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  United Kingdom
 

 

 

 

 

 

  ABOUT UNITED KINGDOM

United Kingdom

Country Briefs: Known for its enchanting natural beauty (peaceful lakes, wild moors and mountains, stark beaches), vibrant cities, busy towns, quaint villages, castles, cathedrals, mansions, abbeys, and nightlife and countless other lure, United Kingdom is a distinguished country that is perhaps unknown to none. Spreading over an area of 244,820 square kilometers from Stonehenge and Tower Bridge to Eton and Oxford, UK is brimming with exclusive icons of the past era. 

United Kingdom is one of the two sovereign states occupying the British Isles in the northwestern Europe and the Republic of Ireland. Most of the UK is nestled on the island of Great Britain and it shares its borders with the Republic of Ireland, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. 

The approximate population of UK is 59,834,300 out of which around 860,000 people reside in its largest and capital city, London. At present London is the most populous city in the European Union. London is also one of the hottest vacation destinations in the entire world. Though London is a timeless tourist center, few of its attractions close or reduce their opening hours in winter.

Besides its wonderful cities, towns and other pulls, one of the most outstanding aspects of United Kingdom is its history. According to historians the foremost settlers in the region were small bands of hunters. Around 4000 BC the Stone Age immigrants arrived here and farmed the chalk hills of Salisbury Plain, constructing the mystifying stone circles at Stonehenge and Averbury. Around 800 BC the Bronze Age Celts arrived in this region.

In AD 43 Romans invaded England and occupied most of its region. During the Roman period Christianity fused in the region and England witnessed great development in every sphere. But Romans faced constant attacks from the Brits, as a consequence of which the Roman Empire lost power and declined around AD 410.

Over the years the Celts were replaced by various tribes such as Angles, Jutes and Saxons. These tribes developed their local fiefdoms and were classified as English collectively. By the 7th century these fiefdoms transformed in to a series of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Around 9th century the Vikings attempted to invade the eastern part of England. However the English managed to tackle the Vikings’ military.

In 1066 the William of Normandy came to prominence as he endeavored to invade the south coast. William emerged victorious at the Battle of Hastings and so replaced the English aristocrats with the French-speaking Normans. In 16th century Henry made himself the head of the Church of England.

In mid-17th century the power struggle between monarchy and parliament led to the Civil War between the royalists and Protestant parliamentarians. The Protestants emerged victorious but due to the atrocities of Cromwell, monarchy was abolished in the region in 1660.

Soon England adopted the policy of expansionism as a result of which it made almost half of the entire world its colony. But the English received a setback in 1781 when the American colonies won their war of independence.

By 1837 the Kingdom of Britain had become the world’s greatest power. However the first half of the 20th century saw UK’s strength gravely wrecked by the effects of first and second world war. During the second half the Empire was dismantled and the UK did rebuild itself into a modern and prosperous nation.

 

At present United Kingdom is a member of European Union, a highly developed economy, and the fourth largest in the world. It is also a partner of both UN and NATO.

United Kingdom Divisions

Name HASC ISO NUTS Pop-2001 Pop-1991 Area(km.²) Capital Old County
Aberdeen GB.AR ABE UKM10 212,125 204,885 186 Aberdeen Grampian
Aberdeenshire GB.AS ABD UKM10 226,871 215,387 6,318 Aberdeen Grampian
Anglesey GB.AY AGY UKL11 66,829 69,149 719 Llangefni Anglesey
Angus GB.AG ANS UKM21 108,400 107,853 2,181 Forfar Tayside
Antrim GB.AN ANT UKN03 48,366 44,516 405 Antrim Antrim
Ards GB.AD ARD UKN03 73,244 64,764 368 Newtownards Down
Argyll and Bute GB.AB AGB UKM43 91,306 92,046 6,930 Lochgilphead Strathclyde
Armagh GB.AM ARM UKN05 54,263 51,817 667 Armagh Armagh
Ballymena GB.BL BLA UKN03 58,610 56,641 634 Ballymena Antrim
Ballymoney GB.BY BLY UKN04 26,894 24,198 417 Ballymoney Antrim
Banbridge GB.BB BNB UKN03 41,392 35,779 441 Banbridge Down
Barking and Dagenham GB.BA BDG UKI21 163,944 153,119 34   Greater London
Barnet GB.BQ BNE UKI23 314,564 293,951 90   Greater London
Barnsley GB.BX BNS UKE31 218,063 221,621 328 Barnsley South Yorkshire
Bath and North East Somerset GB.BN BAS UKK12 169,040 158,692 351 Bristol Somerset
Bedfordshire GB.BD BDF UKH22 381,572 352,434 1,193 Bedford Bedfordshire
Belfast GB.BF BFS UKN01 277,391 279,237 130 Belfast Antrim, Down
Bexley GB.XB BEX UKI21 218,307 215,615 61   Greater London
Birmingham GB.BI BIR UKG31 977,087 970,442 265 Birmingham West Midlands
Blackburn with Darwen GB.BW BBD UKD41 137,470 136,612 137 Blackburn Lancashire
Blackpool GB.BP BPL UKD42 142,283 146,069 35 Blackpool Lancashire
Blaenau Gwent GB.BG BGW UKL16 70,064 72,250 109 Ebbw Vale Monmouth
Bolton GB.BT BOL UKD32 261,037 258,584 140 Bolton Greater Manchester
Bournemouth GB.BM BMH UKK21 163,444 151,302 46 Bournemouth Dorset
Bracknell Forest GB.BC BRC UKJ11 109,617 95,949 109 Bracknell Berkshire
Bradford GB.BV BRD UKE41 467,665 456,929 366 Bradford West Yorkshire
Brent GB.BE BEN UKI23 263,464 236,572 44   Greater London
Bridgend GB.BJ BGE UKL17 128,645 128,242 246 Bridgend Glamorgan
Brighton and Hove GB.BH BNH UKJ21 247,817 228,946 82 Hove East Sussex
Bristol GB.BS BST UKK11 380,615 376,146 110 Bristol Gloucestershire
Bromley GB.BZ BRY UKI22 295,532 290,869 152   Greater London
Buckinghamshire GB.BU BKM UKJ13 479,026 454,691 1,569 Aylesbury Buckinghamshire
Bury GB.BR BUR UKD32 180,608 177,288 99 Bury Greater Manchester
Caerphilly GB.CP CAY UKL16 169,519 169,577 279 Tredomen, Ystrad Fawr Monmouth, Glamorgan
Calderdale GB.CX CLD UKE43 192,405 191,585 363 Halifax West Yorkshire
Cambridgeshire GB.CM CAM UKH12 552,658 492,428 3,067 Cambridge Cambridgeshire
Camden GB.CN CMD UKI11 198,020 170,444 22   Greater London
Cardiff GB.CA CRF UKL22 305,353 285,291 139 Cardiff Glamorgan
Carmarthenshire GB.CI CMN UKL14 172,842 168,364 2,398 Carmarthen Carmarthen
Carrickfergus GB.CF CKF UKN02 37,659 32,750 85 Carrickfergus Antrim
Castlereagh GB.CS CSR UKN02 66,488 60,799 84 Castlereagh Down
Ceredigion GB.CG CGN UKL14 74,941 63,094 1,797 Aberaeron, Aberystwyth Cardigan
Cheshire GB.CH CHS UKD22 673,788 650,215 2,081 Chester Cheshire
Clackmannanshire GB.CC CLK UKM22 48,077 47,679 157 Alloa Central
Coleraine GB.CL CLR UKN04 56,315 50,438 478 Coleraine Londonderry
Conwy GB.CW CWY UKL13 109,596 106,321 1,130 Conwy Caernarvon, Denbigh
Cookstown GB.CK CKT UKN05 32,581 31,082 512 Cookstown Tyrone
Cornwall GB.CO CON UKK30 499,114 468,425 3,559 Truro Cornwall
Coventry GB.CT COV UKG33 300,848 293,917 97 Coventry West Midlands
Craigavon GB.CR CGV UKN03 80,671 74,986 280 Craigavon Armagh
Croydon GB.CY CRY UKI22 330,587 313,679 87   Greater London
Cumbria GB.CU CMA UKD1 487,607 483,163 6,824 Carlisle Cumbria
Darlington GB.DA DAL UKC13 97,838 98,906 197 Darlington Durham
Denbighshire GB.DI DEN UKL13 93,065 90,548 844 Ruthin Denbigh, Flint
Derby GB.DE DER UKF11 221,708 218,802 78 Derby Derbyshire
Derbyshire GB.DB DBY UKF1 734,585 709,834 2,550 Matlock Derbyshire
Derry GB.LD DRY UKN04 105,066 95,371 373 Londonderry Londonderry
Devon GB.DO DEV UKK43 704,493 646,903 6,561 Exeter Devon
Doncaster GB.DC DNC UKE31 286,866 288,854 581 Doncaster South Yorkshire
Dorset GB.DS DOR UKK22 390,980 361,215 2,541 Dorchester Dorset
Down GB.DW DOW UKN03 63,828 58,008 638 Downpatrick Down
Dudley GB.DY DUD UKG34 305,155 305,070 98 Dudley West Midlands
Dumfries and Galloway GB.DG DGY UKM32 147,765 147,805 6,439 Dumfries Dumfries and Galloway
Dundee GB.DU DND UKM21 145,663 149,911 65 Dundee Tayside
Dungannon GB.DN DGN UKN05 47,735 45,428 763 Dungannon Tyrone
Durham GB.DH DUR UKC14 493,470 493,459 2,233 Durham Durham
Ealing GB.EG EAL UKI23 300,948 279,532 56   Greater London
East Ayrshire GB.EA EAY UKM33 120,235 122,455 1,252 Kilmarnock Strathclyde
East Dunbartonshire GB.ED EDU UKM31 108,243 109,405 172 Kirkintilloch Strathclyde
East Lothian GB.EL ELN UKM23 90,088 84,114 678 Haddington Lothian
East Renfrewshire GB.ER ERW UKM35 89,311 85,353 173 Giffnock Strathclyde
East Riding of Yorkshire GB.EY ERY UKE12 314,113 291,974 2,415 Beverley East Riding of Yorkshire
East Sussex GB.ES ESX UKJ22 492,324 461,501 1,713 Lewes East Sussex
Edinburgh GB.EB EDH UKM25 448,624 418,747 262 Edinburgh Lothian
Eilean Siar GB.WI ELS UKM44 26,502 29,600 3,134 Stornoway Western Isles
Enfield GB.EF ENF UKI21 273,559 257,417 81   Greater London
Essex GB.EX ESS UKH33 1,310,835 1,240,818 3,469 Chelmsford Essex
Falkirk GB.FK FAL UKM26 145,191 141,146 299 Falkirk Central
Fermanagh GB.FE FER UKN05 57,527 54,033 1,700 Enniskillen Fermanagh
Fife GB.FI FIF UKM22 349,429 341,199 1,323 Glenrothes Fife
Flintshire GB.FL FLN UKL23 148,594 141,344 437 Mold Flint
Gateshead GB.GH GAT UKC22 191,151 199,588 143 Gateshead Tyne and Wear
Glasgow GB.GG GLG UKM34 577,869 606,655 175 Glasgow Strathclyde
Gloucestershire GB.GC GLS UKK13 564,559 528,370 2,654 Gloucester Gloucestershire
Greenwich GB.GR GRE UKI21 214,403 206,554 47   Greater London
Guernsey GB.GU GSY   59,807 61,739 78 Saint Peter Port Guernsey
Gwynedd GB.GD GWN UKL12 116,843 113,331 2,548 Caernarfon Caernarvon, Denbigh, Merioneth
Hackney GB.HK HCK UKI12 202,824 181,653 20   Greater London
Halton GB.HL HAL UKD21 118,208 123,716 74 Widnes Cheshire
Hammersmith and Fulham GB.HF HMF UKI11 165,242 148,273 16   Greater London
Hampshire GB.HA HAM UKJ33 1,240,103 1,168,004 3,688 Winchester Hampshire
Haringey GB.HY HRY UKI12 216,507 201,799 30   Greater London
Harrow GB.HR HRW UKI23 206,814 200,905 51   Greater London
Hartlepool GB.HP HPL UKC11 88,611 90,409 94 Hartlepool Durham
Havering GB.HV HAV UKI21 224,248 229,492 118   Greater London
Herefordshire GB.HE HEF UKG11 174,871 159,850 1,858 Hereford Herefordshire
Hertfordshire GB.HT HRT UKH23 1,033,977 977,510 1,638 Hertford Hertfordshire
Highland GB.HI HLD UKM4 208,914 204,004 25,784 Inverness Highland
Hillingdon GB.HD HIL UKI23 243,006 231,602 110   Greater London
Hounslow GB.HU HNS UKI23 212,341 201,428 59   Greater London
Inverclyde GB.IC IVC UKM35 84,203 90,103 162 Greenock Strathclyde
Isle of Man GB.IM IOM   76,315 69,788 572 Douglas Isle of Man
Isle of Wight GB.IW IOW UKJ34 132,731 124,577 380 Newport Isle of Wight
Isles of Scilly GB.IS IOS UKK30 2,152   15 Hugh Town Cornwall
Islington GB.IT ISL UKI12 175,797 163,684 15   Greater London
Jersey GB.JE JSY   87,186 84,082 116 Saint Helier Jersey
Kensington and Chelsea GB.KC KEC UKI11 158,919 138,623 12   Greater London
Kent GB.KE KEN UKJ42 1,329,718 1,268,645 3,543 Maidstone Kent
Kingston upon Hull GB.KH KHL UKE11 243,589 254,117 71 Kingston-upon-Hull East Riding of Yorkshire
Kingston upon Thames GB.KT KTT UKI22 147,273 133,503 38   Greater London
Kirklees GB.KK KIR UKE43 388,567 372,730 410 Huddersfield West Yorkshire
Knowsley GB.KN KWL UKD51 150,459 151,941 97 Huyton Merseyside
Lambeth GB.LT LBH UKI12 266,169 243,371 27   Greater London
Lancashire GB.LA LAN UKD43 1,134,976 1,101,317 2,897 Preston Lancashire
Larne GB.LR LRN UKN03 30,832 29,419 337 Larne Antrim
Leeds GB.LS LDS UKE42 715,402 681,319 562 Leeds West Yorkshire
Leicester GB.LC LCE UKF21 279,921 270,493 73 Leicester Leicestershire
Leicestershire GB.LE LEC