COSMOS Tours Europe: United Kingdom

The United Kingdom, or UK, includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. It is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, and  the Irish Sea. The UK is a member of the United Nations Security Council, European Union, Commonwealth of Nations, the Council of Europe, the G7, the G8, the G20, NATO, the Organization of Economic Do-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization. The United Kingdom is also referred to as Britain. Although the United Kingdom, as a sovereign state, is a country, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are also referred to as countries although they are not sovereign states and only Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have devolved self-government. The United Kingdom has sovereignty over territories which do not form part of the United Kingdom itself:: Anguilla; Bermuda; the British Antarctic Territory; the British Indian Ocean Territory; the British Virgin Islands; the Cayman Islands; the Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Saint Helena,, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; the Turks and Caico Islands; the Pitcairn Islands; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; and the Soverign Base Areas on Cyprus. These are all remnants of the British Empire. Queen Elizabeth II reigns over the United Kingdom. Englad and Scotland were leaders in the Scientific Revolution and Industrial Revolution and has continued to be important players: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, James Clerk  Maxwell, Stephen Hawkins, Henry Cavendish, Alexander Fleming, Michael Faraday, Alexander Graham Bell. GalaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca are top pharmaceutical companies. London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Belfast, Bristol, Grighton, Portsmouth, Edinburgh, or ny part of the UK proves to be a fascinating destination on your Cosmos tour.