What is the UK?

The definitions that matter

Great Britain means England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom means Great Britain plus Northern Ireland — the full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The British Islands, loosely used, also take in the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, which are Crown dependencies: linked to the Crown but not part of the UK, with their own governments and their own laws.

The Republic of Ireland is an independent sovereign state and is not part of the UK. That distinction is tested.

The four nations and their capitals

The Union Flag

The Union Flag, often called the Union Jack, combines three crosses: the red cross of St George for England on a white ground, the diagonal white cross of St Andrew for Scotland on blue, and the diagonal red cross of St Patrick for Ireland. Wales is not represented — the Welsh dragon does not appear on it. This is one of the most frequently asked details in the whole chapter.

Geography to know

• Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands is the UK's highest mountain, about 1,345 metres. Snowdon is the highest in Wales, Scafell Pike in England.
• The River Severn is the UK's longest river; the Thames is the longest entirely in England.
• Major cities to place on a map include London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Swansea and Belfast.
• The UK's currency is the pound sterling (£), divided into 100 pence. Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland issue their own banknotes, which are valid across the UK.

Languages

English is spoken throughout, with regional variation. Welsh is an official language in Wales and is taught in schools there. Gaelic is spoken in parts of Scotland and Irish in parts of Northern Ireland.

How this chapter is tested

Almost entirely through matching: nation to capital, nation to saint, saint to date, flag to crosses, superlative to place. Build the table above from memory twice and you have covered it.