What are the four nations of the UK and their capitals?

What are the four nations of the UK and their capitals?

The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Their capital cities are London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

London is also where the UK Parliament sits, at Westminster. The other three capitals each have a parliament or assembly of their own.

What is the difference between the UK and Great Britain?

People mix these up all the time, so spend a few minutes on them.

• Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales.
• The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. The full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The handbook uses "Britain", "British" and "British Isles" to mean everyone in the UK. A simple hook: Northern Ireland is the piece that makes Great Britain into the United Kingdom.

Which islands are close to the UK but not part of it?

The rest of the island of Ireland is an independent country, so it is not in the UK. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are also outside the UK. They have their own governments and are called Crown dependencies.

There are also British overseas territories around the world, such as St Helena and the Falkland Islands. They are linked to the UK, but they are not part of it. Think of three rings: the UK in the centre, then the Crown dependencies, then the overseas territories.

Which capital goes with which parliament?

Each nation has a place where its decisions are made. Learn them as pairs.

The UK Parliament at Westminster governs the whole country. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also have bodies with devolved powers. Devolved means the power is passed down to a smaller area in set subjects, such as health or education.

How many members do the parliaments have?

The handbook gives the sizes of the three devolved bodies. The Scottish Parliament has 129 members, called MSPs. The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90, called MLAs. The Senedd has members called MSs.

The handbook says the Senedd has 60 members. Today this has changed: the Senedd now has 96 members. Learn the handbook number first, then add a note for today.

A memory hook: Scotland 129, Northern Ireland 90, Wales 60 in the book. Say each number with its place, so you do not swap them.

What else sets the nations apart?

Each nation has its own flower, often worn on its saint's day: the rose for England, the thistle for Scotland, the daffodil for Wales and the shamrock for Northern Ireland. Learn the saints' days in patron saints and national days.

Languages differ too. Many people in Wales speak Welsh. Gaelic is spoken in parts of the Scottish Highlands and Islands, and some people in Northern Ireland speak Irish Gaelic.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own banknotes. They are valid everywhere in the UK, but shops do not have to accept them.

The population is not evenly shared. England has about 84 percent of people, Scotland just over 8 percent, Wales about 5 percent and Northern Ireland less than 3 percent.

The Union Flag joins the crosses of St George, St Andrew and St Patrick. Wales has its own flag with a dragon, which is not on the Union Flag. The reason is that Wales was already united with England when the first Union Flag was made.

How do you learn this quickly?

Draw a rough map of the two islands. Write the four nations on it, then the four capitals, then the four parliament buildings. Do it again from memory the next day. Then put the nation, capital, flower and language on a card for each nation.

Read the what is the UK chapter. It is very short. Then look at landmarks and places of interest to link places to the nations, and try the free practice test.

Check yourself

• Write the four nations and the four capitals without looking.
• Explain in one sentence the difference between Great Britain and the UK.
• Name the two groups of islands that have their own governments and are called Crown dependencies.