The Tower of London was first built by William the Conqueror after he became king in 1066. Tours are given by the Yeoman Warders, also known as Beefeaters, who tell visitors about the building’s history. People can also see the Crown Jewels there.

Civil servants support the government in developing and implementing its policies. They also deliver public services. Civil servants are accountable to ministers.

The second-largest party in the House of Commons is called the opposition.

One of the English Parliament’s generals, Oliver Cromwell, was sent to Ireland, where the revolt which had begun in 1641 still continued and where there was still a Royalist army. Cromwell was successful in establishing the authority of the English Parliament but did this with such violence that even today Cromwell remains a controversial figure in Ireland.

The UK today is a more diverse society than it was 100 years ago, in both ethnic and religious terms.

The English government encouraged Scottish and English Protestants to settle in Ulster, the northern province of Ireland, taking over the land from Catholic landholders. These settlements were known as plantations. King James I later organised similar plantations in several other parts of Ireland.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have a national saint, called a patron saint. Each saint has a special day. St Andrew’s Day (30 November) is an official holiday in Scotland (although not all businesses and offices will close). Events are held across Scotland and the rest of the country, especially where there are a lot of people of Scottish heritage.

During the 1960s, the position of women in the workplace also improved. It was quite common at the time for employers to ask women to leave their jobs when they got married, but Parliament passed new laws giving women the right to equal pay and made it illegal for employers to discriminate against women because of their gender.

Charles Il had no legitimate children. He died in 1685 and his brother, James, who was a Roman Catholic, became King James II in England, Wales and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland.

Theatres are an important part of local communities and often show both professional and amateur productions. London’s West End, also known as ‘Theatreland’, is particularly well known.

Almost everybody in the UK who is in paid work, including self-employed people, must pay National Insurance Contributions. Employees have their National Insurance Contributions deducted from their pay by their employer. People who are self-employed need to pay National Insurance Contributions themselves.

In 1997 the Labour Party led by Tony Blair was elected. The Blair government introduced a Scottish Parliament and a Welsh Assembly (now known as the Senedd)

A lot of people in the UK have pets such as cats or dogs. They might have them for company or because they enjoy looking after them. It is against the law to treat a pet cruelly or to neglect it.

There are many variations in language in the different parts of the UK. The English language has many accents and dialects. In Wales, many people speak Welsh - a completely different language from English - and it is taught in schools and universities. In Scotland, Gaelic (again, a different language) is spoken in some parts of the Highlands and Islands, and in Northern Ireland some people speak Irish Gaelic.

‘Great Britain’ refers only to England, Scotland and Wales, not to Northern Ireland.

The role and membership of the House of Lords has changed over the last 50 years. Since 1958, the Prime Minister has had the power to nominate peers just for their own lifetime. These are called life peers.

Like television, BBC radio stations are funded by TV licences and other radio stations are funded through advertisements.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was originally from Portsmouth, England. He was an engineer who built tunnels, bridges, railway lines and ships. He was responsible for constructing the Great Western Railway, which was the first major railway built in Britain. Many of Brunel’s bridges are still in use today.

During the Second World War, the Germans waged an air campaign against Britain, but the British resisted with their fighter planes and eventually won the crucial aerial battle against the Germans, called ‘the Battle of Britain’, in the summer of 1940.

Anglo-Saxon kings continued to rule what is now England, except for a short period when there were Danish kings. The first of these was Cnut, also called Canute.

In May 1660, Parliament invited Charles II to come back from exile in the Netherlands. He was crowned King Charles Il of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

The UK is a parliamentary democracy with the monarch as head of state.

After his campaign in Ireland and victory over Charles Il at Worcester, Cromwell was recognised as the leader of the new republic. He was given the title of Lord Protector and ruled until his death in 1658.