The United Kingdom is a large island located in Europe. It also includes part of the island of Ireland. It is made up of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Over 60 million people live in the United Kingdom. The vast majority of the population, however, lives in England. The government of the United Kingdom is considered a constitutional monarchy. A constitutional monarchy is a government in which the monarch (king or queen) is head of state. Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch of the United Kingdom. In reality, however, she exercises very little political power.