United Kingdom Hotels

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy comprising most of the British and Irish Isles and one of the world's wealthiest nations. The Union comprises four constituent nations England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It occupies all of the island of Great Britain, the north eastern portion of the island of Ireland and most of the remaining British Isles. It counts Ireland, France, Belgium and Netherlands as its nearest neighbours. The Isle of Man and the various Channel Islands are "crown dependencies", possessing their own legislative bodies with the assent of the Crown. They are not part of the United Kingdom nor of the EU, but are not sovereign nations in their own right either. The 'Great' in Great Britain is to distinguish it from the other, smaller "Britain": Brittany in northwestern France.

The UK today is a diverse patchwork of native and immigrant cultures, possessing a fascinating history and dynamic modern culture, both of which remain hugely influential in the wider world. Although Britannia no longer rules the waves, the UK is still a popular destination for many travellers. The capital and largest city of the United Kingdom is London. 'Great Britain' means Scotland, England, and Wales taken together.

The British Isles have a rich history going back thousands of years. Unfortunately few of us in Britain really know much about our history. Retrospectively I think there must have been something radically flawed with history as it is taught in out schools as our history is fascinating.

For this history guide we shall divide the period of British history into four main chunks, and each of these four main chunks then subdivided into bite sized chapters that try to explain the way that things happened

History is an interweaving of events and people and its not just about kings and queens, its about ordinary people and how events influenced them, and on occasions how they influenced events.

Also one has to realise that Britain is not one nation, but a hodge podge of different peoples who tend to remain distinct in spite of a millenium or more of intermarriage. I have therefore put in separate chapters on Ireland, Scotland and Wales, each with its own history