TRAVEL > EUROPE > UNITED KINGDOM
The UK, BRITTANIA
United under one kingdom, the countries of Great Britain—England, Scotland, and Wales—and Northern Ireland, maintain unique cultural backgrounds and regions… and over 2000 years of history. In addition to these four “home nations,” the United Kingdom includes the British crown dependency islands: the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and the Channel Islands—Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Sark—in the English Channel (off the coast of France).
The British Isles consists of the entire group of islands, including the whole island of Ireland—Northern Ireland and the politically separate Republic of Ireland (the independent nation)—the Isle of Man, the Scottish archipelagos of the Hebrides and the Northern Isles of Orkney and Shetland, and over six thousand small islands.
Linked by a sophisticated rail system that even reaches the European continent, this relatively small island nation has been far-reaching in its global impact. A lifetime could be spent exploring its vast array of architectural masterpieces—ancient rock formations, medieval castles, bridges, palaces, cathedrals, monuments, and modern structures—across a diverse landscape.
“Home Nations” of the United Kingdom
♦ England
Greater London, Manchester, Yorkshire, Stonehenge, Bath, Cotswolds
♦ Scotland
Edinburgh, Glasgow, ruined abbeys
♦ Wales
Cardiff, Swansea, Celtic culture, coastline, mountains, forests
♦ Northern Ireland
Counties of Ulster, Belfast, Giants Causeway
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