United Kingdom. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland,[nb 6] commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain /ˈbrɪ.tən/, is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.
The country includes the island of Great Britain (a term sometimes also loosely applied to the whole state), the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another state: the Republic of Ireland. [nb 7] Apart from this land border, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea in the east, the English Channel in the south and the Irish Sea in the west. The UK's form of government is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system,[9][10] and its capital city is London.[11] The current British monarch—since 6 February 1952—is Queen Elizabeth II.
The UK has been a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its first session in 1946. History. France. France (UK: /ˈfrɑːns/; US: i/ˈfræns/; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( )), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a sovereign country in Western Europe that includes overseas regions and territories.
[note 13] Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of only three countries (with Morocco and Spain) to have both Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines. Due to its shape, it is often referred to in French as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon").
France is the largest country in Western Europe and the European Union, and the third-largest in Europe as a whole. France has been a major power in Europe since the Late Middle Ages. Etymology History Prehistory One of the Lascaux paintings of which depicts a horse (Dordogne, approximately 18,000 BC). Gaul Kingdom of Francia (3rd century–843) The last Merovingian kings lost power to their mayors of the palace (head of household). Lanzarote. Lanzarote (/ˌlænzəˈrɒti/; Spanish pronunciation: [lanθaˈɾote, lansa-]), a Spanish island, is the easternmost of the autonomous Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 125 km (78 mi) off the coast of Africa and 1,000 km (621 mi) from the Iberian Peninsula.
Covering 845.9 square kilometers (327 sq mi), it is the fourth largest of the islands. The first recorded name for the island, given by Angelino Dulcert, was Insula de Lanzarotus Marocelus, after the Genoese navigator Lancelotto Malocello, from which the modern name is derived. The island's name in the native language was Titerro(y)gatra, which may mean "the red mountains". Geography[edit] Lanzarote is located 11 km (7 mi) north-east of Fuerteventura and just over 1 km (0.62 mi) from Graciosa. Geology[edit] Italy.