World Factbook
United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; note - the island of Great Britain includes England, Scotland, and Wales
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Area
land
241,930 sq km
note
note 1: England covers 53% of the area, Scotland 32%, Wales 9%, and Northern Ireland 6% note 2: includes Rockall and the Shetland Islands, which are part of Scotland
water
1,680 sq km
total
243,610 sq km
Climate
temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain
mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Land use
other
14.7% (2023 est.)
forest
13.4% (2023 est.)
agricultural land
70.3% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 25% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.2% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 45.2% (2023 est.)
Location
Western Europe, islands - including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland - between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea; northwest of France
Coastline
12,429 km
Elevation
lowest point
The Fens -4 m
highest point
Ben Nevis 1,345 m
mean elevation
162 m
Irrigated land
718 sq km (2018)
Map references
Europe
Land boundaries
total
499 km
border countries
Ireland 499 km
Maritime claims
territorial sea
12 nm
continental shelf
as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone
200 nm
Natural hazards
winter windstorms; floods
Geography - note
lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km (22 mi) from France and linked by tunnel under the English Channel (the Channel Tunnel or Chunnel); because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km (78 mi) from tidal waters
Natural resources
coal, petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, tin, limestone, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, potash, silica sand, slate, arable land
Area - comparative
twice the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Oregon
Geographic coordinates
54 00 N, 2 00 W
Population distribution
the core of the population lies in and around London, with significant clusters found in central Britain around Manchester and Liverpool, in the Scottish lowlands between Edinburgh and Glasgow, in southern Wales in and around Cardiff, and in far-eastern Northern Ireland, centered on Belfast