Portal:United Kingdom

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (usually shortened to the United Kingdom, the UK or - informally - Britain) is a sovereign state that lies to the north-west of the continent of Europe. It occupies all of the island of Great Britain and the north-east part of the island of Ireland, sharing a land border with the Republic 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, St George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. It is linked to France and Continental Europe by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy composed of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The current monarch is Queen Elizabeth II, who is also the Queen and Head of State of fifteen other Commonwealth Realms, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Jamaica. The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man form a federacy with the United Kingdom collectively known as the British Islands. The UK also has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire which at its height encompassed a quarter of the world's surface and population.

Although Britain was the foremost great power during the 19th century, and a superpower in the early 20th century, the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its status in global affairs. However, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a nuclear power, a member of the G8, the world's fifth largest economy, and having the third highest defence spending, the UK remains an important political, economic and military world power. It is a member of the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations.

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"Something" is a single released by The Beatles in 1969, and featured on the album Abbey Road. "Something" was the first song written by George Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles single, sharing top billing on the double A-side single with "Come Together" in the United States. It was one of the first Beatles singles to contain tracks already available on a long playing (LP) album, with both "Something" and "Come Together" having appeared on Abbey Road. "Something" was the only Harrison composition to top the American charts while he was a Beatle. Although John Lennon and Paul McCartney—the two principal songwriting members of the band—both praised "Something" as among the best songs Harrison had written, the recording of the song was marked by acrimonious spats. Despite this, the single managed to top the Billboard charts in the United States, and also entered the top 10 in the United Kingdom. After the breakup of The Beatles, the song was covered by many artists including Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, Julio Iglesias, Smokey Robinson, and Joe Cocker, becoming the second-most covered Beatles song after "Yesterday." (more...)

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Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who proposed and provided evidence for the theory that all species have evolved over time from a common ancestor through the process of natural selection. This theory came to be accepted by the scientific community in modified form, forming much of the basis of modern evolutionary theory, a cornerstone of biology. His five-year voyage on the Beagle established him as a prominent geologist whose observations and theories supported uniformitarianism. Puzzled by the geographical distribution of wildlife and fossils he collected on the voyage, Darwin investigated the transmutation of species and conceived his theory of natural selection in 1838. In 1858, Alfred Russel Wallace sent him an essay describing a similar theory, causing the two to publish their theories in a joint publication. His 1859 book On the Origin of Species established evolution by common descent as the dominant scientific explanation of the diversity of life in nature. (more...)

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• ... that the first patron of St Mary's Church, Mold (pictured) was Lady Margaret Beaufort, the mother of Henry VII?
• ... that HMS Lively won five battle honours during the Second World War, despite a career lasting less than a year from commissioning to being sunk?
• ... that the City of Carlisle is the largest city in England in terms of area, but is one of the smallest by population?
• ... that Centipede were an English jazz/progressive rock band with more than 50 members?
• ... that the British 21st Army Tank Brigade had so few tanks after the Battle of Dunkirk that two-thirds of the brigade was forced to serve as infantry?
• ... that former Olympic show jumper Marion Coakes won a silver medal on a pony and learned to ride on a donkey?
  Archive...

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England	Northern Ireland	Scotland	Wales

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Isle of Man	Ireland	Europe	European Union	British Empire

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The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War.

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• July 17: "Anonymous" plans to protest Church of Scientology on February 10
• July 14: British conductor Edward Downes and wife die in double assisted suicide
• July 12: U.K. National Portrait Gallery threatens U.S. citizen with legal action over Wikimedia images
• July 12: Firefighter killed while tackling pub blaze in Edinburgh, Scotland
• July 11: Roller skating babies become YouTube sensation

edit United Kingdom

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• UK geography
• UK subdivisions
• British Government

Area based (Subdivisions) Projects

• England
• Scotland
• Derbyshire
• Greater Manchester
• London
• Sheffield
• Yorkshire
• West Midlands

Subject Specific Projects

• Baronetcies
• Clans of Scotland
• Cricket
• Terry Pratchett's Discworld
• Football Clubs
• Sherlock Holmes
• British military history
• Peerage

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