History of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state. England, Scotland, Wales (together: Great Britain) and Northern Ireland are parts of this state.

The Acts of Union in 1707 united the crowns and Parliaments of England and Scotland to create (the United Kingdom of) Great Britain. At this time, Wales was legally part of the Kingdom of England, with representation (since 1536) in the English Parliament, so it was included in the union of England and Scotland. Ireland was a separate kingdom with its own parliament until further Acts of Union in 1800 joined Great Britain and Ireland to create the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

In 1922, the territory of what is now the Republic of Ireland gained independence, and only Northern Ireland continued to be part of the United Kingdom. As a result, in 1927 Britain changed its formal title to "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland",^[1] usually shortened to "the United Kingdom", "The UK", "Great Britain" or just "Britain".

1. ↑ "CIA - The World Factbook - United Kingdom". Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2008.