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The United Kingdom (UK), comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, occupies Northwestern Europe. Its geography includes Great Britain, northeastern Ireland, and surrounding islands, bordering the Republic of Ireland and various seas. With a 2022 population nearing 67 million, London serves as its capital. The Union Jack, combining the crosses of England, Scotland, and (formerly) Ireland, represents the nation. The UK's history involves centuries of unions and separations, culminating in its current form established in 1927. A former global superpower and the first industrialized nation, its vast British Empire significantly impacted its economy, though decolonization altered its global standing. Constitutionally a monarchy with a parliamentary democracy, the UK's government involves a Prime Minister and a bicameral Parliament. Three distinct legal jurisdictions exist (England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland), each with devolved governments since 1998. The UK boasts a large economy (sixth largest nominally), significant military spending, and exports various goods including oil, steel, and electrical equipment. Its historical wealth accumulation from colonization, notably from India, significantly contributed to its economic strength. Finally, British culture remains globally influential, notably in literature (Shakespeare, Dickens, Austen, Rowling, Tolkien), music, and sports (soccer, rugby, cricket).

The United Kingdom (An Overview)
I- Geography
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United
Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe. It comprises England, Scotland,
Wales, and Northern Ireland. It includes the island of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), the
north-eastern part of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), and most of the smaller islands within
the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the
United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic
Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 93,628 square miles (242,495 km2), with an
estimated 2022 population of nearly 67 million people.
The capital and largest city of the United Kingdom (as well as the capital of England) is London. The
cities of Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast are respectively the national capitals of Scotland, Wales, and
Northern Ireland.
The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag. It is so called
because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England
and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1922 only Northern Ireland has been part of the
United Kingdom). The flag of Wales is not included because when the Union Flag was created in 1801,
England and Wales were considered the same country.
II- History
The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent
countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which
included Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 resulted in their unification to become the Kingdom
of Great Britain. Its union in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland. Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922 to become the Republic of Ireland,
leaving the present United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which formally adopted its
name in 1927.
The UK became the first industrialised country and was the world’s foremost power for the majority of the
19th and early 20th centuries. The British Empire, at its height in the 1920s, encompassed almost a
quarter of the world’s landmass and population, and was the largest empire in history; however, its
involvement in the First World War and the Second World War damaged Britain’s economic power and
a global wave of decolonisation led to the independence of most British colonies.
Module: Civilization Level: 1st Year
Licence
Groups: 06/10 Academic Year: 2024/2025 Teacher: Mr. ARDJOUNI
III- Government and Politics
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy, which means the
reigning king or queen is the head of state but does not have any real political power. Members of
Parliament (MPs) now pass all the country’s laws from two chambers: the House of Commons, made up
of officials elected by the people, and the House of Lords, in which members are appointed, usually by
the reigning king or queen based on recommendations by an independent group called the House of Lords
Appointments Commission.
The head of the government is the Prime Minister (PM), who is usually the leader of the political party
that has the majority in the Parliament.
The UK consists of three distinct legal jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern
Ireland. This is due to these areas retaining their existing legal systems even after joining the UK. Since
1998, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also have their own devolved governments and legislatures,
each with varying powers.
IV- Economy
The UK has the world’s sixth-largest economy by nominal gross domestic product (GDP), and the ninth-
largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It is a recognised nuclear state and is ranked fourth globally
in military expenditure. Oil, iron, and steel products are some of the United Kingdom’s main exports,
or goods sold to other countries. The country also exports electrical equipment, and parts for
automobiles and aircrafts. Its main crops produced include barley, wheat, and potatoes.
Over the centuries, the United Kingdom has accumulated wealth from foreign lands the country colonized,
or took control over. Some estimates say the U.K. earned as much as $45 trillion in today’s dollars just
from its former colony of India, when trade from goods that India produced went to the U.K’s economy.
Other former colonies include Australia, Canada, and South Africa.
V- Culture
British influence can be observed in the legal and political systems of many of its former colonies all over
the world, and the UK's culture remains globally influential, particularly in literature, music and sport.
Soccer, rugby, cricket, boxing, and golf were all invented in the United Kingdom. And the U.K. has
produced many notable writers, including William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Jane Austen. J.K.
Rowling, the writer of the Harry Potter series, and J.R.R. Tolkien, the writer of the Lord of the Rings
series, are both from the U.K.