What makes up the united kingdoms

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In the south of England, the countryside is mostly rolling hills. Map created by National Geographic Maps. Have you ever wondered why the British drive on the left? There is actually a real historical reason for this;…. Since the Act of Union in , the Kingdom of Great Britain has fought in over wars across a total of countries Great Britain in red, Ireland in grey. The British Isles The British Isles is the name of a group of islands situated off the north western corner of mainland Europe.

The British Isles in red, with mainland Europe in green. England Just like Wales and Scotland, England is commonly referred to as a country but it is not a sovereign state. Wondering where the name comes from? This is purely a geographical term that refers to the entire island of Great Britain and Ireland.

This one includes the Republic of Ireland too, along with the 5, small islands which are scattered around our coastlines. You could come on holiday here for just 2 or 3 weeks and manage to soak up 4 different cultures, hear 3 different languages and heaps of striking regional accents without travelling far at all.

London , Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds are all within a few hours drive of each other, each bursting with their own unique culture and history. Well, he was actually King James I of Ireland, too. Back in the s, Ireland become a dependent kingdom of England, and the Crown of Ireland Act mandated that the king of England was now also the king of Ireland. Between and , the Irish Republican Army fought for independence from the U.

The Irish War of Independence ended with the division of Ireland into northern and southern regions in The northern region remained a part of the U.

The southern region became the Irish Free State , which, despite its name, was still a part of the British Commonwealth. In , the southern region became the sovereign nation of Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. It joined the European Union in and is still a member nation today. This took the form of activism, violent conflict and the formation of political parties that emphasized independence from the U.