The United Kingdom comprises of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland. The total area of the UK is 94,512 sq. miles (244, 786 sq. km) including numerous small islands and about 1,189 sq. miles of inland waters.
London is the capital of UK - a lively, bustling, modern, cosmopolitan metropolis - and the largest of the several modern industrialised cities of this nation. However, the rest of UK is mostly quiet, picturesque countryside, and the people hospitable though often reserved.

England and Scotland have been ruled by centralised monarchies from very early times and the UK still enjoys the benefits attributed to a constitutional monarchy. During the 20th century the British Empire has been converted into a self-governing commonwealth, and the commonwealth has evolved into a group of independent political units. Its constitution is unwritten and consists partly of statutes and partly of common law and practice. In the executive branch of government, the monarch is the chief of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government.

Britain lies in the Greenwich Mean Time zone. Greenwich in England is the place, at longitude 00, from which all other time zones are calculated. Zones west of Greenwich have earlier times and zones to the east have later times. Britain refers to the island on which England, Wales and Scotland are located. Although the English are in the habit of referring to all natives of Britain as "Brits", this term is not appreciated by many Welsh and Scots. Northern Ireland shares the island of Eire with the Republic of Ireland. It is incorrect to call someone from Eire a "Brit".