UK. Interesting facts

Great Britain isn’t the United Kingdom. This is commonly mistaken, but Great Britain and the United Kingdom are actually two different things. The United Kingdom includes Northern Ireland – but Great Britain doesn’t.

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom). Union Jack

In the UK, accents change noticeably about every 25 miles (40 kilometres)

The Queen doesn’t have a passport. Queen Elizabeth II has visited over 100 countries on official duties – but she doesn’t need to have a passport. This is because British passports are issued in the name of the Queen.

The Queen might wish you a happy birthday. When people turn 100, they get a telegram from the Queen. In the modern day, it’s actually a card. When you are 105 you also get a card and for each birthday year after you turn 105.

Royal weddings are public holidays. The UK loves a good ceremony, and it certainly makes a big deal out of royal weddings. These days are declared national holidays, which means extra days off work.

Prince Charles and Prince William never travel on the same airplane. British Royal protocol is that two heirs should never fly on the same flight together so that the royal lineage is protected.

1. London’s transport system might be bigger than you think. London has one of the oldest transport systems in the world – and also one of the largest. The 270 functioning stations of the London Underground boast over 400 escalators (the longest is at Angel in North London), but there are another 40 stations that aren’t even used anymore – and that’s before we even mention the famous red buses.

Stonehenge is older than the Pyramids. That’s right, located in the south of England and one of the UK’s most famous tourist attractions – Stonehenge was believed to be created in around 3000 BC, meaning it’s older than Egypt’s pyramids.

London has the largest library in the world. The towering British Library in King’s Cross, London, has over 170 million items in its catalogue.

Golf is Scotland’s national sport. The sport was invented in St. Andrews in the 15th century. In 1457, it was famously banned by King James II because it was interrupting archery practice. Scotland still boasts the finest ‘links’ courses in the world.

Rugby is more popular than football in Wales

Snowdon is the higest mountain in Wales and is the second largest National Park, after the Lake District, in England and Wales

The University of St Andrews in Scotland

Bank of scotland

Titanic was built and launched from Belfast Harbor.

Belfast Zoo is home to the only group of purple-faced langurs in Europe – all the more reason to visit.

London has more Indian restaurants than Mumbai or Delhi

Windsor Castle is the biggest castle in England and the fourth biggest castle in Europe. It’s also the longest castle in Europe

The British pound is the world's oldest currency still in use: it's 1200 years old.

Welcome to the UK