The UK

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign country located off the north­western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north­eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland.

Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. The Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom's 242,500 square kilometres were home to an estimated 67.5 million inhabitants in 2019.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Nothern Ireland.

The national flag of the United Kingdom is the Union Jack, also known as the Union Flag.

The current design of the Union Jack dates from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. It consists of the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white, superimposed on the Cross of St Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are superimposed on the Saltire of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland). Wales is not represented in the Union Flag because the flag was designed when Wales was part of the Kingdom of England.