United Kingdom

Prime Minister Winston Churchill fires an American .30 carbine, 1944.

The United Kingdom is a country in northwest Europe. It was formed in 1801 by the union of Great Britain and Ireland. The principal states that are incorporated into the United Kingdom are England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom also has dependencies including the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Since World War II, the United Kingdom has been allied with the United States of America.

During its long history it has incorporated several other formerly independent countries and feudal principalities. The United Kingdom is a monarchy, where the monarch retains largely ceremonial powers, and most political power is wielded by elected Prime Ministers.

The principal states elect Members of Parliament to the United Kingdom's Parliament at Westminister. The sovereign of the United Kingdom is also the sovereign of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, and the Isle of Man, and other former feudal states that each elect representatives to their own national legislatures. However the United Kingdom exercises authority over their foreign relations. Similarly, some former colonies, like Bermuda, are not fully independent.

In 2009, the Prime Minister of Bermuda covertly forged an agreement with the United States to accept the custody of four former Uyghur captives in Guantanamo -- even though accepting refugees was one of the remaining areas where the United Kingdom retained authority.