The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , simply known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , [k] [16] is a country in Northwestern Europe , off the north-western coast of the continental mainland . [17] It comprises England , Scotland , Wales , and Northern Ireland . [l] [18] It includes the island of Great Britain , the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland , and most of the smaller islands within the British Isles . [19] Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of
The United Kingdom has evolved from a series of annexations, unions and separations of constituent countries over several hundred years. The Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of England (which also included Wales ) and the Kingdom of Scotland in 1707 resulted in their unification to become the Kingdom of Great Britain . Its union in 1801 with the Kingdom of Ireland created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland . Most of Ireland seceded from the UK in 1922, leaving the present United Kingdom of G
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