The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, called the United Kingdom, GB or UK, is a sovereign state in Western Europe. It is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. 

It is a member of the European Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth, NATO and the G8. It has the sixth largest economy in the world.

About 63 million people live in the UK. Most people in the UK speak English. There are five native languages other than English. They are Welsh in Wales, Gaelic and Scots in Scotland and Northern Ireland, Irish in Northern Ireland, and Cornish in Cornwall.

Between the 17th and mid 20th-centuries Britain was an important world power. It became a colonial empire that controlled large areas of Africa, Asia, North America and Oceania. Today this empire does not exist, although Britain keeps links with most countries of its former empire.

Some well-known cities in the UK are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, York and Glasgow.

Flag 

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland uses as its national flag the royal banner known as the Union Flag or, popularly, Union Jack. The design today of the Union Flag comes from the union of Ireland and Great Britain in 1801. It has the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England), edged in white, on top of the Cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland), which are on the Saltire of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland).

Every country in the UK has its own flag:

Country	Flag
England
Scotland
Wales
Northern Ireland

Each coutry also has its national emblem:

Country	Emblem
England	(rose)
Scotland	(thistle)
Wales	(daffodil)
Northern Ireland	(shamrock)

The form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as of fifteen other independent  Commonwealth countries. The monarch has "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn". (Источник информации )