The UK

Where is the UK

The UK is situated north-west of the European continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. It has a total land area of 244,100 square kilometers, of which nearly 99% is land and the remainder inland water. From north to south it is about 1,000 kilometers long.

Countries that conform the UK

The United Kingdom is made up of:

England - The capital is London. Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh . Wales - The capital is Cardiff. Northern Ireland - The capital is Belfast.

THE UK

Are Great Britain & UK the same?

Great Britain and the United Kingdom refer to different areas.

Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland' (UK).

The UK includes Great Britain AND Northern Ireland)

Great Britain

UK

The Union Flag

The Union Flag, popularly known as the Union Jack, symbolizes the union of the countries of the UK. It is made up of the individual flags of three countries in the Kingdom.

It is called the Union Flag because it symbolizes the administrative union of the countries of the United Kingdom. It is made up of the individual Flags of three of the Kingdom's countries all united under one Sovereign, the countries of 'England, of‘ Scotland' and of 'Northern Ireland'

When was the UK formedThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was formed in on January 1, 1801 and constitutes the greater part of the British Isles. 17th CenturyThere had been four countries in the British Isles, England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland, each one had its own history and language. 18th CenturyThe word British was used for the first time, Rule Britannia song was composed and the Union Flag created

The Making of Great Britain

England & Wales England & Scotland In 1543, England and

Wales were united as one country, Scotland & Ireland remained separated with their own parlaments & laws.

In 1603 England & Scotland shared the same king, James VI of Scotland and he also became James I of England, he was very keen to be King of Great Britain, and from 1606 Scots were officially called english citizens, but it was until 1652 that the two countries were united through force by Oliver Cromwell

Kingdom of Great Britain In 1707 the Act of Union meant that Scotland lost

her Parlament and her independence and became part of a new country to be called Kingdom of Great Britain.

Then in 1801 a second Act of Union was passed, creating yet another new country, “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland”.

But in 1921 the Anglo-Irish treaty removed mainland Ireland from the UK and only six northern Irish countries remained part of the UK.

Kings & Queens involved in formation of UK

Queen Anne

Became Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Acts of Union, two of her realms, the kingdoms of England and Scotland, united as a single sovereign state known as Great Britain. She continued to reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland until her death.

George III

King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death.

Alfred The Great

Born at Wantage in Berkshire around 849. Alfred successfully defended his kingdom against the Viking attempt at conquest, and by the time of his death had become the dominant ruler in England. He is the only English monarch to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself "King of the Anglo-Saxons".