Great Britain is an island located in the northwest of continental Europe and east of Ireland. English Channel and North Sea separate the island from the European continent. It is the ninth-largest and third most populous island in the world.

The word “Britain” is derived from the name of a Celtic tribe, the Brythons.

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The word “England” comes from “Angle-land,” or land of the Angli, a Viking tribe that came across the North Sea and settled in the east and north. The French name for England, Angleterre, also literally means “Land of the Angles.

The official language of Great Britain is English. Irish, Scottish, Gaelic Scots, Welsh and Cornish are other recognized regional languages.

French was the official language for about 300 years. 

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The British invented the world’s earliest railways.

The shortest war against England was with Zanzibar in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.

The Queen of the United Kingdom is a legal owner of one-sixth of the earth’s land surface.

The Queen owns all the sturgeons, whales and dolphins in the waters within 3 miles from the UK.

Since all British passports are issued in the queen’s name, she herself doesn’t have one. 

On the 9th of September 2015 Queen Elisabeth II became the longest reigning UK monarch.