Land and People

The UK is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It has a total area of 244,100 square kilometers, of which nearly 99% are land and the remainder inland water. From north to south it is about 1,000 kilometers long.

The UK is part of Europe but exited from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020. At the time of printing, the UK is still in a period of transition and more information can be found at: www.gov.uk/transition

The official name of the UK is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." The name refers to the union of what were once four separate nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. Before 1922, the UK included Ireland in the definition, but when the Irish Free State ceased to be part of the Union, the title changed to “Northern Ireland.” Ireland is now independent. Only Northern Ireland is still part of the UK.

The United Kingdom is made up of the following nations:

∙ England The capital is London. ∙ Scotland The capital is Edinburgh. ∙ Wales The capital is Cardiff. ∙ Northern Ireland The capital is Belfast.

Great Britain is made of up the following nations:

∙ England ∙ Scotland ∙ Wales

The United Kingdom (UK) was formed on January 1, 1801 and constitutes the greater part of the British Isles. People in the UK are called British although they have different nationalities.

The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, is the British flag and symbolizes the union of the countries of the UK. It is made up of the individual flags of three countries in the Kingdom – England, Scotland, and Ireland. The Welsh dragon, however, does not appear on the flag – when the first Union Flag was created in 1606, Wales was already united with England since the 13th century, and therefore considered a Principality instead of a Kingdom.

The flag of St. George, representing the country of England, will also be seen, particularly around major sporting events. Some care around not attributing the Union Jack to England alone will avoid any unintentional offense to those from the other countries in the UK.

Note: To find out more, see www.projectbritain.com