The four nations of the UK: capitals, flags and symbols for the Life in the UK test

The UK, Great Britain and the British Isles

The United Kingdom (UK)

Four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Official name

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Great Britain

England, Scotland and Wales only. It does not include Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland

Part of the UK but not part of Great Britain.

The Republic of Ireland

The rest of the island of Ireland. It is a separate, independent country and not part of the UK.

The British Isles

A geographical term for the group of islands that includes Great Britain and Ireland. It is not the name of a country.

'Britain' and 'British'

The handbook uses these words to mean everyone in the UK, even though Great Britain strictly does not include Northern Ireland.

Capital cities

England

London, which is also the capital of the UK.

Scotland

Edinburgh. Glasgow is a large city but not the capital.

Wales

Cardiff. Swansea is a large city but not the capital.

Northern Ireland

Belfast.

Patron saints and their days

Each nation has a patron saint with a special day. Only Scotland and Northern Ireland make their patron saint's day an official holiday.

St George, England

23 April. Not a public holiday.

St Andrew, Scotland

30 November. An official holiday in Scotland.

St David, Wales

1 March.

St Patrick, Northern Ireland

17 March. An official holiday in Northern Ireland.

The Union Flag

• The Union Flag combines the crosses of three patron saints: St George, St Andrew and St Patrick.
• St George's cross is red and upright.
• St Andrew's cross (white on blue) and St Patrick's cross (red on white) are diagonal.
• The first Union Flag was made in 1606.
• The cross of St Patrick was added in 1801, when Ireland was united with Great Britain.
• Wales and its dragon do not appear on the Union Flag. This is because Wales was already united with England when the first Union Flag was made.

National flowers

England

The rose.

Scotland

The thistle.

Wales

The daffodil.

Northern Ireland

The shamrock.

Languages

• English is spoken across the UK, with many regional accents and dialects.
• Welsh is widely spoken in Wales and taught in its schools and universities.
• Scottish Gaelic is spoken in parts of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.
• Some people in Northern Ireland speak Irish Gaelic.
• Most people take the Life in the UK test in English, but it can also be arranged in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic.

People, money and religion

• About 84% of the UK population lives in England, about 8% in Scotland, about 5% in Wales and less than 3% in Northern Ireland.
• The currency is the pound sterling (£), made up of 100 pence.
• Banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland print their own banknotes. You can use them anywhere in the UK, but shops and businesses may refuse them.
• England has an established church, the Church of England. The monarch is its Supreme Governor.
• The Church of Scotland is Scotland's national church. It is Presbyterian, run by ministers and elders.
• Wales and Northern Ireland have no established church.

Parliaments and assemblies

The UK as a whole is governed by Parliament at Westminster in London. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have their own devolved parliaments or assemblies, which can only act in the policy areas handed to them. England does not have one of its own.

Scottish Parliament

Set up in 1999. It sits at Holyrood in Edinburgh.

Welsh Parliament (Senedd)

Meets in Cardiff. The handbook calls it the National Assembly for Wales. It was renamed the Senedd in 2020.

Northern Ireland Assembly

Meets at Stormont in Belfast. Power is shared between the main political parties.

Crown dependencies and overseas territories

Some places are closely linked to the UK but are not part of it.

Crown dependencies

The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. They run their own affairs through their own governments and are not part of the UK.

British overseas territories

Places elsewhere in the world, such as St Helena and the Falkland Islands. They have ties to the UK without being part of it.

How the four nations came together

1284

Edward I annexes Wales with the Statute of Rhuddlan.

Henry VIII

Under Henry VIII, Wales is formally united with England, brought under English law and represented in the House of Commons.

1603

James VI of Scotland becomes James I of England. Scotland stays a separate country.

1707

Under Queen Anne, the Act of Union joins England and Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britain. Scotland keeps its own legal system, education system and Presbyterian Church.

1801

Ireland joins Great Britain to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

1922

Ireland becomes two countries. Six mainly Protestant counties in the north stay in the UK as Northern Ireland. The rest becomes the Irish Free State, which becomes a republic in 1949.

1998

The Good Friday Agreement, also called the Belfast Agreement, leads to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

1999

After devolution, the new Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly are first elected.

Food and sport in the four nations

• England: roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, and fish and chips.
• Scotland: haggis.
• Wales: Welsh cakes, made with flour, dried fruit and spices.
• Northern Ireland: the Ulster fry, a fried breakfast.
• England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have separate national football teams.
• In rugby, Northern Ireland plays with the Irish Republic.