Lion (all of Britain); lion, Tudor rose, oak (England); lion, unicorn, thistle (Scotland); dragon, daffodil, leek (Wales); shamrock, flax (Northern Ireland).
| Title | |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music |
| Date of Independence | no official date of independence: 927 (minor English kingdoms unite); 3 March 1284 (enactment of the Statute of Rhuddlan uniting England and Wales); 1536 (Act of Union incorporates England and Wales); 1 May 1707 (Acts of Union unite England, Scotland, and Wales as Great Britain); 1 January 1801 (Acts of Union unite Great Britain and Ireland as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland); 6 December 1921 (Anglo-Irish Treaty formalizes partition of Ireland; six counties become Northern Ireland and remain part of the UK); 12 April 1927 (Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act establishes current name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | the UK does not celebrate one particular national holiday |
| Legal system | common law system; has nonbinding judicial review of Acts of Parliament under the Human Rights Act of 1998 |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Uncoded; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
| Amendment process | Proposed as a bill for an Act of Parliament by the government, by the House of Commons, or by the House of Lords; passage requires agreement by both houses and by the monarch (Royal Assent) |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of the United Kingdom |
| Dual citizenship recognized | yes |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | King CHARLES III (since 8 September 2022) |
| Head of government | Prime Minister Keir STARMER (since 5 July 2024) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the prime minister |
| Election/appointment process | the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually becomes the prime minister |
| Legislative branch | |
| Legislature name | UK Parliament |
| Legislative structure | Bicameral |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Supreme Court (consists of 12 justices, including the court president and deputy president) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Judge candidates selected by an independent committee of several judicial commissions, then recommended to the prime minister, and appointed by the monarch; justices serve for life |
| Subordinate courts | England and Wales: Court of Appeal (civil and criminal divisions); High Court; Crown Court; County Courts; Magistrates' Courts; Scotland: Court of Sessions; Sheriff Courts; High Court of Justiciary; tribunals; Northern Ireland: Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland; High Court; county courts; magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d'Affaires James ROSCOE (since 11 September 2025) |
| Chancery | 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 588-6500 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 588-7870 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://www.gov.uk/world/organisations/british-embassy-washington |
| Consulate(s) general | Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Warren A. STEPHENS (since 21 May 2025) |
| Embassy | 33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US |
| Mailing address | 8400 London Place, Washington DC 20521-8400 |
| Telephone | [44] (0) 20-7499-9000 |
| FAX | [44] (0) 20-7891-3845 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://uk.usembassy.gov/ |
| Consulate(s) general | Belfast, Edinburgh |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 33 (28 cultural, 4 natural, 1 mixed); note - includes one site in Bermuda |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (n); Ironbridge Gorge (c); Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites (c); Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (c); Blenheim Palace (c); City of Bath (c); Tower of London (c); St Kilda (m); Maritime Greenwich (c); Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (c); Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (c); The English Lake District (c) |
Want to know more about United Kingdom? Check all different factbooks for United Kingdom below.
United Kingdom Factbook
The Economy of United Kingdom
Learn about the Government of United Kingdom
Communication in United Kingdom
Popular Universities in United Kingdom
Enerny in United Kingdom
Transport in United Kingdom
The Geography and society of United Kingdom
The Environment of United Kingdom
Military and security in United Kingdom