- United Kingdom, officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ulster, island country of the northwest of Europe, member of the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations. Great Britain includes, with the island of Wight, Anglesey, the archipelagoes of Scilly, Orcades and Hebrides, realms formerly independent from England and from the Scotland, and the principality of the Wales. The Ulster (Ulster) occupies the northeast of the island of Ireland. United Kingdom is lined in the South by La Manche, in the East by the North Sea and on the West by the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. United Kingdom covers 242 429 km2. The capital is London. United Kingdom, Great Britain and England are often used as synonyms. The term of United Kingdom indicates the set of the territories of the realm, Great Britain indicates England, Wales and the Scotland. England and Wales are reunited since 1542!; the Crowns of England and the Scotland, since the act of Union of 1707 which based the realm of Great Britain (to see Union, Acts of). From 1801, date of the union of Great Britain and Ireland, the realm was called officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, until the independence of the Republic of Ireland, in 1922. The island of Man and the islands Anglo-Normandes depend directly on the British Crown but are not a part of United Kingdom. They have their own institutions, United Kingdom assuring their diplomatic representation and their defence. Anguilla, the Bermuda Islands, the islands Virgos of United Kingdom, islands Caimans, islands Falklands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St. Helena (and the administrative dependences: Ascension Day and Tristan da Cunha), Georgia of the South, islands Sandwich of the South and islands Turks and Caicos has their own government but chose to stay under British control. Exceptions are the British Territory of Antarctica and the territories of the Indian Ocean with the island Diego Garcia, rented{*praised*} in the United States, and which shelters an American air and sea base. Hong-Kong returned in China in the expiration of the British lease on the territory in 1997.
- The Bermuda Islands, archipelago dependent on United Kingdom situated in the Atlantic Ocean the North, in the northeast of the Bahama Islands. The Bermuda Islands are compound about 150 small islands, islands and cliffs, 20 of which only are lived. The more important islands are Grande Bermude (Great Bermuda, or Hand Island), who extends on 23 km in length, followed by islands Somerset, Ireland, Saint George, Holy David and Boaz. Hamilton, the capital, is situated on Grande Bermude. It is the main port and most big city of the archipelago (about 6 000 inhabitants in 1990). The total surface of islands the Bermuda Islands is of 53 km2. Of volcanic origin, islands are surrounded with coral reefs, for the greater part submarine, and separated with narrow channels, lagoons and straits!; the most important are the strait of Harrington and Castle Harbour. Islands are hilly but do not exceed 80 m of height over the sea level. The rainwater, which one collects in cisterns, allows to mitigate the total absence of sources in islands. The climate is sweet, with an average temperature of 7,2! °C in winter and 26,1! °C in summer. Trade winds are moderated by the warmth of Gulf Stream, but when South winds dominate, humidity goes back up, and violent thunderstorms can burst. Flora is luxuriant!; the cedars of the Bermuda Islands, the bamboo, the palm trees, the papayers are the main sorts of it. The hedges of pink bay leaves and the massifs of palétuviers are typical of the landscape of islands. After Hamilton, the capital, the second city of the Bermuda Islands is Holy George, situated on the island of the same name. The population of islands amounted to about 59 000 inhabitants in 1993. The Blacks constitute about 60 p. 100 of the population. The anglicanisme is the main religion of the country. Education is free and compulsory for all the from 5 to 16 years old young people. The university school of the Bermuda Islands ( 1974 ) assures higher education.
- Falklands, islands, archipelago belonging in United Kingdom, situated in the South of the Atlantic Ocean, east of the Strait of Magellan and in northeast of the southern extremity of South America. About 200 islands are distributed in two main groups in the East and on the West of the strait of Falkland. These islands, called in English Falkland, have a total surface about 12 173 km2. Two bigger islands are both Occidental Falkland, of a surface of 6 760 km2 and oriental Falkland, a surface of 5 413 km2, including the small adjacent islands.
