The United Kingdom, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is home to the British Isles northwest of the European continent and is surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a West European island nation consisting of England, Wales and Scotland on the Great Britain, Northern Ireland in the north-east of Ireland and a series of affiliated islands. In addition to its homeland, it also owns 14 overseas territories, with a total population of more than 64 million, with English as its main ethnic group.

The glorious revolution of 1688 established the British constitutional monarchy. Britain was the first industrialized country in the world. After the completion of the industrial revolution, the strength of the nation was rapidly expanding.