United Kingdom

Flag of the United Kingdom since 1800

The **United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland** (known simply as the **United Kingdom**, the **UK**, or **Britain**; formerly known as the **British Empire**), is a sovereign country located in northwestern Europe, just off the coast of France. The country consists of the island of Great Britain, the northeastern art of Ireland, and various overseas territories in the British Isles and all over the world. The UK is made up the countries of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The country borders only one country, the Republic of Ireland.

The UK's origins date back over a 1,000 years, long before the countries existence. The Kingdom of England (along with Wales) united with the Kingdom of Scotland into one country under one crown. Its constitutional monarchy allowed it to adapt to the ever changing world around them. They, alongside their European rivals colonized most of the world, eventually the UK held the largest empire in human history. With territory on almost every continent. The British Empire rose to a superpower status in the early 19th Century, and mainly stayed out of European affairs up until the rise of Germany in 1871. In World War I Britain and France put aside their millennium-long rivalry and worked to fight against Germany alongside their allies, doing the same in the Second World War. The UK ultimately lost its empire in the late 20th century, and the power vacuum the opened allowed one of its former colonies, The United States, to become a superpower.

## History

***Wikipedia article: History of the British Isles, History of England and History of the United Kingdom.***

## Politics and Government

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy in which the reigning monarch (that is, the king or queen who is the head of state at any given time) does not make any open political decisions. The current Monarch is King George III, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II who died on 2022.

## Military

The **British Armed Forces**, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies, the British Armed Forces has atleast three Branches the British Army, the Naval Service (which comprised of Royal Navy and Royal Marines) and the Royal Air Force. They also promote the United Kingdom's wider interests, support international peacekeeping efforts and provide humanitarian aid. They were one of the 8th Largest Armed Forces currently fighting alongside with the Terran Armed Forces.

Since the formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 (later succeeded by the United Kingdom), the British Armed Forces have seen action in a number of major wars involving the world's great powers, including the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, the 1853–1856 Crimean War, the First World War, and the Second World War. Britain's victories in most of these decisive wars, allowed it to influence world events and establish itself as one of the world's leading military and economic powers, their Manpower as part of the Terran Armed Forces is 2.9 million. The British Armed Forces include standing forces, Regular Reserve, Volunteer Reserves and Sponsored Reserves.

## See Also:

* United States of America - A fellow Ally in NATO and Terran Alliance.
* France - A fellow Ally in NATO and Terran Alliance.