UK

The United Kingdom from Great Britain and Northern Ireland , better known simply as United Kingdom , is made up of four countries:England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It comprises, therefore, the nations of the archipelago of Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. It was created on May 1, 1707, when Scotland and England united their kingdoms.

United Kingdom flag

The flag of the United Kingdom is formed by the symbols contained in the flags of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.

Wales has never been represented in this pavilion, as it is considered part of England, as they have been linked since the Middle Ages.

Map of the United Kingdom

In the image below, we can contemplate the islands that are part of the archipelago:Great Britain and the Island of Ireland.

The four countries that make up the United Kingdom appear in the following colors:England in light brown, Wales in pink, Scotland in green, and Northern Ireland in light purple.

The Irish Republic, whose capital is Dublin, appears in light yellow, and is not part of the United Kingdom.

Countries of the United Kingdom

The countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have a certain degree of autonomy, but are interdependent with each other.

Each has its own parliament, flag and head of government. However, they cannot issue currency, have an army and issue passports. Furthermore, the head of state is the head of the House of Windsor.

Therefore, many claim that the UK is a "country of countries". Let's look at the UK in its entirety and then look at each of these four countries.

United Kingdom

Capital :London
Nationality :british
Head of State :Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister :Boris Johnson
Government :parliamentary monarchy
Population :65.64 million (2016)
Currency :British Pound
Area :242,495 km²
Religion :Anglican, Scottish Presbyterian
Languages :English, Gaelic and Welsh

England

Capital :London
Nationality :british
Head of State :Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister :Boris Johnson
Government :parliamentary monarchy
Population :55 million (2016)
Currency :British Pound
Area :130,279 km²
Religion :Anglican
Languages :English and Welsh

Wales

Capital :Cardiff
Nationality :british
Head of State :Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister :Mark Drakeford
Government :parliamentary monarchy with a local parliament
Population :3 million (2016)
Currency :British Pound
Area :20,779 km²
Religion :Anglican
Languages :English and Welsh

Scotland

Capital :Edinburgh
Nationality :british
Head of State :Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister :Nicola Sturgeon
Government: parliamentary monarchy with a local parliament
Population :5 million (2016)
Currency :British Pound
Area :77,933 km²
Religion :Presbyterian and Anglican
Languages :English and Welsh

Northern Ireland

Capital :Belfast
Nationality :british
Head of State :Queen Elizabeth II
Prime Minister :Arlene Foster
Government :parliamentary monarchy with a local parliament
Population :1.810 million (2016)
Currency :British Pound
Area :13 843 km²
Religion :catholic, Presbyterian and Anglican
Languages :English, Irish Gaelic and Welsh

What's the difference between the UK and Great Britain?

Sometimes we can confuse these terms, because on many occasions they are used synonymously. So, let's look at the map below and notice the differences:

Great Britain :it is a geographical term that designates the largest island in the archipelago. There are three countries:England, Scotland, Wales plus the Isles of Mann, Wight and Jersey.

United Kingdom :indicates the union of the countries of Great Britain and a part of the island of Ireland, called Northern Ireland.

History of the United Kingdom

The history of the United Kingdom could be traced back to the division created by the Roman Empire on the island of Great Britain. In order to contain the Picts and other northern peoples, the Romans built Hadrian's Wall in the 2nd century.

In this territory, the future Scotland would be constituted. Importantly, Scotland was traditionally an ally of the French kings and was an independent kingdom until 1707.

In turn, the tribes that lived in the territory now occupied by England gradually became Romanized. However, they were not able to face the Viking invasions and the Romans preferred, simply, to abandon those lands to defend the southern borders of the already decaying Roman Empire.

Centralization of Power

King Henry VIII (1491-1547) was the pioneer in building a powerful fleet that would give the English the necessary protection against their European enemies. Likewise, he broke away from the Catholic Church and became head of his own church, the Anglican.

Once power was centralized in the sovereign's hands, England focused its energy on defeating its trading rivals, the Low Countries, and achieved this through the Navigation Act of 1651.

However, it was with the bourgeois revolutions, which strengthened Parliament and limited the power of the king, that England paved the way to be a world power, through the Industrial Revolution.

Act of Union with Scotland - 1707

The Act of Union 1707 consisted of the bonding of England, Wales and Scotland under the same monarchy, thus creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain. The two crowns had been together since 1603, but both countries maintained a great degree of autonomy.

For England, the Act of Union was good, as it would end the constant conflicts with this kingdom and remove once and for all the French danger from the island.

For the Scots, the great advantages were economic. Scotland would have access to English and colonial markets and the salt and coal industries would be protected

However, they had to resign and rely on a smaller participation of representatives in Parliament, as well as the right to mint coins and have a foreign policy of their own.

Although approved by parliamentarians, many Scots did not agree with this union and several rebellions took place during the 18th century against this law.

Act of Union with Ireland - 1801

At the end of the 18th century, faced with the events of the French Revolution, the English pressured the Irish to accept being part of the United Kingdom.

This was due to the constant alliances that the French made with the Irish to destabilize England.

Both parliamentary houses reached an agreement in 1801. However, this union would not be easy because of the Irish Catholic majority that started to be discriminated against the Protestant elite.

In this way, the English army brutally repressed any rebellion by the Irish. In the 19th century, with the bad harvests, there was famine and immigration, and no help from the English government.

All this only increased the feeling of animosity towards the UK and the pro-republic movements increased, as well as the acts of terrorism sponsored by the Irish Republican Army - IRA, in its acronym in English.

The situation would only be resolved after the War of Independence (1919-1922) that created two countries on the island:Northern Ireland, united with the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland.