United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom or Britain. SK is a sovereign country in Western Europe. Covering the northwestern coast of the continental continent, it includes the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland and many small islands. In English, the name of the state is indicated as The United Kingdom (The United Kingdom), and has the recognized abbreviation UK.
Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. On the west side, Great Britain is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the southwest. All this forms one of the longest coastlines in the world. With an area of 242,500 square kilometers, the UK is at 78th place in size.
United Kingdom's translation literally sounds like the United Kingdom. The state is a constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy. The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who has reigned since 1952, and this long term creates a world record. The capital is United Kingdom and at the same time the largest city is London, which is a financial center with a population of 10.3 million people. Other major metropolitan areas include cities: Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool.
How was the kingdom formed?
Thus, United Kingdom is a state that consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each of them, with the exception of England, is autonomous and has its own administrative center located in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Before the creation of Great Britain, Wales was conquered and annexed by England. This meant that the United Kingdom, created in 1707 from the Union of England and Scotland, covered the whole of Great Britain. The Kingdom of Ireland merged with this state in 1801 to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Part of Ireland separated in 1922, which is why the modern wording of the union began to sound "Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
In the 1920s, Britain covered almost a quarter of the world's land. At that time, United Kingdom was the largest empire in history. British influence can be observed in the language, culture, and legal systems of many former colonies.
What is observed today?
The UK is a developed country and ranks fifth in the world economy in nominal GDP and ninth in purchasing power parity. The country has high incomes and has a "very high" human development index, which occupies 16th place in the world.
It was the first industrialized country and the most outstanding power in the world in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Great Britain remains a strong state with significant economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence at the international level.
UK Politics (United Kingdom)
It is a recognized nuclear-weapon state that ranks sixth in world military spending. The country has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946. The UK has also been a leading member state of the European Union (EU) and its predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), since 1973. However, the 2016 referendum led to the fact that 51.9% of UK voters voted for an exit from the EU.
United Kingdom is also a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the Group of Seven, the Group of Twenty, NATO, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Interpol and the World Trade Organization (WTO).
History in detail
In 1707, the Union Act was signed, which stated that England and Scotland were united into one kingdom named Great Britain. The term “United Kingdom” (in English by United Kingdom) has been used unofficially throughout the 18th century. Officially, the state from 1707 to 1800 was simply Great Britain, without a “long form”.
Another Act of the Union, signed in 1800, united Great Britain and Ireland (in 1801), forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After the partition of Ireland and the independence of the state in 1922, only the northern part of the island remained in the SC. Then the name of the monarchy was again changed. The name United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was adopted.
Countries within the country
Despite the fact that the country of United Kingdom is a sovereign state, its individual territorial units (with the exception of England) are considered as independent regions. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have self-government (autonomy). On the official website of the British Prime Minister, the phrase "countries within the country" has been used repeatedly to describe the United Kingdom.
Terms and Notation
The term Britain is also often used as a synonym for the United Kingdom (translation into Russian by United Kingdom). However, this name (like Great Britain) conditionally politically refers to England, Scotland and Wales in the aggregate, without Northern Ireland.
In the international arena, the designations GB and GBR are standard codes that apply to all countries in the United Kingdom. In addition, the country's Olympic team performs under the name Team GB. The flag of United Kingdom is also one for the entire monarchy.
Identification
The adjective "British" is commonly used to refer to issues related to the United Kingdom. This term does not have a specific legal connotation, but is used in legislation to denote UK citizenship and issues related to it.
The population of the United Kingdom uses various terms to describe their national identity. They can identify themselves as British or as British, Scots, Welsh or Irish.
In Welsh, the name of the state sounds like Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon, where the first two words are used as an abbreviation for government sites. However, it is usually shortened to DU in use. In Scottish Gaelic, the long form is Rìoghachd Aonaichte Bhreatainn, short for the first two words.
The state flag of the kingdom consists of a blue field with intersecting three red crosses and a white outline, which symbolizes the unification under the rule of the empire of different regions. The blue field symbolizes the sea, the straight red cross - the symbol of England, the oblique white - Scotland, the oblique red - Northern Ireland.
Administrative division
Each country in the United Kingdom has its own local governance mechanisms. This means that in the UK there is no coordinated system of administrative or geographical demarcation. Until the 19th century, there were very few changes in these arrangements, but there is currently a constant evolution in this area.
England
The organization of local government in England is complex, and the distribution of functions depends on local arrangements. The upper administrative divisions of England are nine regions that are currently used mainly for statistical purposes. One region has been directly endowed with an elected assembly and mayor since 2000, that is, after popular support for the proposal in a referendum (Greater London). United Kingdom in other territories has a completely different situation. It was assumed that the remaining regions would also be provided with their own regional assemblies, but this idea was rejected by a referendum in 2004. Below the regional level, the territories of England have county and district councils. Members of these councils are elected according to certain principles.
Scotland
In terms of local government, Scotland is divided into 32 council zones with wide differences in both size and population. The cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dundee are separate areas of the Council, as is the Highland Council, which includes one-third of Scotland (and just over 200,000 people). Local councils are made up of elected members who are paid salaries.
Elections are held by a single casting vote in multi-user chambers, in which three or four council members are elected. Each council elects a confederator to chair the meetings, which acts as the nominee leader in the area.
Wales
Local government in Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities. These include the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport, which are essentially autonomous. Elections are held every four years.
Northern Ireland
Local government in Northern Ireland since 1973 was organized in the form of 26 district councils, each of which was elected by one vote. Their powers are limited to services such as waste collection, monitoring of dogs and keeping parks and cemeteries clean. In 2008, the executive agreed on proposals to create 11 new councils and replace the current system.
UK economy
Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. This is the economic model on which most modern central banks in the world are based.
The UK has a partially regulated market economy. Based on market exchange rates, the state today is the fifth largest economy in the world, second in Europe after Germany. The country's treasury, headed by the chancellor, is responsible for the development and implementation of public policies in the field of finance and economics.
The Bank of England is responsible for issuing banknotes and coins in the national currency of United Kingdom - pounds sterling. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland reserve the right to issue their own banknotes.
Pound sterling is the third largest reserve currency in the world (after the US dollar and the euro). Since 1997, the Governor’s Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England has been responsible for setting interest rates at the level necessary to meet the general inflation target for the economy, set by the chancellor each year.
The UK services sector accounts for about 79% of GDP. London is one of the three “command centers” of the global economy (along with New York and Tokyo, it is the largest financial center in the world (along with New York), has the largest urban GDP in Europe.
Tourism is very important for the British economy. The United Kingdom is the sixth largest tourism destination in the world, and many travelers enjoy visiting London.
How did the country's economy develop?
The industrial revolution began in the UK with the rapid development of the textile industry, followed by other industries (primarily shipbuilding, coal mining and steel production).
British merchants, shippers, and bankers had enormous advantages over other countries. This allowed Britain to dominate international trade in the 19th century. As other nations industrialized in combination with the economic downturn after the two world wars, the United Kingdom began to lose its competitive advantage, and heavy industry gradually declined throughout the 20th century. Production remains a significant part of the economy, but in 2003 it accounted for only 16.7% of the national volume.
The automotive industry today is a significant part of the UK manufacturing sector. In addition, the state is a major center for the production of engines.
The aerospace industry in the UK is the second or third largest in the world, depending on the measurement method, has an annual turnover of about 30 billion pounds. So, the wings for the Airbus A380 and A350 XWB are designed and manufactured at the world famous Broughton factory in Airbus UK. At the same time, more than a quarter of the components of the Boeing 787 are produced by British manufacturers.
The pharmaceutical industry also plays an important role in the economy. The country ranks third among global pharmaceutical R&D spending. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs, using less than 1.6% of the workforce (535,000 people). About two-thirds of this production is devoted to animal husbandry, one-third to arable crops. Farmers are subsidized by the EU Common Agricultural Policy.