1. What is the difference between these two terms: the United Kingdom and Great Britain?
2. What is the name of the flag?
3. What is the national symbol (flower) of Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland?
4. What is the capital of the UK?
5. What is the official language of the UK?
6. What is the UK washed by?
7. What is the capital of Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland?
8. Who is the head of the UK?
9. What river does London stand on?
10. How can people get from London to Paris or Brussels (besides planes)?
11. Which country’s flag is not included in the flag of the UK?
12. Why was the struggle between York and Lancaster called the Wars of the Roses?

What is the difference between these two terms: the United Kingdom and Great Britain?
Great Britain is the name of the largest island that includes three countries: England, Scotland and Wales.
The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is a country that consists of four parts: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Therefore, Great Britain is a geographical term, while the United Kingdom is a political state.

What is the name of the flag?
The flag of the United Kingdom is called the Union Jack (or the Union Flag). It combines the crosses of three patron saints: St George (England), St Andrew (Scotland) and St Patrick (Ireland).

What is the national symbol (flower) of Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland?

• Scotland — the thistle
• Wales — the daffodil (also the leek is a traditional symbol)
• England — the rose (the Tudor rose)
• Northern Ireland — the shamrock

What is the capital of the UK?
The capital of the United Kingdom is London.

What is the official language of the UK?
The main and de facto official language of the UK is English. Some regions also recognize other languages, such as Welsh in Wales, Gaelic in Scotland, and Irish in Northern Ireland.

What is the UK washed by?
The United Kingdom is washed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.

What is the capital of Scotland/Wales/England/Northern Ireland?

• Scotland — Edinburgh
• Wales — Cardiff
• England — London
• Northern Ireland — Belfast

Who is the head of the UK?
The head of the United Kingdom is the monarch. Currently, it is King Charles III. The monarch is the head of state, while the government is led by the Prime Minister.

What river does London stand on?
London stands on the River Thames.

How can people get from London to Paris or Brussels (besides planes)?
People can travel by train through the Channel Tunnel (the Eurostar service), by ferry, or by a combination of train and ferry.

Which country’s flag is not included in the flag of the UK?
The flag of Wales is not included in the Union Jack. This is because when the flag was created, Wales was already considered part of England politically.

Why was the struggle between York and Lancaster called the Wars of the Roses?
The struggle between the Houses of York and Lancaster was called the Wars of the Roses because both families used roses as their symbols: the House of York had a white rose, while the House of Lancaster had a red rose. The wars were a series of conflicts in the 15th century over the English throne. After the conflict, the two symbols were combined into the Tudor rose.