Understanding the United Kingdom

The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The rest of the island of Ireland is the Republic of Ireland, which is an independent country.

The country’s official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. 'Great Britain' refers to the main island containing England, Scotland, and Wales; it does not cover Northern Ireland. In everyday speech, though, people across the whole UK are often called ‘Britain’, ‘British Isles’, or ‘British’.

The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are among several islands closely linked to the UK. Both have their own governments and are known as “Crown Dependencies”. They are not part of the United Kingdom itself; they are self-governing possessions of The Crown (the British monarch).

Other territories linked to the UK include the British Overseas Territories, such as St Helena and the Falkland Islands. These territories are not part of the UK, but they remain under its sovereignty while running their own local affairs.

The UK is governed by the UK Parliament, which sits at Westminster in London. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland also have devolved governments of their own. These have parliaments or assemblies with powers over particular areas that the UK Parliament has delegated to them.