United Kingdom (U.K)

Regions

•  England
  The largest home nation, in terms both of size and, by far, population. This "Green land" has some of the most exciting and inspiring cities in the world, which exist alongside the "Merrie England" of rolling countryside, village greens and traditional pageantry.
•  Scotland
  The second largest home nation occupies the northern third of Great Britain. The four archipelagos of Orkney, Shetland, and the Inner and Outer Hebrides are also part of Scotland. Bagpipes, kilts and haggis may spring to mind, but the contrast between the remote beauty of the Islands, cosmopolitan grittiness of the Lowlands and desolate panoramas of the wild Highlands reveals the Scotland beyond the stereotype.
•  Wales
  Located within the largely mountainous western portion of Great Britain. Welsh culture is famous for rugby, singing, the Welsh language and its industrial towns and valleys plus famous national parks.
•  Northern Ireland
  The north-eastern part of the island of Ireland is off the traditional tourist trail, but offers a colourful history, exceptional natural beauty, rapidly-developing cities and warmly welcoming inhabitants. It consisting of six of the nine counties of the ancient Irish province of Ulster.

Administrative divisions:

• England: 24 two-tier counties, 32 London boroughs and 1 City of London or Greater London, 36 metropolitan districts, 59 unitary authorities (including 4 single-tier counties*);
  two-tier counties: Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Sussex, Worcestershire
  London boroughs and City of London or Greater London: Barking and Dagenham, Barnet, Bexley, Brent, Bromley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Greenwich, Hackney, Hammersmith and Fulham, Haringey, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Islington, Kensington and Chelsea, Kingston upon Thames, Lambeth, Lewisham, City of London, Merton, Newham, Redbridge, Richmond upon Thames, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets, Waltham Forest, Wandsworth, Westminster
  metropolitan districts: Barnsley, Birmingham, Bolton, Bradford, Bury, Calderdale, Coventry, Doncaster, Dudley, Gateshead, Kirklees, Knowlsey, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Sefton, Sheffield, Solihull, South Tyneside, St. Helens, Stockport, Sunderland, Tameside, Trafford, Wakefield, Walsall, Wigan, Wirral, Wolverhampton
  unitary authorities: Bath and North East Somerset, Bedford, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, City of Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Central Bedfordshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cornwall, Darlington, Derby, Dorset, Durham County*, East Riding of Yorkshire, Halton, Hartlepool, Herefordshire*, Isle of Wight*, Isles of Scilly, City of Kingston upon Hull, Leicester, Luton, Medway, Middlesbrough, Milton Keynes, North East Lincolnshire, North Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, North Somerset, Northumberland*, Nottingham, Peterborough, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Reading, Redcar and Cleveland, Rutland, Shropshire, Slough, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Southend-on-Sea, Stockton-on-Tees, Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Telford and Wrekin, Thurrock, Torbay, Warrington, West Berkshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, York
• Northern Ireland: 5 borough councils, 4 district councils, 2 city councils;
  borough councils: Antrim and Newtownabbey, Ards and North Down, Armagh City, Banbridge, and Craigavon, Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim
  district councils: Derry City and Strabane, Fermanagh and Omagh, Mid Ulster, Newry, Murne, and Down
  city councils: Belfast, Lisburn and Castlereagh
• Scotland: 32 council areas:
  council areas: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Eilean Siar (Western Isles), Falkirk, Fife, Glasgow City, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, Shetland Islands, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, The Scottish Borders, West Dunbartonshire, West Lothian
• Wales:
  22 unitary authorities; unitary authorities: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea, The Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Wrexham

Cities, towns, and villages

Many cities and towns in the United Kingdom are of interest to travellers. Following is a selection:

• London (لندن) — the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom is one of the most influential cities on Earth. Home to most of the UK's principal tourist attractions, London's landmarks are instantly recognisable the world over as symbols for Britain.
• Belfast (بلفاست) — the capital of Northern Ireland is in the midst of an urban renaissance, and is fast becoming a popular tourist destination due in part to its reputation as being somewhat undiscovered, but also as testament to the unique character of this city and its inhabitants.
• Birmingham (برمينغهام) — the UK's second largest city, features great shopping, home of the famous "Balti Triangle" and a strong industrial heritage
• Bristol (بريستول) — an historical city famed for its colourful Georgian architecture, impressive Victorian engineering landmarks and nautical heritage. These days Bristol is equally known for trip-hop music and a significant "foodie" culture.
• Cardiff (كارديف) — the capital of Wales is equally proud of its coal-shipping past as of its rugby fandom. Come for Cymru's top museums, stay for Cardiff Bay's much-applauded regeneration.
• Edinburgh (إدنبرة) — the capital of Scotland, the Old Town forms the heart of Edinburgh’s historical and cultural identity, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its iconic landmarks, including the Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, draw millions of visitors each year. The Royal Mile, which stretches from the Castle to the Palace, is a focal point for festivals, processions, and cultural events. It is often known as the "Festival City".
• Glasgow (غلازغو) — Scotland's largest city, with great shopping and better architecture. Glasgow's former status as European Capital of Culture hints at the strength of its creative arts scene and the beauty of its parks and gardens. At one time, it was the centre of the largest shipbuilding industry in the world.
• Liverpool (ليفربول) — historically an important port city, the Guinness World Records' global capital of pop, the "Pool of Life" is now where science and culture meet bohemian nightlife against a sporting and musical setting that needs no introduction.
• Manchester (مانشستر) — the archetypal "northern city" which has transformed itself from textile town to modern metropolis. Highlights include a thriving bohemian music scene, the Gay Village and the world's only new work arts festival
• York (يورك) — the ancient historic capital of Yorkshire, with Roman, Viking and Medieval architecture

• Geological: coal, petroleum, natural gas, limestone, chalk, gypsum, silica, rock salt, china clay, iron ore, tin, silver, gold, lead.
• Agricultural: arable land, wheat, barley, sheep

The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Due to the island location of the UK, the country has great potential for generating electricity from wave power and tidal power, although these have not yet been exploited on a commercial basis.