GEOGRAPHY

Geography
The United Kingdom, consisting of Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland ) andNorthern Ireland , is twice the size of New York State. England, in the southeast part of the British Isles, is separated from Scotland on the north by the granite Cheviot Hills; from them the Pennine chain of uplands extends south through the center of England, reaching its highest point in the Lake District in the northwest. To the west along the border of Wales—a land of steep hills and valleys—are the Cambrian Mountains, while the Cotswolds, a range of hills in Gloucestershire, extend into the surrounding shires. Important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable, as are the Mersey and Ribble. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK, is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain(England, Scotland and Wales) and the northeastern one-sixth of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland), together with many smaller islands. The mainland areas lie between latitudes 49°N and 59°N (the Shetland Islands reach to nearly 61°N), and longitudes 8°W to 2°E. The Royal Greenwich Observatory, in South East London, is the defining point of the Prime Meridian. The UK lies between the North Atlantic and theNorth Sea, and comes within 35 km (22 mi) of the northwest coast of France, from which it is separated by the English Channel. Northern Ireland shares a 360 km international land boundary with the Republic of Ireland. The Channel Tunnel("Chunnel") bored beneath the English Channel, now links the UK with France.

HISTORYOn May 1, 1707, the Kingdom of England (including Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland merged as a political union known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain. This is the result of agreed terms, signed by parliaments of England and Scotland, under the Treaty of Union. Queen Anne is the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.The Act of Union 1800 merged the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland On January 1, 1801. This is the result of several centuries of historic events including the invasions of ruling Normans in Ireland, the Irish Rebellion of 1641, and War of American Independence. The union eliminated the separate Parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland creating an integrated Parliament of the United Kingdom. Ireland sent roughly 100 MPs to the House of Commons and 28 peers to the House of Lords.During the 19th and early 20th century, the rise of Irish Nationalism emerged particularly in the Catholic population. Movement for the cancellation of the Act of Union is known as “Home Rule” and many campaigns have failed including the one in 1912 that passed the House of Commons but was voted out in the House of Lords. In 1916, an one-sidedly declared “Irish Republic” was announced in Dublinand resulted to the Anglo-Irish War that lasts until 1921. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 formed the Irish Free State and left the British Commonwealth without constitutional ties with UK and 6 northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom. The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.