United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) The UK has experienced the twentieth century as one of decline and fundamental transformation. At the beginning of the century, together with the USA it was the world's major power. Its British Empire reached dimensions unparalleled before or since. Alone among the European participants of World Wars I and II, it survived these existential conflicts not only victorious but also unoccupied. And yet, by the end of the century, its economy had declined to occupy a middling rank among Western industrialized nations, with its GDP per head below the average for the European Union. It had long ceased to be a world power, and retained sovereignty over only a few isolated small island colonies. The UNITED KINGDOM of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarch. Its origins and traditions are found in each of its four component parts—England, Scotland, Wales, and the six counties which occupy the northeast section of Ireland. England was first unified under a Saxon king in the ninth century. Wales eventually became part of that kingdom, as did Ireland before the end of the 13th century. In 1603, James I of England, who also ruled as James VI of Scotland, united the English and Scottish dynasties. In 1707, the Treaty for the Union of England and Scotland provided that the two countries "should be forever united into one kingdom." One parliament (the Parliament of Great Britain) served as the supreme authority in both countries.

London is one of the largest cities in Europe, the U.K.'s seat of government, and the center of commerce, education, and arts. Like all cities, London attracts people of all backgrounds who come for many reasons, both to visit and to live. As a city which has been preeminent for centuries, it is full of a rich and varied history.

The name London has no specific meaning. It was originally used to describe the city of London proper, still referred to as "the City," and now the financial and banking center of London. Today, the heart of the city consists of "the City" and the Borough of Westminster, also known commonly as the "West End." With the steady growth of the capital since the Middle Ages, surrounding districts were absorbed into the huge metropolis of today. The latest census (1994) showed that London had a population of nearly 7 million in an area of 157,944 hectares.

Greater London actually consists of 32 semi-independent boroughs (plus "the City"). Each has dozens of business, residential, and cultural centers of its own. Greater London has followed extensive coordinated post-war reconstruction programs, including successful intensive efforts to clean facades of famous surviving buildings.

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