northwestern Europe. England – birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles – is home to the capital,

London, a globally influential centre of finance and culture. England is also site of Neolithic Stonehenge,

Bath’s Roman spa and centuries-old universities at Oxford and Cambridge.

Scotland, the U.K.’s northernmost country, is a land of mountain wildernesses such as the Cairngorms and

Northwest Highlands, interspersed with glacial glens (valleys) and lochs (lakes). Its major cities are

Edinburgh, the capital, with its iconic hilltop castle, and Glasgow, famed for its vibrant cultural scene.

Scotland is also famous for golf, the game first played at the Old Course at St Andrews in the 1400s.

The Republic of Ireland occupies most of the island of Ireland, off the coast of England and Wales. Its

capital, Dublin, is the birthplace of writers like Oscar Wilde, and home of Guinness beer. The 9th-century

Book of Kells and other illustrated manuscripts are on show in Dublin’s Trinity College Library. Dubbed the

"Emerald Isle” for its lush landscape, the country is dotted with castles like medieval Cahir Castle.

United Kingdom Facts & Figures

About the UK: The United Kingdom consists of England, Wales, Scotland (which together make up Great

Britain) and Northern Ireland.

Capital cities: The capital city of the UK is London, which is also the capital of England. For Wales the capital

is Cardiff, for Scotland it is Edinburgh, and for Northern Ireland it is Belfast.

Dialing code:+44

Currency:Pound sterling

Population:64.1 million (2013

Land area: The UK is close to 95,000 square miles (245,000 square kilometres), stretching from the Shetland

Islands off the north coast of Scotland, down to the Isles of Scilly in south west England, and across the sea

to Northern Ireland.

Countryside: The UK’s long coastline is around 5,000 miles (8,000 kilometres). The geography ranges from

green meadows and woodland to rugged moorland and mountains. The highest mountain is Ben Nevis in

Scotland at just over 1,340 metres.

Language: English is spoken throughout the UK, but there are other official languages too, such as Welsh,

Scots and Gaelic.

Money: The currency of the UK is pounds sterling.

Religion: The main religion in the UK is Christianity. However, the UK is a multi-faith society where other

religions are widely welcomed and accepted.

Climate: In general we have warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the

continent, but the winters are milder. The overallclimateinEnglandis called temperate maritime. This

means that it is mild with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 32ºC

in summer.

 

Republic of Ireland Facts & Figures:

Location occupies five-sixths of the island of Ireland

Bordered By Northern Ireland

Total Area27,136 sq mi (70,283 sq km)

Coastline 1,738 mi (2,797 km)

Population (2015 est) 4,892,305

 

Nationality Irish

Largest Cities Dublin, Cork

Religions Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland

Languages English (official), Irish (official)

Capital Dublin

Unit of Currency Euro