The United Kingdom

The United Kingdom is a country which is recognized by the United Nations. It is also a Kingdom, with a ruling monarch, which is the constitutional head of the Commonwealth of Nations. As of April 6180SC the ruling Monarch of the United Kingdom is Queen Elizabeth II. The next in line for the throne is her son Prince Charles, and after him the next in line is Prince William. The United Kingdom also has a Parliament Government, and runs as a democracy in most practical ways, as the monarchy is mostly that of a figurehead. The current Prime Minister is Theresa May. There are some powers invested in the monarch and the monarch gives a speech at the opening of parliament. The currency of the United Kingdom is the pound. In recent decades the United Kingdom was part of the European Union (The EU), but just recently there was a referendum to decide whether the UK would leave the EU. The vote to leave won, and the notion of the UK leaving the EU has become known as 'Brexit'. The UK is made up of nations, the main ones being England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as principalities consisting of the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, The Falkland Islands and various others. Popular sports in the United Kingdom are Association Football (Soccer), Rugby Union, Rugby League, Cricket, Golf, Tennis and Athletics. A whole host of sports are played, yet those would be the main ones of competition. The last time England was conquered as a nation was in 1066 by William the Conqueror. The 1000 years of England as a nation unconquered is about 50 years from now, should it make it to that point. Famous English writers include William Shakespeare, author of a host of world famous plays, including Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet and Othello, amongst many others. In more recent times J K Rowling has proven very popular, author of the Harry Potter saga of writings. J R R Tolkien was born in South Africa, but became a citizen of the UK and wrote the Lord of the Rings in Britain, one of the world's most celebrated fantasy sagas. C S Lewis, a fellow Inkling of J R R Tolkien, is almost as famous for his Narnia Chronicles. Important musicians in English history include Handel and Purcell, in more recent times famous bands being The Beatles, Queen, The Spice Girls and One Direction, amongst many other famous British bands and musicians. Traditional legendary figures in British History include King Arthur and his wizard friend Merlin, as well as Robin Hood, the hooded one of Sherwood Forest. The capital city of the United Kingdom is London, which has many millions of peoples in it, and the UK is divided up into counties, which compete at sports, and have their own distinct cultures and dialects.