United Kingdom is a country in northwestern Europe. It consists of four political divisions—England, Scotland, and Wales, which make up the island of Great Britain, and Northern Ireland, which occupies the northeastern part of the island of Ireland. The nation's official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. When people refer to the country, most shorten its name to the United Kingdom, the U.K., or Britain. London is the capital and largest city.
More than 70 countries are larger in size than the United Kingdom, and the country has only about 1 percent of the world's people. But the United Kingdom has a rich history. The British started the Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid industrialization that began in the 1700's. They founded the largest empire in history. They have produced some of the world's greatest scientists, explorers, artists, and political leaders.
The landscape of the United Kingdom varies dramatically. Northern Scotland is a wild, windswept region, broken by long arms of the sea that reach far inland. Much of Northern Ireland has low mountains and rolling fields. Wales is famous for its rugged mountains and deep, green valleys. Most of England is covered by rolling plains, laid out in a patchwork of fields and meadows. The coastline is a shifting scene of steep cliffs, golden beaches, jagged rocks, and fishing towns tucked in sheltered bays. The United Kingdom has magnificent old castles and modern nuclear laboratories, snug villages and sprawling cities, and ancient universities and new factories.
The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from France. This narrow stretch of water helped shape the character and history of the British people. It helped protect the United Kingdom from invasion and gave the people a feeling of security. In 1066, a group of Vikings called the Normans sailed across the channel from northwestern France and conquered England. After the Norman Conquest, no enemy ever again crossed the channel and invaded the country.
Cut off from the rest of Europe by the sea and secure from invasion, the British developed their own character and way of life. They came to respect privacy and to value old traditions. They developed a dry wit, a love for personal freedom, and a high degree of self-criticism. The British have shown themselves at their best—brave and united—in times of crisis. Their courage against German bombs and overwhelming odds during World War II (1939-1945) won the admiration of the world.
The history of the United Kingdom is the story of how a small country became the world's most powerful nation—and then declined. In the 1700's, the Industrial Revolution made the United Kingdom the world's richest manufacturing country. The British ruled the seas and were the world's greatest traders. By 1900, they had an empire that covered about a fourth of the world's land and included about a fourth of its people. The British spread their way of life throughout their empire.
Then came the 1900's—and the shock of two crippling world wars. The British Empire began to break up as the United Kingdom's colonies sought independence. The United Kingdom faced one economic crisis after another. Today, the United Kingdom is still a leading industrial and trading nation. But it is no longer the world power it once was.
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