United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
The United Kingdom (UK) is a sovereign island state in Western Europe consisting of the nations of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was formed by the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801; the southern part of Ireland seceded in 1922. The UK withdrew from the European Union in January 2020 following a referendum.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy and representative democracy with a parliamentary system of government. The reigning family is the House of Windsor. Parliament consists of the King, the mostly appointed House of Lords, and the directly elected House of Commons. The legislative and executive powers are fused; the Government must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons. In the 21st century there are two major political parties (Labour and Conservative) with enough seats in the House of Commons to conceivably form a government; there are also several other parties representing regional and other interests.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have devolved autonomous governments. Scottish and Welsh nationalists who favor further autonomy or independence are significant minorities, as are Irish republicans who favor Northern Ireland joining the Republic of Ireland. Scottish voters rejected independence in a September 2014 referendum.
The Church of England (Anglican Protestant theology and episcopal polity) is established in England, and the reigning monarch must profess it in his role as the Church's Supreme Governor. The Church of Scotland (Reformed Protestant theology and Presbyterian polity) is the "national church" of Scotland. Both of these churches suffer from dwindling attendance. There are no longer established churches in either Wales or Ireland.
Parliamentary Election results can be found in the 'parliament' containers in each Region.
There are fourteen overseas territories and three crown dependencies associated with the UK, none of which are considered part of the UK proper. They are the remainder of the once mighty British colonial empire. Many of them are small islands with economies dependent on tourism and offshore financial services. Ascension Island (part of Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha), the British Indian Ocean Territory, and the two Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus are reserved for military purposes. The British Antarctic Territory and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are used for polar research and do not have permanent human inhabitants. Pitcairn is the smallest inhabited overseas territory, with just around 50 residents descended from the Bounty mutineers of 1789.
The currency of the UK is the pound sterling (GBP). The second Saturday in June is observed as a national holiday in honour of the King's official birthday (which is different than his actual one).
National Flag Description:
The Union flag, also called the Union Jack, is a combination of the crosses of patron saints of England (St. George's cross, red cross on a white field), Scotland (St. Andrew's cross, white saltire on a blue field) and Ireland (St. Patrick's cross, red satire on a white field).
Religious Adherents [Link]
Christian 81.50%
Non-religious 12.30%
Muslim 2.20%
Atheist 1.40%
Hindu 0.80%
Jewish 0.50%
Sikh 0.40%
Buddhist 0.30%
Zoroastrian 0.20%
Baha'i 0.10%
Chinese Universalist 0.10%
Neo-religions 0.10%
Spiritist 0.10%
