United Kingdom

island country in north-west Europe
Country sovereign_state Q145
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World Factbook

CIA reference data · 4 sections
Geography
Location
Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France
Climate
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Natural resources
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
People & Society
Languages
English
Religions
Christian (includes Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist) 59.5%, Muslim 4.4%, Hindu 1.3%, other 2%, unspecified 7.2%, none 25.7% (2011 est.)
Government
Government type
parliamentary constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence
no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties become Northern Ireland and remain part of the UK); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)
National holiday
the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday
Legal system
common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998
Economy
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$3.636 trillion (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita
$52,500 (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate
1.1% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
3.3% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate
4.2% (2024 est.)
Exports - partners
USA 14%, China 8%, Germany 8%, Netherlands 7%, Ireland 7% (2023)
Imports - partners
China 13%, USA 11%, Germany 10%, France 5%, Norway 4% (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook · public domain (US gov work, 17 USC §105) · fetched 2026-05-06

Summary

United Kingdom is a sovereign state[1]. It ranks in the top 1% of sovereign state entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (436,826 views/month).[2]

Key Facts

  • Ethnic group: White British[3], Black Britons[4], British Indians[5], British Pakistanis[6]
  • Religion or worldview: Christianity[7]
  • Country: United Kingdom[8]
  • Head of government: Keir Starmer[9], Andy Burnham[10]
  • Continent: Europe[11]
  • Instance of: country[12], colonial power[13], island country[14]
  • Head of state: Charles III[15]
  • Capital: London[16]
  • Official language: English[17], Welsh[18], Scottish Gaelic[19], Scots[20], Cornish[21], Irish[22], Ulster Scots[23], British Sign Language[24]
  • Currency: pound sterling[25]
  • Shares border with: Ireland[26], France[27], Denmark[28], European Union[29], Germany[30], Belgium[31], Norway[32]
  • Top-level Internet domain: .uk[33], .gb[34]
  • Anthem: God Save the King[35]
  • Basic form of government: parliamentary monarchy[36], constitutional monarchy[37], unitary state[38]
  • Named after: union[39]
  • Contains the administrative territorial entity: England[40], Wales[41], Scotland[42], Northern Ireland[43]
  • Follows: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland[44]
  • Flag: flag of the United Kingdom[45]
  • Legislative body: Parliament of the United Kingdom[46]
  • Executive body: Government of the United Kingdom[47]
  • Highest judicial authority: Supreme Court of the United Kingdom[48], Judicial Committee of the Privy Council[49], High Court of Justiciary[50]
  • Coat of arms: royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom[51]
  • Part of: Common Travel Area[52], Northern Europe[53], realm of the United Kingdom[54], Europe[55]

Body

Cultural Significance

Things named for United Kingdom include RuPaul's Drag Race UK[56], a television program[57]; AUKUS[58], an intergovernmental organization[59], in Japan[60], founded in 2021[61]; British thermal unit[62], an unit of energy[63]; UKF Music[64], a record label[65], founded in 2009[66]; Chung Ying Street[67], a street[68], in People's Republic of China[69]; and British Square[70], a square[71], in Croatia[72].

Why It Matters

United Kingdom has Wikipedia articles in 30 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[73] It is known by 117 alternative names across languages and contexts.[74]

Entities named for it include RuPaul's Drag Race UK[56], a television program[57]; AUKUS[58], an intergovernmental organization[59], in Japan[60], founded in 2021[61]; British thermal unit[62], an unit of energy[63]; UKF Music[64], a record label[65], founded in 2009[66]; Chung Ying Street[67], a street[68], in People's Republic of China[69]; and British Square[70], a square[71], in Croatia[72].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  2. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  3. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  4. [11] ↑ . workwithdata.com. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  5. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  6. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  7. [14] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [17] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [18] ↑ . Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. Retrieved . legislation.gov.uk. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  12. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  14. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  15. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  16. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [26] ↑ . cia.gov. Retrieved . cia.gov. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  20. [27] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [28] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [29] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [30] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [31] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  26. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  27. [34] ↑ . books.google.ie. books.google.ie. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  28. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  29. [36] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  30. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  31. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  32. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [7] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [40] ↑ . britannica.com. Retrieved . britannica.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  35. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  36. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  38. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  39. [45] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  40. [3] ↑ . The World Factbook. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  41. [4] ↑ . The World Factbook. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  42. [5] ↑ . The World Factbook. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  43. [6] ↑ . The World Factbook. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  44. [46] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  45. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  46. [48] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [49] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  48. [50] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  49. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  50. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  51. [53] ↑ . workwithdata.com. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  52. [54] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  53. [55] ↑ . workwithdata.com. Retrieved . workwithdata.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [56] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [58] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [62] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [64] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [67] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [70] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [57] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [59] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [61] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [63] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [65] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [68] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [69] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [71] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [72] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [2] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [73] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [74] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

📑 Cite this page

Use these citations when quoting this entity in research, articles, AI prompts, or wherever provenance matters. We aggregate Wikidata + Wikipedia + authoritative open-data sources; the stitched, scored, cross-referenced view is what 4ort.xyz contributes.

APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). United Kingdom. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/united-kingdom
MLA “United Kingdom.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 26 Oct. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/united-kingdom.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_united-kingdom_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{United Kingdom}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/united-kingdom}, note = {Accessed: 2026-10-26}}
LLM prompt According to 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph (aggregator of Wikidata, Wikipedia, and authoritative open-data sources): United Kingdom — https://4ort.xyz/entity/united-kingdom (retrieved 2026-10-26)

Canonical URL: https://4ort.xyz/entity/united-kingdom · Last refreshed:

Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 3d ago · BorkedBot bot · 2026-10-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetqualifier-add:1| */ Subject named as: United Kingdom, update metadata from fandom API ([[:toolforge:editgroups/b/CB/fb2d267272cf|details]])"
  2. 6d ago · Tomodachi94 · 2026-10-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Fandom article id → united-kingdom:United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_, unitedkingdom:United_Kingdom, countries:United_Kingdom +9
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Fandom article id: historica:United_Kingdom, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/300128087|United Kingdom (#300128087)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8197|"
  3. 8d ago · Sadads · 2026-10-18 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14968 → January 21
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14968: Q2273, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/291586|batch #291586]]"
  4. 18d ago · Vicarage · 2026-10-08 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Inception → +1921-12-06T00:00:00Z, +1927-04-12T00:00:00Z
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ Inception: 1801"
  5. 28d ago · Ottawajin · 2026-09-29 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    J-global id → 200906035549714417
    Sitelink count → 396
    Wikipedia languages → ['ab', 'abstract', 'ace', 'ady', 'af', 'als', 'am', 'ami', 'an', 'ang', 'ann', '
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ J-global id: 200906035549714417, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/262313640|United Kingdom (#262313640)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7507|J-GLOB"
  6. 5w ago · ならちゃん · 2026-09-19 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nhk one news topic id → E0000000294
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/54972|batch #54972]]"
  7. 6w ago · PaleoWolf · 2026-09-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Wikidata description → island country in north-west Europe
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1|1 */ Flag image: Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg"
  8. 8w ago · GPinkerton · 2026-08-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Escutcheon image → Arms of the United Kingdom.svg, Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Escutcheon image: Royal Arms of the United Kingdom (Scotland).svg"
  9. 8w ago · PaleoWolf · 2026-08-29 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Flag image → Flag of the United Kingdom (3-5).svg, Flag of the United Kingdom (1-2).svg, Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg
    Wikidata description → island country in north-west Europe
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Flag image: Flag of Great Britain (1707–1800).svg"
  10. 11w ago · LadyData · 2026-08-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Imdb keyword → united-kingdom, britain
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Imdb keyword: britain, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/193889973|britain (#193889973)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/6965|Top 10,000 IMDb keyword"
  11. 11w ago · Andre Engels · 2026-08-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Fandom article id → united-kingdom:United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Northern_, unitedkingdom:United_Kingdom, countries:United_Kingdom +9
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Fandom article id: apple:United_Kingdom, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/143414396|United Kingdom (#143414396)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/5500|Appl"
  12. 12w ago · Profesorul Blazat · 2026-08-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Official name → {'lang': 'en', 'text': 'United Kingdom of Great Britain and , {'lang': 'sco', 'text': 'Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an , {'lang': 'cy', 'text': 'Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogled +20
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Official name: Regatul Unit al Marii Britanii și Irlandei de Nord"
  13. 12w ago · WikiLucas00 · 2026-08-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Pronunciation audio → Lb-Vereenegt Kinnekräich.ogg, GT United Kingdom.ogg, En-us-United Kingdom.ogg +6
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Pronunciation audio: LL-Q33573 (kin)-Adygrafix250-Ubwongereza.wav"
  14. 12w ago · Bouzinac · 2026-08-01 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Diplomatic relation → Canada, Italy, Brazil +84
    Coordinates of geographic center → {'lat': 55.3781, 'lon': -3.436}
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/44771|batch #44771]]"
  15. 13w ago · J 1982 · 2026-07-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Pronunciation audio → Lb-Vereenegt Kinnekräich.ogg, GT United Kingdom.ogg, En-us-United Kingdom.ogg +6
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1|1 */ P14470: Locations/United_Kingdom"
  16. 13w ago · Kirilloparma · 2026-07-25 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14470 → Locations/United_Kingdom
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ P14470: Locations/United_Kingdom, Adding missing [[P:P14470|P14470]] and [[P:P9675|P9675]] qualifier based on [[P:P5247|P5247]]"
  17. 14w ago · Mobby 12 · 2026-07-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Head of government → Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss +19
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Head of government: Andy Burnham"
  18. 17w ago · Thomas Kerboul (BGE) · 2026-06-28 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Idref id → 026488515, 027228231
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1|2 */ Idref id: 026488515"
  19. 17w ago · Spiral6800 · 2026-06-27 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Icannwiki page id → United_Kingdom
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Icannwiki page id: United_Kingdom, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/294328199|United Kingdom (#294328199)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/8064|ICANNWiki"
  20. 19w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → g0001992-Velka-Britanie
    Participant in → Battle of the Lys, Battle of Omdurman, Battle of Vlotho +11
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: g0001992-Velka-Britanie, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259493|batch #259493]]"
  21. 21w ago · Sd5605 · 2026-05-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Bgm.tv character id → 75296
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Bgm.tv character id: 75296"
  22. 22w ago · Trivialist · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Harper's tag → united-kingdom
    Inception → +1921-12-06T00:00:00Z, +1927-04-12T00:00:00Z
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:1||1 */ Harper's tag: united-kingdom, Matched to [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/entry/289965923|united kingdom (#289965923)]] in [[:toollabs:mix-n-match/#/catalog/7915|Harper's "
  23. 23w ago · David Newton · 2026-05-16 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Highest judicial authority → Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, House of Lords, Judicial Committee of the Privy Council +1
    Inception → +1921-12-06T00:00:00Z, +1927-04-12T00:00:00Z
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Inception: 1801"
  24. 24w ago · Johshh · 2026-05-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Dbnl country id → groot01
    Participant in → Battle of the Lys, Battle of Omdurman, Battle of Vlotho +11
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1 */ Life expectancy: 80.9561 year"
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