United Kingdom, officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, island nation and constitutional monarchy in north-western Europe, member of the EU and Commonwealth of Nations. The United Kingdom lies entirely within and constitutes the greater part of the British Isles. Great Britain is the largest of the British Isles and so called to distinguish it from Brittany, or "Little Britain".
It comprises, together with numerous smaller islands-including the Isle of Wight, Anglesey, and the Scilly, Orkney, Shetland, and Hebridean archipelagos-the formerly separate realms of England and Scotland, and the principality of Wales. Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, occupies the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland. The United Kingdom is bordered to the south by the English Channel, which separates it from continental Europe, to the east by the North Sea, and to the west by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the only land border is between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The total area of the United Kingdom is 241,752 sq km (93,341 sq mi). The capital and largest city is London.
Population
58,784,000
(1996 estimate)
Population Density
242 people/sq km
(627 people/sq mi)
(1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
90%Urban
10%Rural
Largest Cities
London (Greater)7,007,100
Birmingham1,017,500
Leeds725,000
Glasgow674,800
Sheffield528,500
(1995 estimates)
Ethnic Groups
94.5%English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish
5.5%Other
including Indians, West Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese, Africans,
Languages
Official Language
English
Other Languages
Welsh, Scots-Gaelic, other minority languages
Religions
54%Anglicanism
13%Roman Catholicism
33%Other
including other Protestant denominations, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism
