
Great Britain lies just off the coast of mainland Europe.
Scotland,
England* and
Wales are three different countries that make up Great Britain (GB), but add
Northern Ireland and you have the
United Kingdom (UK).
The
United Kingdom also has several overseas territories, including
Gibraltar and the
Falkland Islands(Islas Malvinas). The dependencies of the Isle of Man and the
Channel Islands* , while possessions of the Crown and part of the British Isles, are not part of the United Kingdom. A constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom has close relationships with fifteen other Commonwealth Realms that share the same monarch .