The UK is an island nation in North Western Europe. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland compose the UK. Its capital is London. Oxford and Cambridge are centuries-old English universities.

The UK has 245,000 square kilometres of land and 65.1 million inhabitants. The Atlantic Ocean, North Sea, English Channel, and Irish Sea encircle Great Britain. The UK's 8,000km of coastline ranks 12th worldwide. The UK ranks 11th in Europe and 78th globally by land area. The UK flag is a white-and-red symmetric cross with an X behind it. The official language spoken in the UK is English. Britain's largest country is England. "Angle-land" became "England." Britain comes from the Celtic tribe Brythons. Scotland has many narrow lochs. The UK ranks 21st in population. Ben Navis is Scotland's highest peak.

The UK has always been a hub for higher learning, and several of its universities date back hundreds of years. With its illustrious past as a higher education pioneer and emphasis on research and innovation. In the UK, there are four of the top ten universities, according to the 2019 QS World Rankings. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), an impartial organisation, evaluates the educational standards of the UK's colleges and universities. During semesters, students are allowed to work part-time for up to 20 hours a week, and full-time during breaks between semesters.