United Kingdom
Europe ยท Capital: London
How it is run: United Kingdom is a member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly. Use the research links below to find out exactly who makes the laws there.
United Kingdom is home to 69.5 million people in Northern Europe, where people speak English.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
69.5 million people
That is 0.9% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
242,900 kmยฒ
Roughly the size of Italy or the state of Arizona.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 286 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
3rd most people in Europe
11th largest by land in Europe.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
English
๐ฐ Money
British pound (ยฃ)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
81.4 years on average
One of the healthier countries โ good hospitals and clean water make a big difference.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$57,602
A high-income country: most families can afford cars, travel and new technology.
๐ข Living in cities
83.3% of people
Mostly a city country โ think buses, trains and apartment blocks.
๐ Kids under 15
17% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+44
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.uk
๐ง People here are called
British
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
United Kingdom
Also written: Great Britain.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Western European and Others Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
United Kingdom touches 1 neighbour by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
Reino Unido
French
Royaume-Uni
Arabic
ุงูู ู ููุฉ ุงูู ุชุญุฏุฉ
Chinese
่ฑๅฝ
Japanese
ใคใฎใชใน
Russian
ะะตะปะธะบะพะฑัะธัะฐะฝะธั
Portuguese
Reino Unido
German
Vereinigtes Kรถnigreich
Put it in perspective ๐
- Russia โ the most populated country in Europe โ has about 2.1ร as many people as United Kingdom.
- United Kingdom covers roughly 2,313 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in United Kingdom lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 34,744 km.
Flags through time ๐
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch United Kingdom change.
Flag of Great Britain
England and Scotland joined their crosses when their parliaments united.
The Union Jack
Ireland's red saltire was layered on top, making the three-cross flag used today.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: United Kingdom is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
๐๏ธ Capital
London
๐ Region
Europe ยท Northern Europe
๐ค Country code
GB
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about United Kingdom ๐
Big Ben and Parliament
Big Ben is really the name of the bell inside the clock tower where the UK Parliament makes its laws. The bell weighs as much as two elephants.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
54.0ยฐ N, 2.0ยฐ W
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Western hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+0 โ when it is noon in London it is about 12:00 in London.
- United Kingdom sits in the temperate zone, the belt where most of the world's farms and big cities are.
- United Kingdom shares its part of the world with Estonia. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- United Kingdom is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- ๐ฌ๐ง is the flag of United Kingdom. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is GB.
- The capital of United Kingdom is London โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- United Kingdom has 1 official language. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- United Kingdom can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If United Kingdom spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of United Kingdom?
London
Which money do people spend in United Kingdom?
British pound (ยฃ)
How many countries share a land border with United Kingdom?
1 โ Ireland.
Roughly how many people live in United Kingdom?
69.5 million people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.