More videos
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain^) is a country^ and sovereign state that lies to the northwest of Continental Europe with the Republic of Ireland to the west. It occupies the majority of the British Isles and its territory and population are primarily situated on the island of Great Britain and in Northern Ireland, which shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland on the island of Ireland. The United Kingdom is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and its ancillary bodies of water, including the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, and the Irish Sea. The mainland is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a union made up of several 'home nations' and territories:
'Great Britain' (or 'GB', or 'Britain') means Scotland, England, and Wales taken together (as a purely geographical term, GB refers just to the biggest island). GB became the UK when the Irish and British parliaments merged in 1801 to form the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". This was reduced to '... and Ireland' when all but six Irish counties left the Union to form an independent state in the 20th century. However, 'Britain' is often seen as shorthand for the whole of the United Kingdom ("British Government", "British Subject"). Note that a UK visa is valid for traveling in all parts of the Union and there are no internal border controls between the four constituent nations.
The flag of the United Kingdom is popularly known as the Union Jack, but is correctly known as the Union Flag. It is comprised of the flags of St. George (of England), St. Andrew (of Scotland, also known as the ) and the St. Patrick's Cross (of Ireland) superimposed on each other. Within England and especially Scotland and Wales, the flags of each nation are commonly used, as is the Red Dragon in Wales. The St. Patrick's Cross flag is never seen in Northern Ireland, since it largely represents the pre-1921 era when the whole of Ireland was part of the UK. Instead either the Union Flag, or the Red Hand of Ulster (similar in appearance to the St. George's Cross flag of England) is flown - particularly in Unionist areas.
Referring to someone's nationality
- English, Welsh, and Scottish ('Scotch' for products or objects, 'Scots' for a language, and 'Scottish' for everything else) people are all different, but are all British. To refer to a Welsh person or a Scot as 'English' is both inaccurate and offensive; but to say 'we thought he was Welsh, but he turned out to be British', or to refer to a person from England as 'Scottish' or 'Welsh' will merely make you seem daft.
- Although most people tend to use the more precise term (e.g. Welsh) for their nationality these days, it is perfectly OK to say 'British' if you don't know where someone is from. A keen nationalist may then correct you ('I'm not British, I'm Scottish') but is unlikely to take offence if none was intended.
- On the other hand, British sometimes preferred. There are many people who self-identify (on surveys, etc) as 'Black British' or 'British Asian', apparently feeling that 'English' etc are descriptions of ethnicity, while 'British' is an ethnically-neutral reference to UK citizenship. There is no objective reason why a person should not self-identify as 'Black English' or 'Welsh Asian', but this is definitely not common.
- Some residents of Northern Ireland may describe themselves as 'British' (referring to their UK citizenship); others prefer 'Irish' (referring to their geography and their ethnicity). If you are unsure which is appropriate, then 'Northern Irish' is a fairly safe way to avoid offence, because the person concerned can chose for themselves whether to interpret it as a political or geographical term.
- Almost no-one will mention the 'UK' when asked their nationality, perhaps because there is no easy way to add a suffix to 'United Kingdom' to make an adjective ('United Kingdom-ish'?) and because the alternatives ('UK citizen') sound a bit of a mouthful—or simply because most people just don't use the term 'UK' in everyday conversations. However, if someone asks a Brit where they come from they will often say 'I'm from the UK'.
- Outdated terms: Britisher sounds very odd these days. Brit is only used either patronisingly, or self-consciously, or by newspaper headlines, for brevity. Briton is most commonly used in newspaper headlines or serious conversation; the Ancient Britons were a Celtic people who lived in England/Scotland before the Anglo-Saxons arrived, and had their culture largely taken over. Pockets of 'Celtic' culture remain in Cornwall, Cumbria, Wales, Ireland, London and Scotland.
Crown Dependencies
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not strictly part of the UK, but rather are 'Crown Dependencies'. This means that they have their own democratic governments, laws and courts and are not part of the EU; but they are not entirely sovereign either.
See also: (not part of the United Kingdom).
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
the british national anthem 'God save the queen'...united kingdom of great britain greatbritain uk scotland england wales nothern ireland city london nation country GB
Car Journey in Bolton - Lancashire - United Kingdom
minute video of a car journey I took in my hometown of Bolton in the UK. I fastened the video camera to the dashboard of my car whilst I
God Save the Queen (National Anthem of the United Kingdom)
In the United Kingdom, the last line of the third verse is also changed...Natenobate England Scotland Whales North Ireland God Save the Queen United Kingdom
People to People - United Kingdom - Summer 2006
People to People Student Ambassadors explore Greater London and then head to the UK Sailing Academy down on the Isle of Wight....peopletopeople studentambassadors unitedkingdom england london
Thunder & Lightning At Bromsgrove,United kingdom
Just Non Stop Thunder & Lightning At Bromsgrove,UK...weather thunderstorm thunderstorms hail lightning storms clouds rain wind nature flash flood tornado rainbow
UNITED KINGDOM I LOVE YOU
Pictures of the UK from Scotland to Falkland Islands. United Kingdom will always be my homeland....england UK scotland wales ireland london ben gibraltar britain british
the united kingdom
the united kingdom...the united kingdom
Tribute to the United Kingdom
first youtube video. Tribute to the greatest and most beautiful country in the world....united kingdom england tribute coast countryside beautiful country britain jerusalem
UK Summer 2006
This is a video podcast of Travis Martin's travels across the United Kingdom....UK United Kingdom Travis Martin xango
Looe, Cornwall, United Kingdom
and sold a few on DVD. We enjoyed living in Cornwall and making these, so decided to share them here....Looe Cornwall UK
World Pyro Olympics 2007- United Kingdom
Finale of the World Pyro Olympics from the United Kingdom. Held at the...World Pyro Olympics 2007 fireworks
Someday You Will Go to the United Kingdom
a creation I did for fun. This is when i went to the United Kingdom during the summer of 2006....somday nickelback unitedkingdam scotland england
Trip to England1996(United Kingdom)
Visiting a good friend...England trip holliday milton keynes United Kingdom bikers
United Kingdom & France
Phil travels to the UK to visit Mark with adventures in England, Scotland & France....United Kingdom France Phil Mark Norris holiday vaction
Dartmoor National Park - Devon - UK
Dartmoor National Park, Devon, United Kingdom...Dartmoor National Park Devon UK United Kingdom horse cow paard koe cheval vache vaca caballo pferd kuh
The Summer We Had
) - Travel & Events - United Kingdom #65 - Most Viewed (This Week) - Travel & Events - United Kingdom #1 - Top Rated (
Guimarães
Today) - United Kingdom #12 - Most Viewed (Today) - Travel & Places #3 - Top Rated (Today) - United Kingdom #83
A Short Stroll Along The River Colne..
- United Kingdom #67 - Top Rated (Today) - United Kingdom #2 - Top Rated (Today) - Travel & Events - United Kingdom #
United Kingdom & Common Wealth Countries
Uk USA Pakistan...Pakistan Paltalk
Nearest places of interest:
| Burnden Park Rishton Reebok Stadium Adlington | Barton Aerodrome Hope Hospital Wigan Warrington |
Popular places:
|
London Glasgow Edinburgh Belfast |
Northampton Cardiff Dundee Bath |
