Countries

United Kingdom

One of very few countries with no single written constitution, built instead from centuries of statute, common law and convention. The United Kingdom is also where the Industrial Revolution began in the 1760s, and home to the pound sterling, the oldest currency still in continuous use.

The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) in Westminster, London, seen across the River Thames

Houses of Parliament, London

Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Union Jack, combining the red cross of St George (England), the white saltire of St Andrew (Scotland) and the red saltire of St Patrick (Ireland), first flown in its current form in 1801.

How it has changed

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