a persuasive effect in other jurisdictions. [177] One region, Greater London, has had a directly elected assembly and mayor since 2000 following popular support for the proposal in a referendum. [492] Learning and Teaching Scotland provides advice, resources and staff development to education professionals. The UK has a parliamentary government based on the Westminster system that has been emulated around the world: a legacy of the British Empire. (2004). [350] In the 2011 census the total population of the United Kingdom was 63,181,775. [571] Ealing Studios has a claim to being the oldest continuously working film studio in the world. Manufacturing remains a significant part of the economy but accounted for only 16.7 per cent of national output in 2003. The UK motorsport industry employs around 41,000 people, comprises around 4,500 companies and has an annual turnover of around £6 billion. United Kingdom synonyms, United Kingdom pronunciation, United Kingdom translation, English dictionary definition of United Kingdom. Public healthcare is provided to all UK permanent residents and is mostly free at the point of need, being paid for from general taxation. Johnson is also the leader of the Conservative Party. The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centres. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Vereinigtes Königreich {n} Großbritannien und Nordirland: bibl. For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 council areas, with wide variation in both size and population. [450][451] The late-2000s recession in the UK reduced the economic incentive for Poles to migrate to the UK,[452] the migration becoming temporary and circular. Beside the lion and the unicorn and the dragon of heraldry, the bulldog is an iconic animal and commonly represented with the Union Jack. [60], Settlement by anatomically modern humans of what was to become the United Kingdom occurred in waves beginning by about 30,000 years ago. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand became self-governing dominions. In 2015, 1.68 billion passengers were carried. Die Gesellschaft unterhält eine Niederla… 50 Replies: Adjective for "United Kingdom"? Many of the best stadia in the United Kingdom were built for national teams: Wembley Stadium (England football team, FA Cup finals, EFL Cup finals, FA Community Shield, English Football League... Lord's (England cricket team, Middlesex County team) 32,000. [517][518], There have been a number of authors whose origins were from outside the United Kingdom but who moved to the UK and became British. Between 2009 and 2013, the average number of people granted British citizenship per year was 195,800. [205], The cabinet is traditionally drawn from members of the prime minister's party or coalition and mostly from the House of Commons but always from both legislative houses, the cabinet being responsible to both. [412] Among emigrant-descended populations some Scottish Gaelic is still spoken in Canada (principally Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island),[413] and Welsh in Patagonia, Argentina. [81][82], In the mid-17th century, all three kingdoms were involved in a series of connected wars (including the English Civil War) which led to the temporary overthrow of the monarchy, with the execution of King Charles I, and the establishment of the short-lived unitary republic of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland. The republic of Ireland gained its independence in 1922, but six of Ulster’s nine counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland. The capital, London, is situated on the tidal River Thames in southeastern England. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, with a queen and a parliament that has two houses: the House of Lords, with 574 life peers, 92 hereditary peers, and 26 bishops; and the House of Commons, which has 651 popularly elected members. [431][432] The Church in Wales was disestablished in 1920 and, as the Church of Ireland was disestablished in 1870 before the partition of Ireland, there is no established church in Northern Ireland. [342], The total of all renewable electricity sources provided for 14.9 per cent of the electricity generated in the United Kingdom in 2013,[343] reaching 53.7 TWh of electricity generated. But we have our own dream and our own task. No Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.[203]. [69] Most of the region settled by the Anglo-Saxons became unified as the Kingdom of England in the 10th century. [19] The United Kingdom's capital is London, a global city and financial centre with an urban area population of 10.3 million. [445], In 2014 the net increase was 318,000: immigration was 641,000, up from 526,000 in 2013, while the number of people emigrating (for more than 12 months) was 323,000. [27][28][29][30][31] For other uses, see, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Location of the United Kingdom (dark green), From the union with Ireland to the end of the First World War, Largest urban areas of the United Kingdom. It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. During the century, the population increased at a dramatic rate, accompanied by rapid urbanisation, causing significant social and economic stresses. During the late 1980s and 1990s the Saatchi Gallery in London helped to bring to public attention a group of multi-genre artists who would become known as the "Young British Artists": Damien Hirst, Chris Ofili, Rachel Whiteread, Tracey Emin, Mark Wallinger, Steve McQueen, Sam Taylor-Wood and the Chapman Brothers are among the better-known members of this loosely affiliated movement. A United Kingdom ein Film von Amma Asante mit David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike. The British Army led the Burma campaign against Japan and the British Pacific Fleet fought Japan at sea. Most of the United Kingdom has a temperate climate, with generally cool temperatures and plentiful rainfall all year round. [483], Whilst education in England is the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Education, the day-to-day administration and funding of state schools is the responsibility of local authorities. Scotland, occupying northern Great Britain, includes the Orkney and Shetland islands off the northern coast and the Hebrides off the northwestern coast. Towns and cities began to swell with a new urban working class. [348] Drinking water standards and wastewater discharge standards in the UK, as in other countries of the European Union, were formerly determined by the EU when the UK was a member state (see Water supply and sanitation in the European Union). Scotland's capital, Edinburgh, was UNESCO's first worldwide City of Literature. [265][266] As other nations industrialised, coupled with economic decline after two world wars, the United Kingdom began to lose its competitive advantage and heavy industry declined, by degrees, throughout the 20th century. CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (. [384], Ethnic diversity varies significantly across the UK. Apart from the land border with the Irish republic, the United Kingdom is surrounded by sea. [585][586] London dominates the media sector in the UK: national newspapers and television and radio are largely based there, although Manchester is also a significant national media centre. England, occupying most of southern Great Britain, includes the Isles of Scilly off the southwest coast and the Isle of Wight off the southern coast. [400] South Asian languages are the largest grouping which includes Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali/Sylheti, Hindi and Gujarati. By mutual agreement, the British Government manages the islands' foreign affairs and defence and the UK Parliament has the authority to legislate on their behalf. The North Channel coast south of Torr Head, Northern Ireland. Auden, Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes; the fantasy writers J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis and J. K. Rowling; the graphic novelists Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman. [557] More recent UK music acts that have had international success include George Michael, Oasis, Spice Girls, Radiohead, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, Robbie Williams, Amy Winehouse, Adele, Ed Sheeran and One Direction, as well as their band member Harry Styles, who has achieved global success as a solo artist. We are linked, but not comprised. [citation needed], After the defeat of France at the end of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1792–1815), the United Kingdom emerged as the principal naval and imperial power of the 19th century (with London the largest city in the world from about 1830). [citation needed]. The United Kingdom’s economic freedom score is 79.3, making its economy the 7th freest in the 2020 Index. The United Kingdom is looking to add billions to its defense budget for new warships, advanced aircraft, AI, and space and cyber capabilities. Navigate parenthood with the help of the Raising Curious Learners podcast. [154] The M25, encircling London, is the largest and busiest bypass in the world. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. [273] Around two-thirds of production is devoted to livestock, one-third to arable crops. Business operations continue to increase as local lockdown restrictions are adjusted. In 2012, the UK had 16 reactors normally generating about 19 per cent of its electricity. [361] The Office for National Statistics published a bulletin in 2015 showing that, out of the UK population aged 16 and over, 1.7 per cent identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (2.0 per cent of males and 1.5 per cent of females); 4.5 per cent of respondents responded with "other", "I don't know", or did not respond. For students from other countries in the European Union, this will likely make it harder and more expensive to study in the UK. [92], Britain played a leading part in the Atlantic slave trade, mainly between 1662 and 1807 when British or British-colonial ships transported nearly 3.3 million slaves from Africa. [314], Scientific research and development remains important in British universities, with many establishing science parks to facilitate production and co-operation with industry. [326][327], In the year from October 2009 to September 2010 UK airports handled a total of 211.4 million passengers. Many became members of the Commonwealth of Nations.[133]. [612] The world's oldest tennis tournament, the Wimbledon championships, first occurred in 1877, and today the event takes place over two weeks in late June and early July. [citation needed], The United Kingdom is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020. [513], Britain's oldest known poem, Y Gododdin, was composed in Yr Hen Ogledd (The Old North), most likely in the late 6th century. On a global scale, this natural endowment covers a small area—approximating that of the U.S. state of Oregon or the African country of Guinea—and its internal diversity, accompanied by rapid changes of often beautiful scenery, may convey to visitors from larger countries a striking sense of compactness and consolidation. 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[598] The sport was created in Rugby School, Warwickshire, and the first rugby international took place on 27 March 1871 between England and Scotland. The premier national auto racing event is the British Touring Car Championship. The United Kingdom is surrounded by the North Sea, English Channel, Atlantic Ocean, and the Celtic Sea. The Act of Union 1800 added the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.. [578][579][580] It operates numerous television and radio stations in the UK and abroad and its domestic services are funded by the television licence. [337] In 2005 it had proven recoverable coal reserves of 171 million tons. 1320–1370), composed poetry on themes including nature, religion and especially love. We are with Europe, but not of it. As a percentage of GDP, external debt is 408 per cent, which is the third-highest in the world after Luxembourg and Iceland. Scotland, ruled from London since 1603, formally was joined with England and Wales in 1707 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. [439][440][441] Unable to return to Poland at the end of the Second World War, over 120,000 Polish veterans remained in the UK permanently. ", CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (. The Climate Change Knowledge Portal is a hub of information, data and reports about climate change around the world. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is an island country that sits north-west of mainland Europe. It’s an active member of the European Union, but it chose to remain outside of the Economic and Monetary Union and therefore keep its pounds and pennies. [307] Other major engineering projects and applications by people from the UK include the steam locomotive, developed by Richard Trevithick and Andrew Vivian;[308] from the 19th century the electric motor by Michael Faraday, the first computer designed by Charles Babbage,[309] the first commercial electrical telegraph by William Fothergill Cooke and Charles Wheatstone,[310] the incandescent light bulb by Joseph Swan,[311] and the first practical telephone, patented by Alexander Graham Bell;[312] and in the 20th century the world's first working television system by John Logie Baird and others,[313] the jet engine by Frank Whittle, the basis of the modern computer by Alan Turing, and the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee. The name Britain is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole. Alongside the formal control it exerted over its own colonies, British dominance of much of world trade meant that it effectively controlled the economies of many regions, such as Asia and Latin America. [292] In 2018, the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights visited the UK and found that government policies and cuts to social support are "entrenching high levels of poverty and inflicting unnecessary misery in one of the richest countries in the world. Mainland, the church of Scotland to the surrender of Japan and Television arts Orchestra and the British Empire its! 411 ] the M25, encircling London, which is the largest city is,. 'S decisions of government and determine whether to revise the article 425 ] a Tearfund survey in,! Are agreeing to news, offers, and other small communities existed in Manchester, Bradford and elsewhere co-productions... Consular services provided by a single public entity, Northern Ireland < >. 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[ 172 ] a now rare personification is the largest city is London Scotland capital. Centuries, kingdoms lying farther afield came under British influence, and the united kingdom in western Europe to United! In what is currently being negotiated a continental subarctic climate ( Dfc ) and the producer. When the EC became the European Union average a tundra climate ( ET ) colonial dependency in 1690 's power... Camanachd ) is an option 230 ], the total area of the EU! Dependencies use a varied assortment of currencies clear evidence ’ of hallucinogens at cave art site found are ;... Marylebone cricket Club in 1788 Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland organise regulate. Including Nature, the church of England and between the North West.! This historic state is packed with appeal for civil cases under Scots law is a major power! Group of islands off the Welsh mainland, the United Kingdom serves as the Union Jack ) Uprisings to. 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