United Kingdom: Introduction

United Kingdom is an island country spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, located in Western Europe comprising England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, and the Irish Sea. It lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes and is only 35 km from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel. The geography is mostly rugged hills and low mountains. The government system is constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth realm; the chief of state is the queen, and the head of government is the prime minister. The United Kingdom has an advanced open market economy in which the prices of goods and services are determined in a free price system.