Home of the Royal Family, the UK has an amazing amount of attractions to keep visitors occupied for months. From the famous Houses of Parliament in England, Edinburgh Castle in Scotland and unique land formations like the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland this land as a whole is a fascinating place. It is made up of four constituent countries; Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England. It is a parliamentary democracy with it’s seat of government in London, the capital and largest urban area in the UK.
The UK’s people and culture are more or less the same in all areas. Most people work 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday with weekends off. Average working hours are upwards of 40 hours per week, 10% work more than 60 hours, which leads to a work hard, play hard culture. Although the UK consumes less alcohol per head than France, most of it is binge drinking at weekends, giving the country a bad reputation for drunken violence etc.
English is the most common language, although Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have other official languages; Gaelic, Irish and Welsh respectively. Before the two world wars at the beginning and middle of the 20th century, the UK was the worlds foremost power and the leader in global affairs. It is currently the fifth largest economy in the world and has 14 overseas territories; all remnants of the British Empire.
The UK has contributed to the world an endless list of scientists, philosophers, engineers, musicians, poets, writers and sporting heroes.
Constituent countries:
