Study, Work or Volunteer in United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, universally known as the United Kingdom, or the UK or Britain, is a sovereign state on the northwestern coastline of Continental Europe and consists of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is a developed country and the world’s first industrialized country. The UK has the 6th biggest economy in the world with an estimated GDP of $2.23 trillion in 2007. It holds a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, a Member State of the European Union, member of the G8, OECD, WTO, and Commonwealth of Nations.

The 3 most historic events that formed what is now UK are the Acts of Union 1707 (merging of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland), Act of Union 1800 (merging of Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland), and Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 (separation of southern Ireland to become Republic of Ireland thus United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). The United Kingdom takes the form of a constitutional monarchy in which the Monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) acts as head of state and the Prime Minister (Gordon Brown) acts as head of government. The UK Parliament is made up of the House of Commons (Lower House) and House of Lords (Upper House).

English remains the predominant language with 4 other Celtic languages – Welsh, Irish, Gaelic, and Cornish. Christianity is the main religion followed by Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Judaism. In most international competitions, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are represented by separate teams. Major and favorite sports in UK include association football, rugby football, cricket, tennis, and gulf which all originated in UK. The English poet and playwright William Shakespeare is regarded by the world as the greatest dramatist of all time.