Type: Network - Country

The United Kingdom is an island state comprising of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. It is a constitutional monarchy and unitary state governed by a parliamentary system with its seat of government in London, the capital, but with three devolved national administrations of varying powers in Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively. There are also Crown Dependency islands included in the state. The UK is a developed country, with the world's sixth largest economy by nominal GDP and the sixth largest by purchasing power parity. It was the world's first industrialised country and the world's foremost power during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today the UK remains a great power with strong economic, cultural, military, scientific and political influence. It is a recognised nuclear weapons state while its military expenditure ranks third or fourth in the world. It is a Member State of the European Union, a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, G8, G20, NATO, OECD and the World Trade Organization. The country has produced a vast number of poets, writers, thinkers, scientists and musicians, many of which who have influenced the global direction of their fields. The country's obsession with football, rugby and cricket is almost unparalleled anywhere else. London is the country's most famous and most populated city, and is considered one of the major cities of the world.

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