united kingdom

• united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland (country in northern europe consisting of england, scotland, wales and northern ireland)
the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland is a country in western europe, consisting of england, scotland, wales, and northern ireland. it is often called the uk. it is a member of the council of europe, the european union, the commonwealth, and nato. in the post-war period over 30 colonies of britain became independent countries, most of them becoming members of the commonwealth. queen elizabeth ii succeeded in 1952. margaret thatcher (conservative party) was prime minister from 1979 to 1990. john major (conservative party) became prime minister in 1990. britain exports machinery, manufactured goods, chemicals, transport equipment, and oil and gas. banking, insurance, and tourism are important industries.