United Kingdom Location: Great Britain & Northern Ireland in NW Europe

Geographic Position of the UK

Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Components

• Great Britain (island): England, Scotland, Wales
• Northern Ireland: Northeastern portion of island of Ireland
• ~6,000 smaller islands: Hebrides, Orkney, Shetland, Anglesey, Isle of Wight, Channel Islands (Crown Dependencies, not UK)

Coordinates (Approximate Centroids)

• London: 51.5°N, 0.1°W
• Edinburgh: 55.9°N, 3.2°W
• Cardiff: 51.5°N, 3.2°W
• Belfast: 54.6°N, 5.9°W
• Extremes: 49.9°N (Lizard Point) to 60.8°N (Out Stack, Shetland); 8.6°W (Rockall) to 1.8°E (Lowestoft)

Maritime Borders

• North Sea: East (Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France)
• English Channel: South (France)
• Celtic Sea / Atlantic: Southwest/West (Ireland, Americas)
• Irish Sea: Between GB & Ireland

Land Border

Only one: Northern Ireland / Republic of Ireland (499 km / 310 mi)

Strategic position: gateway between Europe and Atlantic; historic naval dominance; current financial/tech hub.