Northern Europe United Kingdom
British business culture
The acronym UK is the abbreviated form of “United Kingdom” or officially the “United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. The UK is made up of four countries: England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and is a member of the European Union (EU). The term UK
is often confused with “Britain” or “Great Britain”, which actually refer to England, Scotland and
Wales without Northern Ireland. To add to the confusion, citizens of the UK are called British.
The UK is located in the north-western part of Europe and covers an area of
243,610km2
(94,060 mi
2
). The home nations (England, Wales and Scotland) and the north-eastern
part of Ireland (Northern Ireland) are based on the two large islands of Great Britain. The only
land border that the UK shares with Europe is in Ireland, where Northern Ireland shares a border
with the Republic of Ireland also known as Eire. The UK is surrounded by water, the English
Channels to the south, the Irish Sea to the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the northwest and the North
Sea to the East. London is the capitalof the UK, and is also the country’s largest city, in terms of
population, and one of the most influential centres in world politics, finance and culture.
The 2011 UK census estimated the population of the UK to be over 63 million people.
There are two official languages in the UK, English and Welsh. However, over 90% of the
population speak English and for the most part Welsh is only spoken in Wales. Other languages and
regional dialects exist; for example, Gaelic is spoken in some parts of Scotland, although it is not an
official language.
The UK can be described as a multi-faith society, although a majority of 59% classed themselves
as Christian in the 2011 census. The second most prevalent religion is Muslim which is practised by
approximately 5% of thepopulation.
The UK is in the Western European Time Zone and observes Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
(CET – 1) during the winter months and British Summer Time (BST) from March to October, to
accommodate Daylight Saving Time (DST).