Вели́кобрита́ния (англ. Great Britain, полное название — Соединё́нное Короле́вство Вели́кобрита́нии и Се́верной Ирла́ндии, англ. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) — островное государство в Западной Европе, форма правления — конституционная монархия. Столица — город Лондон.

Государство в Северо-Западной Европе, на Британских островах (остров Великобритания и северо-восточная часть острова Ирландия, остров Мэн и Нормандские острова), омывается Атлантическим океаном и его морями. Площадь 241 тыс. км². На севере и западе преобладает горный рельеф — Северо-Шотландское нагорье (до 1344 м), Пеннинские и Кембрийские горы; на юге и юго-востоке — холмистые равнины. Климат умеренно океанический, влажный. Средние температуры января от 3 до 7 °C, июля 11—17°C; осадков до 3000 мм в год на западе и 600—750 мм на юго-востоке. Основные реки: Темза, Северн, Трент, Мерси, Клайд. Леса (бук, дуб, берёза) занимают около 9 % территории Великобритании.

А́нглия (англ. England) — наиболее крупная историческая и административная часть Соединённого Королевства Великобритании и Северной Ирландии. Англия занимает юго-восточную часть большого острова Великобритания, известного как англ. mainland.

Название происходит от англов — племени, поселившегося здесь между V и VI веками.

Англия занимает две трети острова Великобритания. На севере граничит с Шотландией, на западе — с Уэльсом. Ландшафт Англии состоит в основном из покатых холмов, к северу местность становится более гористой. Горная и равнинная местность условно разделяются по линии, проходящей между устьем реки Тис (Тиссайд) на северо-востоке и устьем реки Экс (Девон) на юго-западе. На востоке располагается низменная болотистая местность, которая в основном была осушена для сельскохозяйственного использования. Шесть крупнейших городов Англии (по убыванию численности населения): Лондон, Бирмингем, Лидс, Шеффилд, Ливерпуль и Манчестер.

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the U.K., or Britain) is a country to the north-west of mainland Europe. It comprises the island of Great Britain, the north-east part of the island of Ireland and many small local islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK with a land border, sharing it with the Republic of Ireland.
Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea. The largest island, Great Britain, is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel.

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy comprising four constituent countries — England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales — with Elizabeth II as head of state, who is also head of state of the Commonwealth realms. The Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, are not part of the UK but form a federacy with it. The UK has fourteen overseas territories, all remnants of the British Empire, which at its height encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface. It is a developed country, with the fifth-largest economy in the world.

Britain was the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th century, but the economic cost of two world wars and the decline of its empire in the latter half of the 20th century diminished its leading role in global affairs. The UK nevertheless retains major economic, cultural, military and political influence today and is a nuclear power, with the second highest defence spending in the world. It holds a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, and is a member of the G8, NATO, the European Union and the Commonwealth of Nations.

England (Old English: Englaland, Middle English: Engelond) is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total population of the United Kingdom, whilst the mainland territory of England occupies most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. Elsewhere, it is bordered by the North Sea, Irish Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and English Channel.

England became a unified state during the 10th century and takes its name from the Angles, one of a number of Germanic tribes who settled in the territory during the 5th and 6th centuries. The capital city of England is London, which is the largest city in Great Britain, and the largest city in the European Union by most, but not all, measures.

England ranks amongst the world's most influential and far-reaching centres of cultural development. It is the place of origin of both the English language and the Church of England, and English law forms the basis of the legal systems of many countries; in addition, London, the country's capital, was the centre of the British Empire, and the country was also the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. England was the first country in the world to become industrialised. England is home to the Royal Society, which laid the foundations of modern experimental science. England was the world's first parliamentary democracy[8] and consequently many constitutional, governmental and legal innovations that had their origin in England have been widely adopted by other nations.

The Kingdom of England was a separate state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union resulted in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain, with the Principality of Wales already in the English state. Great Britain is the term in use for the largest island in the British Isles.
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Материал взят из Википедии — свободной энциклопедии / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia