United Kingdom

A sovereign country in northwestern Europe comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government.

England: The largest constituent country of the United Kingdom, occupying most of the southern and central part of Great Britain. England is the United Kingdom’s largest constituent country and seat of its central institutions.
Acts of Union 1707: Legislation that united the kingdoms of England and Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The union formed the political state that preceded the modern United Kingdom.
Constitutional monarchy: A system in which a monarch is head of state while constitutional rules and elected institutions govern political power. The monarch is head of state, but elected ministers exercise executive authority.
British Empire: A global empire governed or controlled by Britain from the early modern period into the twentieth century. The empire extended British power worldwide and left enduring political and cultural legacies.
Republic of Ireland: A sovereign republic occupying most of the island of Ireland, separate from the United Kingdom. It shares a land border with the United Kingdom and emerged from the same island’s partition.
Scotland: A constituent country of the United Kingdom occupying the northern part of Great Britain. Scotland has its own legal system and devolved parliament within the United Kingdom.
Acts of Union 1800: Legislation that united Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, effective in 1801. This union added Ireland to the state and gave it its original United Kingdom name.
Westminster system: A parliamentary system of government modeled on the United Kingdom’s institutions, with an executive drawn from the legislature. The United Kingdom’s government depends on the confidence of the elected House of Commons.
Commonwealth of Nations: A voluntary association of independent countries, most of which were formerly part of the British Empire. The Commonwealth is one institutional legacy of the United Kingdom’s imperial past.
Crown dependencies: The self-governing territories of Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man, which are possessions of the Crown but not part of the United Kingdom. Their constitutional status is often confused with that of the United Kingdom’s constituent countries.

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