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Geography and essential facts

United Kingdom territories, London and essential facts for planning

Before choosing destinations, get clear on which territories make up the United Kingdom and note its capital, language and currency.

Contemporary view of London beside the Thames
Photo by AXP Photography Source: Pexels Licence: Pexels License
The United Kingdom encompasses territories on the island of Great Britain, in northeastern Ireland and on other islands. Understanding this geography, along with the capital, language and currency, is a useful starting point for planning.
01

Which territories the name covers

The official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the northeastern part of the island of Ireland and other smaller islands. Great Britain and the United Kingdom are not interchangeable names: the former is an island; the latter is a state that also includes Northern Ireland.

Contemporary view of London beside the Thames
Photo by AXP Photography Source: Pexels Licence: Pexels License
02

A geographical reference point

The United Kingdom is in northwestern Europe, off the coast of continental Europe. The North Sea lies to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the southwest; the Irish Sea separates Great Britain and Ireland. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland. This layout helps place the country geographically, but does not by itself determine routes or travel times.

03

Capital, language and currency

The capital is London, the recorded language is English and the currency is the pound sterling (£). These are useful starting points when researching your trip; before travelling, check current sources for any practical details that depend on your itinerary or circumstances.

04

A first planning decision

It makes sense to start with the areas you want to visit, then check how they connect: the information here locates the territory, but does not provide transport guidance, prices or entry conditions. Check those details separately before finalising your bookings.

05

Reference sources

Country and geographical data: World Countries — mledoze, GBR record; Wikidata, Q145; DBpedia, United_Kingdom. The sources consulted are limited to these basic facts and do not support information on schedules, prices, entry requirements or transport recommendations.

Sources and references View referencesHide references 9 references

References consulted during editorial review. Times, requirements and advisories may change: always confirm with the official source.

  1. Reino Unido
    Wikidata wikidata.org
    Licence: CC0 1.0 Wikidata · Q145
  2. United Kingdom
    World Countries — mledoze github.com
    Licence: ODbL 1.0 World countries dataset by mledoze and contributors · ODbL 1.0
  3. United Kingdom
    World Bank Open Data data.worldbank.org
    Licence: CC BY 4.0 World Bank
  4. United Kingdom
    DBpedia dbpedia.org
    Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 DBpedia
  5. Aproximación a la historia del turismo en el Reino Unido, siglos XVIII-XX
    Crossref doi.org
  6. Ensino superior em turismo: experiência do Reino Unido
    Crossref doi.org
  7. Cultura e pandemia no Reino Unido
    Crossref doi.org
  8. London
    GeoNames geonames.org
  9. London Luton Airport
    OpenFlights openflights.org
    Licence: ODbL 1.0 (base de datos) / DbCL 1.0 (contenidos) London Luton Airport · OpenFlights · ODbL 1.0