The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a sovereign state located off the north- western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The latter three have devolved administrations,each with varying powers,based in their capital cities, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively.

The UK's form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system and its capital city is London. The current British monarchsince 6 February 1952is Queen Elizabeth II. The United Kingdom is a developed country and has the world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and eighth- largest by purchasing power parity. It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. UK remains a great power with considerable economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence internationally. It is a recognised nuclear weapons state and its military expenditure ranks fourth in the world.