The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland[13] (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or incorrectly[14] as Britain) is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country,[15][16] spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland.[17][18] Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state consisting of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.[19] It is governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. The Channel Island bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey, and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies and are often not considered part of the UK,[20] though they are treated as part of it for many purposes including nationality.[21] The UK has fourteen overseas territories,[22] all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height in 1922 encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface, the largest empire in history. British influence can continue to be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former colonies.

The UK is a developed country, with the world's sixth largest economy by nominal GDP and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity.[7] It was the world's first industrialised country[23] and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries,[24] but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless remains a major power with strong economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. It is a nuclear power and has the fourth highest defence spending in the world. It is a Member State of the European Union, holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G8, OECD, NATO, and the World Trade Organization.

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'United Kingdom' News
Britain pays child benefit for more than 50000 children living abroad - Telegraph.co.uk
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Britain pays child benefit for more than 5000 children living abroad

Telegraph.co.uk

"However, under EU rules, which have been in place since the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community in 1973 and which are applied by all ...



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'United Kingdom' Blogs
The Lionheart Group & Economy News | UAE, UK trade ties up by 63 ...
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The Lionheart Group & Economy News | UAE, UK trade ties up by 63 ...

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Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:58:07 GM

UAE, . UK. trade ties up by 63% (source: AME): Trade between the UAE and the . United Kingdom. has .. #economy #finance.

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Sun Nov 1 19:34:45 2009
'United Kingdom' Answers
How do the Irish feel about the fact United Kingdom owns one-sixth of their land?
Q. I mean, why can't the United Kingdom just give it up so Ireland can be just Ireland and belong to itself? I'm doing a report and would like to know the opinions of the Irish people on this topic. Thank you.
Asked by musicrazy94 - Mon Mar 2 16:35:37 2009 - - 8 Answers - 0 Comments

A. in 1921 nearly 90% of the population of Northern Ireland were Protestants these were the descendants of the English and Scottish settlers of Ulster 400+ years previously, they did not and still do not want to be part of the Republic of Ireland, (type into google - the bridge at portadown for a Protestant viewpoint of Catholics and why they hated them so much) so when the Irish and the British were discussing the peace treaty and the Independence of Ireland over 300,000 of them armed themselves and marched though the streets of Belfast and Londonderry in a silent threat to both sides of what would happen if the British cut them adrift and allowed the irish to rule them. since then thousands of innocent people on both sides (catholic and… [cont.]
Answered by paul s - Tue Mar 3 08:23:45 2009

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