The official name of the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. As the name implies, the nation is a coalition of Great Britain (consisting of Scotland in the north, England in the southeast and Wales in the southwest) and Northern Ireland.
 
The origin of England can be found in the Germanic Anglo-Saxons invading England around the 5-6th century CE and establishing a unified kingdom around the 9th century CE. The country then embarked on a slow yet inexorable march towards democracy after the Norman invasions of the 11th century starting with the Magna Carta.

​

Following centuries of internal strife, the English defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1587 set the stage for nearly four centuries of global imperial ambition. At the height of the British Empire in 1918, the British outdid the Mongols in achieving the largest empire in human history. Ruling over a quarter of the world's population, it was often said that the "sun never sets on the British Empire."

​

While the Empire largely dissolved within thirty years of the end of World War II, centuries of cultural, historical and political links continue to loosely unite the former constituent peoples of the Empire through international political entities such as the British Commonwealth. As such, every year, talented and privileged youth from countries as diverse as Belize, South Africa, India, and Singapore choose to be educated in the United Kingdom.

Geography

The total area of the UK is 244,000 square kilometers or about 2.5 times the area of South Korea. It is an island nation situated at the western end of Europe and situated between 50 and 60 degrees latitude. England and Wales are characterized by rolling hills, rock formations and the occasional mountain. Scotland is far more rugged with crossovers of lakeside forests, grasslands, rocky mountains and fjords in the north.

 
Climate
The weather in England is characterized by moody weather, as the famous saying 'there are four seasons in one day'. Even in midsummer, when the sun goes down or when it rains, the weather is cold. However, for its latitude, the British Isles enjoy a temperate climate warmed by the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerlies off the Atlantic Ocean.

​

While the weather is cloudy and rainy year round, the best months are between May and October. The average temperature in January-February is 4 ° C, and the average temperature in July-August is 16 ° C. Due to its latitude, during the summer the sun does not set until well after 9pm, and during the winter days are short as the sun is already down by 3pm.
 
Time difference
All of the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is 9 hours behind Korea Time. As the UK observes daylight savings time, during the summer the time difference is 8 hours behind Seoul.