Official name of the country:

ü     long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

ü     short form: United Kingdom (UK)

Type of the state: constitutional monarchy

Area: 244, 820 sq km

Independence: 1 January 1801, United Kingdom established

Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet

Chief of state: Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952)

Head of government: Prime Minister

Cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

Legislative branch:

üthe Parliament which consists of an upper house or House of Lords and a lower house or House of Commons

üHouse of Lords (consists of approximately 500 life peers, 92 hereditary peers and 26 clergy) and House of Commons (646 seats since 2005 elections)

Political parties:

üthe two largest parties are the Conservative and Labour parties, the third largest party is the Liberal Democrats (LD);

üother political parties: Conservative and Unionist Party; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland); Party of Wales (Plaid Cymru); Scottish National Party (SNP); Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland); Social Democratic and  Labour Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland); Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland)

Elections:

üto the House of Commons, at least once in every five years, every citizen over 18 has the right to vote, last held 5 May 2005 (next to be held by May 2010);

üto the House of Lords – no elections (note – in 1999 elections were held in the House of Lords to determine the 92 hereditary peers who would remain there)

Flag: known as the Union Jack, with the crosses of patron saints of England (St George), Scotland (St Andrew), Ireland (St Patrick). It is blue with three red crosses edged in white

Population: over 60 million people

Nationality:

ünoun: Briton(s), British (collective plural)

üadjective: British

Ethnic groups: English 81.5 %, Scottish 9.6 %, Irish 2.4 %, Welsh 1.9 %, Ulster 1.8 %, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani and other 2,8%

Religions: Christian 71.6%, Muslim 2.7, Hindu 1%, Sikh 0.6%, Buddhist 0.3%, other 0.3%, none 23% (2001)

Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)

Capital: London

Longest river: the Severn, 354 km (220 miles) long

Largest lake: Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, 396 sq km (153 sq miles)

Highest mountain: Ben Nevis, in the highlands of Scotland, 1,343 m

Highest waterfall: Eas a’Chual Aluinn Glas Bheinn, in the highlands of Scotland, 200 m

Deepest cave: Ogof Fflynnon Ddu, Wales, 308 m deep

Climate: often changes, mild and temperate; influences by southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are cloudy

Natural resources: oil and natural gas, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, sand and gravel, dolomite, sandstone, fluorspar and some other minerals

Currency: British pound or pound sterling (plural-pounds); 1 British pound (J)=100 pence

Anthem: "God Save the Queen"