View source for Countries of the United Kingdom

[[Image:United Kingdom labelled map7.png|thumb|227px|<center>'''Map of the [[United Kingdom]]]]'''</center>

'''Countries of the United Kingdom''' is a term used to describe [[England]], [[Northern Ireland]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. These four [[country|countries]] together form the [[United Kingdom|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]] which is a [[sovereign state]].<ref>[http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/devolution/guidance/glossary_of_devolution_terms.aspx UK Cabinet Office: Devolution Glossary] (Accessed 7 September 2010): "United Kingdom: Term used most frequently for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the modern sovereign state comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."</ref> The alternative terms [[Constituent Countries]] and '''Home Nations''' are also used, the latter mainly for sporting purposes.<ref name="Countries">{{Cite web|url=http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page823 |title=Countries within a country |publisher=10 Downing Street |accessdate=2009-01-04}}</ref><ref name="sovstate">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/states.htm |title=List of all Sovereign Nations and their Capital Cities|publisher=www.nationsonline.org}}</ref> While "countries" is the commonly used descriptive term,<ref name="IsScotland?">{{Cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/faq/category2.htm| publisher=scottish.parliament.uk|author=[[Scottish Parliament]]|accessdate=2008-08-01|title=Your Scotland questions; Is Scotland a country?|quote=As the UK has no written constitution in the usual sense, constitutional terminology is fraught with difficulties of interpretation and it is common usage nowadays to describe the four constituent parts of the UK (Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland) as “countries”.}}</ref> owing to the absence of a formal [[Constitution of the United Kingdom|British constitution]] and the long and complex [[history of the formation of the United Kingdom]], the countries of the UK have no official appellation. As a consequence, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not formal [[subdivisions of the United Kingdom]]<ref name="UN">{{Cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-48-Add1.pdf|title=Ninth United Nations Conference on the standardization of Geographical Names|month=August | year=2007|author=[[United Nations Economic and Social Council]]|publisher=unstats.un.org|accessdate=2008-10-21|format=PDF|quote=There is [...] no common stratum of administrative unit encompassing the United Kingdom at this very high level, and England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should not be considered first-order administrative divisions in the conventional sense.}}</ref> and various terms are used to describe them.

As a sovereign state, the United Kingdom is the entity which is used in [[intergovernmental organisation]]s, and as the representative [[member state]] within the [[European Union]] and [[United Nations]], as well as under international law; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are not themselves listed on the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO) [[Countries in International Organization for Standardization|list of countries]].  However, England, Scotland and Wales have separate [[Sport governing body|national governing bodies for many sports]], meaning that they can compete individually in international sporting competitions; in sporting contexts, England, Northern Ireland (or all of Ireland),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://press.bbcamerica.com/press-release.jsp?id=2878 |title=BBC America to Broadcast Live Six Nations Rugby Championship |author= |date=January 21, 2010 |publisher=BBC America |accessdate=29 March 2010}}</ref> Scotland and Wales are referred to as the [[Home Nations]].

The [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] and [[government of the United Kingdom]] deal with all [[reserved matters]] for Northern Ireland and Scotland and all non-transferred matters for Wales, but not in general on matters that have been [[Devolution|devolved]] to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]], [[Scottish Parliament]] and [[Welsh Assembly]]. England remains the full responsibility of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which is centralised in [[London]].

The [[Channel Islands]] and the [[Isle of Man]] are [[Crown dependencies|dependencies]] of the United Kingdom but not part of the UK or of the European Union. Collectively, the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are known in UK law as the ''[[British Islands]]''. The [[Republic of Ireland]] is a sovereign state formed from the portion of Ireland that seceded from the United Kingdom in 1922. Although part of the geographical [[British Isles]],<ref>{{harvnb|Gallagher|2006|p=7}}.</ref> it is no longer a part of the UK.

==History==
{{See|History of the formation of the United Kingdom}}

==Specifications==
{| class="wikitable sortable" align=center
! <br>Name<br>
! class="unsortable" | Flag
! Area<br>(km²)<br>
! Population<br>(2001 census)<br>
! <br>Capital<br>
! Devolved<br>legislature<br>
! Legal<br>system<br>
|-
| [[England]]
| [[Image:Flag of England.svg|border|48px]]
|align=right| 130,395
|align=right| 51.4 million
| [[London]]
|align=center| [[Government of England|No]]
|align=center| [[English law]]
|-
| [[Scotland]]
| [[Image:Flag of Scotland.svg|border|48px]]
|align=right| 78,772
|align=right| &nbsp;5.1 million
| [[Edinburgh]]
|align=center| [[Scottish Parliament|Yes]]
|align=center| [[Scots law]]
|-
| [[Wales]]
| [[Image:Flag of Wales 2.svg|border|48px]]
|align=right| 20,779
|align=right| &nbsp;3.0 million
| [[Cardiff]]
|align=center| [[National Assembly for Wales|Yes]]
|align=center| [[English law|English law with some devolved powers]]
|-
| [[Northern Ireland|Northern<br>Ireland]]
| [[Flag of Northern Ireland|None<br />currently]]
|align=right| 13,843
|align=right| &nbsp;1.7 million
| [[Belfast]]
|align=center| [[Northern Ireland Assembly|Yes]]
|align=center| [[Northern Ireland law]]
|-
| '''[[United Kingdom]]'''
| [[Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|border|48px]]
|align=right| &nbsp;'''243,789'''
|align=right| &nbsp;'''62.0 million'''
| '''[[London]]'''
||
||
|-
|}

==Terminology==
{{further|[[Terminology of the British Isles]]}}
Various terms have been used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}

===Acts of Union===
{{UKFormation}}
* The [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542]] annexed the legal system of Wales to England<ref name=LWA1535I>Laws in Wales Act 1535, Clause I</ref> to create the single entity commonly known for centuries simply as England but recently officially renamed [[England and Wales]].  Wales was described as the "Country, Principality and Dominion", "Dominion of Wales"<ref name=LWA1535I/> or the "Dominion, Principality and Country" or "Dominion and Principality" of Wales.<ref name=LWA1542>Laws in Wales Act 1542</ref> Outside of Wales, England was not given a specific name or term.
* The [[Acts of Union 1707]] refer to both England and Scotland as a "Part of the united Kingdom"<ref>''e.g.'' "... to be raised in that Part of the united Kingdom now called ''England''", "...that Part of the united Kingdom now called ''Scotland'', shall be charged by the same Act..." Article IX</ref>
* The [[Acts of Union 1800]] use "Part" in the same way.  They also use "Country" to describe Great Britain and Ireland respectively, when describing trade between them<ref>''e.g.'' "That, from the first Day of January one thousand eight hundred and one, all Prohibitions and Bounties on the Export of Articles, the Growth, Produce, or Manufacture of either Country, to the other, shall cease and determine; and that the said Articles shall thenceforth be exported from one Country to the other, without Duty or Bounty on such Export"; Union with Ireland Act 1800, Article Sixth.</ref>
* The [[Government of Ireland Act 1920]] does not use any term or description to classify Northern Ireland nor indeed Great Britain.

=====Current legal terminology=====
The [[Interpretation Act 1978]] provides some definitions for terms relating the countries of the United Kingdom. Use of these terms in other legislation is interpreted following the definitions in the 1978 Act. The definitions are listed below

*"England" means, subject to any alteration of boundaries under Part IV of the [[Local Government Act 1972]], the area consisting of the counties established by section 1 of that Act, Greater London and the [[Isles of Scilly]]." This definition applies from 1 April 1974.

*"United Kingdom" means "Great Britain and Northern Ireland." This definition applies from 12 April 1927.

*"Wales" means the combined area of 13 [[Historic counties of Wales|historic counties]],{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} including [[Monmouthshire (historic)|Monmouthshire]], [[Local_Government_Act_1972#Wales_2|re-formulated]] into 8 new counties under section 20 of the Local Government Act 1972, as originally enacted, but subject to any alteration made under section 73 of that Act (consequential alteration of boundary following alteration of watercourse). In 1996 these 8 [[Preserved counties of Wales|new counties]] were redistributed into the current [[Wales#Local_government|22 unitary authorities]].

*In the [[Scotland Act 1998]] there is no delineation of Scotland, with the definition in section 126 simply providing that Scotland includes "so much of the internal waters and territorial sea of the United Kingdom as are adjacent to Scotland".{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

==Identity and nationality==

{{See| Demography of the United Kingdom}}

The United Kingdom is generally considered to be a close union by its inhabitants, with shared values, language, currency and culture, and with people moving and working freely throughout.<ref>
{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.ippr.org/articles/?id=3049
 | title = The English question
 | work =
 | publisher = by Michael Kenny and Richard Hayton, The Institute for Public Policy Research
 | accessdate =
}}</ref>

According to the [[British Social Attitudes Survey]], there are broadly two interpretations of British identity, with ethnic and civic dimensions:

{{quote|The first group, which we term the ethnic dimension, contained the items about birthplace, ancestry, living in Britain, and sharing British customs and traditions. The second, or civic group, contained the items about feeling British, respecting laws and institutions, speaking English, and having British citizenship.<ref>{{harvnb|Park|2005|p=153}}.</ref>}}
[[File:OhuruoguBeijing.jpg|thumb|left|[[Christine Ohuruogu]] is a professional [[Sprint (race)|sprinter]] of [[Nigeria]]n descent,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/diet_and_fitness/article5483696.ece |title=Christine Ohuruogu: Holidays are for wimps |first=Mat |last=Snow |publisher=timesonline.co.uk|quote="Her parents came to England from Nigeria in 1980 and the family name means “fighter” in their native Igbo tongue." |accessdate=2009-01-25 | location=London | date=2009-01-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/02/olympicgames2008.olympicsathletics |title=Mirth and melancholy of a dreamer named Ohuruogu |first=Donald |last=McRae |publisher=guardian.co.uk|date=2008-08-02|accessdate=2009-01-25 | location=London}}</ref> who in 2008 won a gold medal for [[Great Britain at the Olympics]]. [[Black people]] have settled in Britain in large numbers since the [[Victorian era]], with many adopting a [[Black British]] identity.]]

Of the two perspectives of British identity, the civic definition has become the dominant idea and in this capacity, [[Britishness]] is sometimes considered an institutional or overarching [[Sovereign state|state]] identity.<ref>{{Cite journal|first=Rebecca|last=Langlands|year=1999|title=Britishness or Englishness? The Historical Problem of National Identity in Britain|journal=Nations and Nationalism|volume=5|pages=53–69|doi=10.1111/j.1354-5078.1999.00053.x|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Believing in Britain: The Spiritual Identity of 'Britishness'|first=Ian C.|last=Bradley|publisher=I.B.Tauris|year=2007|isbn=9781845113261|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> This has been used to explain why first-, second- and third-generation immigrants are more likely to describe themselves as British, rather than English, Scottish or Welsh, because it is an "institutional, inclusive" identity, that can be acquired through [[naturalisation]] and [[British nationality law]]; the vast majority of people in the United Kingdom who are from an ethnic minority feel British.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/ethnic-minorities-feel-strong-sense-of-identity-with-britain-report-reveals-578503.html|publisher=independent.co.uk|work=[[The Independent]]|title=Ethnic minorities feel strong sense of identity with Britain, report reveals|first=Maxine|last=Frith|accessdate=2009-07-07|date=2004-01-08 | location=London|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> However, this attitude is more common in England than in Scotland or Wales; "white English people perceived themselves as English first and as British second, and most people from ethnic minority backgrounds perceived themselves as British, but none identified as English, a label they associated exclusively with white people". Contrawise, in Scotland and Wales, all people identified more strongly with Scotland and Wales than with Britain.<ref>{{harvnb|Commission for Racial Equality|2005|p=35}}.</ref>

Studies and surveys have reported that the majority of the Scots and Welsh see themselves as both Scottish/Welsh and British though with some differences in emphasis. The [[Commission for Racial Equality]] found that with respect to notions of [[nationality]] in Britain, "the most basic, objective and uncontroversial conception of the British people is one that includes the English, the Scots and the Welsh".<ref name="CRE22"/> However, "English participants tended to think of themselves as indistinguishably English or British, while both Scottish and Welsh participants identified themselves much more readily as Scottish or Welsh than as British".<ref name="CRE22"/> Some persons opted "to combine both identities" as "they felt Scottish or Welsh, but held a [[British passport]] and were therefore British", whereas others saw themselves as exclusively Scottish or exclusively Welsh and "felt quite divorced from the British, whom they saw as the English".<ref name="CRE22">{{harvnb|Commission for Racial Equality|2005|p=22}}.</ref> Commentators have described this latter phenomenon as "[[nationalism]]", a rejection of British identity because some Scots and Welsh interpret it as "cultural imperialism imposed" upon the United Kingdom by "English ruling elites",<ref name="Ward2-3">{{Harvnb|Ward|2004|pp=2–3}}.</ref> or else a response to a historical misappropriation of equating the word "English" with "British",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://assets.cambridge.org/97805217/71887/sample/9780521771887ws.pdf|format=PDF|title=The Making of English National Identity|publisher=assets.cambridge.org|first=Krishan|last=Kumar|year=2003|accessdate=2009-06-05|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> which has "brought about a desire among Scots, Welsh and Irish to learn more about their heritage and distinguish themselves from the broader British identity".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/255337.stm|publisher=news.bbc.co.uk|work=[[BBC News]]|date=1999-01-14|accessdate=2009-06-05|title=The English: Europe's lost tribe|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}</ref> The propensity for nationalistic feeling varies greatly across the UK, and can rise and fall over time.<ref>
{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.devolution.ac.uk/Final%20Conf/Devolution%20public%20attitudes.pdf
 | title = Devolution, Public Attitudes and National Identity
 | work =
 | publisher = www.devolution.ac.uk
 | accessdate =
}}
{{cite news
 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2000/nov/28/education.britishidentity
 | title = The rise of the Little Englanders
 | work =
 | publisher = The Guardian, John Carvel, social affairs editor
 | accessdate =30 April 2010
| location=London
| date=28 November 2000
}}
</ref> Following [[Devolution#United_Kingdom|devolution]] and the significant broadening of autonomous governance throughout the UK in the late 1990s, debate has taken place across the United Kingdom on the relative value of full [[independence]].<ref>
{{Cite web
 | url = http://www.devolution.ac.uk/Britishness_conf.htm
 | title = Devolution and Britishness
 | work = Devolution and Constitutional Change
 | publisher = UK's Economic and Social Research Council
 | accessdate =
}}
</ref>

==Sports==
{{See also|Home Nations}}

England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each have a [[List_of_men's_national_association_football_teams#UEFA_.28Europe.29|national football team]], and compete as separate national teams at the various disciplines in the [[Commonwealth Games]].<ref name="worldpeoples">{{cite|title=World and Its Peoples|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Corporation|location=Terrytown (NY)|year=2010|quote=In most sports, except soccer, Northern Ireland participates with the [[Republic of Ireland]] in a combined All-Ireland team.|page=111}}</ref> At the [[Olympic Games]], all the countries of the UK are represented by the [[Great Britain at the Olympics|Great Britain and Northern Ireland]] team, although athletes from Northern Ireland can choose to join the [[Ireland at the Olympics|Republic of Ireland's Olympic team]].<ref name="worldpeoples">{{cite|title=World and Its Peoples|publisher=Marshall Cavendish Corporation|location=Terrytown (NY)|year=2010|quote=In most sports, except soccer, Northern Ireland participates with he Republic of Ireland in a combined All-Ireland team.|page=111}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/olympics_2012/3433557.stm |title=Irish and GB in Olympic Row |date=27 January 2004|publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=29 March 2010}}</ref> In most sports, except [[association football]], Northern Ireland participates with the Republic of Ireland in a combined [[All-Ireland]] team, for example [[Ireland rugby union team|rugby union]], [[Ireland cricket team|cricket]] and the [[tennis]] [[Davis cup]] team.

==See also==
*[[Constituent countries]]
*[[Terminology of the British Isles]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite book|title=The United Kingdom Today|last=Gallagher|first=Michael|isbn=9780749664886|publisher=Franklin Watts|location=London|year=2006|ref=harv|postscript=<!--None-->}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Countries Of The United Kingdom}}
[[Category:United Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:Geography of the United Kingdom]]
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