The United Kingdom, or officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is one of the most important and famous countries in the world. It is often wrongly referred to as England. England is only a part of the United Kingdom. Also the name Great Britain is wrong, because this is the name of the island on which the UK lies for a part.
The United Kingdom is an independent state with approximately 65.8 million inhabitants. Through the conquest of global colonies, in the 19th century, the United Kingdom was the center of a world empire, the British Empire. Because of the large territory the United Kingdom became at one point the most powerful country in the world. In the course of the 20th century the UK lost a lot of territory.
Today's United Kingdom is located entirely on islands. Technically, the United Kingdom is a political union of four countries. These countries are not independent and are seen as a single country.