The United Kingdom, also known as Great Britain, is officially called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Located off of the coast of mainland Europe, its closest neighbors are France and Ireland, with Northern Ireland located in the upper half of Ireland. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy, with a monarch as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. The current establishment of the country was finalized in 1927. It spans 243,610 square kilometers.


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General Information
Official Name: 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Ríocht Aontaithe na Breataine Móire agus Thuaisceart Éireann, Unitit Kinrick o Great Breetain an Northren Ireland, Teyrnas Unedig Prydain Fawr a Gogledd Iwerddon
Capitol: 
London
Population: 
64,511,000
Languages: 
English, Cornish, Irish, Ulster-Scots, Scots, Scottish-Gaelic, Welsh
Geographic Region: 
Europe
Northern Europe
Geographic Size (km sq): 
242,900
Year of UN Membership: 
1945
Year of Present State Formation: 
1707
Current UN Representative: 
Mark Lyall Grant
Online Profiles
CIA World Factbook Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
BBC Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
U.S. Department of State Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Law Library of Congress Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Canada Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade County Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Irelan
Australia Department of Foreign Affairs Countries, Economies and Regions: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
National Geographic Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Lonely Planet Country Profile: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Key Statistics & Indicators
Gross Domestic Product (GDP, Nominal): 
$2,827.510 Billion
Per Capita Income (PPP Adjusted): 
$38,711 (CID)
GDP Growth: 
1.80 (%)
Human Development Index (HDI): 
0.89
Gini Index (Income Inequality): 
32.30
Economic Grouping: 
Developed Country
History
BBC Timeline of the United Kingdom, 1914-Present
History of the Monarchy
Encyclopedia Britannica History of the United Kingdom
International Relations
UN Voting Blocs & Caucuses: 
Western European and Others Group (WEOG)
European Community
Major International & Regional Organizations: 
ADB: Asian Development Bank
AfDB: African Development Bank
Arctic Council
Australia Group
BIS: Bank for International Settlements
Commonwealth of Nations (British)
CBSS: Council of the Baltic Sea States
CD: Community of Democracies
CDB: Caribbean Development Bank
CoEu: Council of Europe
CERN: European Organization for Nuclear Research
EAPC: Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
EBRD: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
EIB: European Investment Bank
EITI: Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative
ESA: European Space Agency
EU: European Union
FATF: Financial Action Task Force
G-20
G-5
G-7
G-8
G-10
IADB: Inter-American Development Bank
ICC: International Chamber of Commerce
ICRM: International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
IEA: International Energy Agency
IFRCS: International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
IGAD: Intergovernmental Authority on Development
IHO: International Hydrographic Organization
IMSO: International Mobile Satellite Organization
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization
IOC: International Olympic Committee
IOM: International Organization for Migration
IPU: Inter-Parliamentary Union
ISO: International Organization for Standardization
ITSO: International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
ITUC: International Trade Union Confederation
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NEA: Nuclear Energy Agency
NSG: Nuclear Suppliers Group, aka London Group
OAS: Organization of American States
OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OSCE: Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Pacific Alliance
Paris Club
PCA: Permanent Court of Arbitration
PIF: Pacific Islands Forum
SELEC: Convention of the Southeast European Law Enforcement Center
WCO: World Customs Organization
ZC: Zangger Committee
UN Specialized Agencies & Organizations: 
CD: Conference on Disarmament
CTBTO: Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization
FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN
IAEA: International Atomic Energy Agency
IBRD: International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO: International Civil Aviation Organization
ICSID: International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes
IDA: International Development Association
IFAD: International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC: International Finance Corporation
ILO: International Labor Organization
IMF: International Monetary Fund
IMO: International Maritime Organization
ITU: International Telecommunications Union
MIGA: Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
OPCW: Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
UNESCO: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
UPU: Universal Postal Union
WBG: World Bank Group
WHO: World Health Organization
WIPO: World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO: World Meteorological Organization
WTO: World Trade Organization
Current UN Peacekeeping Missions: 
MINUSMA: Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali
MONUSCO: UN Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
UNFICYP: United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
UNISFA: UN Interim Security Force for Abyei
UNMISS: UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan
Bilateral Relations
Security Council: 
U.S. Department of State Fact Sheets: US-United Kingdom Bilateral Relations
U.K. Gov.UK Worldwide Activities
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development: France-United Kingdom Bilateral Relations
P.R. of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs: China-United Kingdom Bilateral Relations
Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs: News, Statements, Speeches and Documents
Asia (E/S/SE): 
Japan-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
South Korea-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs
India-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Government of India Ministry of External Affairs Briefs
Vietnam-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Viet Nam Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Africa & Middle East: 
Turkey-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Armenia-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia
Egypt-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Foreign Affairs
South Africa-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: South Africa International Relations & Cooperation
European Union: 
EU-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Relations: E.U. External Action, European Union Around the Globe
Germany-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Relations: Federal Foreign Office of Germany
Netherlands-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Relations: Government of the Netherlands International Relations
Finland-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Finland Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Greece-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Hellenic Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Western (Non-EU): 
Canada-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Government of Canada International Gateway, Offices & Embassies
Australia-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Country Briefs
New Zealand-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Switzerland-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Swiss Confederation Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
Monaco-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Principauté de Monaco, Monaco Worldwide
Latin America & Caribbean : 
Cuba-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Cuba MinRex, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba
Brazil-United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Bilateral Relations: Brasil Ministério das Relações Exteriores (in Portuguese)
United Nations Data
WHO: United Kingdom Profile
UNData: United Kingdom
World Bank: United Kingdom
FAO: United Kingdom
News Sources
BBC News Country Media Profile: United Kingdom
The Guardian World News Stories: United Kingdom
New York Times Countries & Regions News: United Kingdom
The Economist Topics Index: United Kingdom
World News Report: United Kingdom
Topix Real Time News and Updates: United Kingdom
ABYZ Newspapers and Media Guide: United Kingdom
Government Sources
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Enacted Legislation in the United Kingdom: 1267-Present
Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom
UN Mission
Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the United Nations
One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza 885 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017
(212) 745-9200
(212) 745-9316
uk@un.int

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