63 Fun Facts About The United Kingdom You Must Know

The United Kingdom and Great Britain are actually two different things; Great Britain does not include Northern Ireland, whereas the U.K. does.

Between 1066-1362, the official language of the United Kingdom was French. Also, William Shakespeare contributed about 3,000 terms to the English language.

Britain or the United Kingdom is a country in North-West Europe located off the north-west coast of the mainland of Europe. The northeast region of Ireland, Great Britain Island, and other small Islands in the British Isles are all a part of the United Kingdom. Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland shares a land border.

The Atlantic Ocean surrounds this country, with the Celtic Sea on the southwest, the English Channel on the south, and the North Sea on the east. This gives the United Kingdom the world's 12th-longest coastline.

The Irish Sea is between Ireland and Great Britain. London is the largest capital city of the U.K and is also the financial center with a 14 million metropolitan area population. The population in the United Kingdom as of 2020 was 68 million, occupying 93,628 sq. mi (242,500 sq. km) of the total area.

The U. K. exercises constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. Queen Elizabeth II, the monarch, has been reigning since 1952. The Prime Minister of the U. K. runs the country.

History Of The United Kingdom

The settlement of humans in the United Kingdom started around 30,000 years ago. By the late prehistoric period, the population was taught to be a part of Insular Celtic culture, expanding to Gaelic Ireland and Brittonic Britain. Britain had 30 indigenous communities before the Roman conquest. The Iceni, the Silures, the Brigantes, and the Belgae.

• In 43 AD, the Roman conquest of Britain took place, then the rule of southern Britain for the next 400 years, and later Germanic Anglo-Saxon invasion. After 1066, when William the Conqueror became the new ruler at Westminster Abbey, he began the monarchy tradition. The history of the United Kingdom saw a change after the Normans arrived. King William, I took over, establishing communities around castles and building stone castles.
• The history of England shows the British Empire's expansions to Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. This expansion made the U. K. the greatest empire by the 19th-century and had over a third of the world's population.
• Several Scottish castles that are famous tourist spots today were built to protect the citizens from the intrusive British forces. Scotland's history is made of gory battles and strong independence.
• British soldiers in World War II were told that their vision would get better in the dark if they ate carrots. Obviously, this was done to distract them from the improved radar system.
• King James II or VI of England was the last of catholic monarchs of Ireland, Scotland, and England.
• The monarch in the United Kingdom is technically treated as the head of the state with full executive powers.
• Under the prime minister's guide, the House of Parliament and House of Lords actually run the government.
• The role of a Prime Minister became prominent in history when George I arrived in England. He couldn't communicate in English, so he appointed a Prime Minister.
• George II was also born in Germany. He was the last of the British Monarchs to lead his forces personally into battle.
• After King Willaim IV died in 1837, the throne was passed on to Victoria, who was only 18 years old.
• Queen Victoria did not rule the Kingdom of Hanover, as it forbade women rulers as per Salic Law.
• Two Prime Ministers, Willaim Ewart Gladstone, and Benjamin Disraeli, influenced Queen Victoria's rule in the later years.
• Queen Victoria ruled for 64 years and had the longest reign of any previous British monarch until Queen Elizabeth II.
• Queen Victoria ruled over a quarter of the world's population, with 40% of the globe under her reign.

Culture Of The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has four countries; Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England. These combined nations influence British culture. Interactions with European cultures, the impact of the British Empire, historical religious Christian life, and traditions of Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland, and England have influenced the British culture.

British literature is acclaimed, Britain invented today's novels, and even authors, poets, and playwrights are an important part of their culture. They have also contributed towards television, architecture, art, cinema, and music.

• The third-largest Christian communion, Anglican Communion, is located in the U.K., and it also hosts the Church of England. United Kingdom's Industrial Revolution had an intense impact on the world's family cultural and socio-economic conditions.
• Sport is also a vital part of British culture, with several sports originating in this country like football.
• The United Kingdom has been called a cultural superpower, with London being called a world cultural capital.
• Some of the oldest universities in the world are located in Britain, contributing to medicine, technology, science, and philosophy.
• The English language was the first language spoken in medieval England. It is also the United Kingdom's official language, and 95% of the population speak English.
• Rudyard Kipling depicts the influence of the British Empire on British literature. He wrote 'The Man Who Would be King' and 'The Jungle Book,' both the books are set in British India.
• Scotland is the origin of Golf (1457), and today it is the national sport. It got so famous among the Scottish people that King James II banned the game as it interrupted the practice of his army.
• Among many occupants of the London Tower, six black ravens are most popular. King Charles II also made a decree, which states that the kingdom would fall if even one of the birds flew away.
• There are stories about the Loch Ness Monster, a famous monster that inhabits Lake Ness (or Loch Ness) in Scotland.
• Royal weddings are declared as a national holiday. For example, when Catherine Middleton and Prince William got married, it was a national holiday.
• The first British newspaper called Corante was printed in 1621.
• After World War I, war writers and poets like Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen became famous for writing about their experience in the trenches.
• A popular food in the country is sausages. There are also around 470 recipes for sausages.

Unification Facts About The United Kingdom

In the early 18th century, United Kingdom's history started with Acts of Union and Treaty of Union. In 1707, after the political unification of the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England saw a unified state of the United Kingdom known as Great Britain. Later, the Kingdom of Ireland was added through the Act of Union in 1800, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The first British Empire grew after the victory in the Seven Year's War in 1763. The three Acts of Union were responsible for unifying states into one United Kingdom. England and Wales were already unified in 1536 through the Act of Union under the rule of Henry VIII, the English King.

• In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I died with no heir to the throne. The responsibility fell into the hands of James VI, who was already the King of Scotland, and he took the throne of England as James I, uniting two crowns.
• For most of the 17th century, the unification of these two kingdoms was unsuccessful. England wanted protection against the possibility of French attacks through launching grounds of Scotland, and Scotland was looking for economic help. So, both kingdoms accepted the unification.
• Great Britain is located in the east of Ireland and the north-west of France.
• Great Britain consists of Scotland, Wales, and England, which are all autonomous regions.
• The flag of the United Kingdom is called Union Jack or Union Flag. This flag combines the Ireland flag, Scottish flag, and English flag.
• On January 1, 1801, the Act of Union that combined Great Britain and Oreland came into effect.
• Every region of the four administrations of the United Kingdom has a different level of autonomy.
• As per legend, the white cross on top of the blue background on the Scottish flag depicts the clouds that formed when Scotland fought a Germanic tribe called Angles.
• The U.K's administrative area of Ireland is called Northern Ireland, which is one-sixth of the northern side of the island.
• The Republic of Ireland forms the five-sixths of the remaining island, which is an independent country.
• It might not be obvious, but Great Britain is an island, England is part of the four administrative regions of the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom is the country.
• Although most of the British population claims to follow Christianity, there is no official religion.
• The United Kingdom does not have a written constitution and a national day.

Fun Facts About The United Kingdom

United Kingdom's total area is 94,530 sq. mi (244,820 sq. km). The four capital cities of the four countries within the United Kingdom are London (England), Edinburgh (Scotland), Cardiff (Wales), and Belfast (Northern Ireland). More major cities include Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, and Birmingham.

The heart of the United Kingdom was made of dense forest around 5,000 years ago. Ancient farmers cleared these woodlands almost thousands of years back. Currently, around 10% of this forest exists. Mountain ridges separated by deep valleys cover most of the western and northern United Kingdom.

• An 11,073 mi (17,820 km) long coastline of Great Britain connects it to the European mainland through the Channel Tunnel, the world's longest underwater tunnel.
• The United Kingdom was the first to create a postage stamp. Queen Victoria was portrayed in its design in 1840.
• The nursery rhyme, 'London Bridge is falling down' dates back to more than 1,000 years. It is believed to have originated from the incident when the Saxons ruined this bridge with ropes and boats to tear the bridge down.
• British Royal Family resides in Windsor Castle. It is also the oldest of royal residences.
• Since British passports are issued in the name of Queen Elizabeth II, she does not need a British passport to travel.
• There are more Indian restaurants in London compared to Indian cities like Delhi or Mumbai.
• You might recognize the famous red buses, but did you know that the transportation system in London is one of the largest and oldest in the world.
• In the United Kingdom, the first speeding ticket of the world was issued. A person was caught exceeding the speed limit in 1896.
• The world's second-largest library is the British Library. It houses more than 150 million items.
• Several governments around the world imitate the structure of the United Kingdom government.
• During ancient times, any random citizen was not allowed to die in any of the state-run facilities. Although some believe that this rule also applies to England's parliament, it is not correct.
• A small village at the England and Wales border called East Sussex was independent in 1977 from the U.K.
• You will only find a few trash cans around London city.