Each country in the UK also has its own national team that competes with other national teams across the world in tournaments such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Football Championships.

Sir Francis Drake’s ship, the Golden Hind, was one of the first to sail right around (‘circumnavigate’) the world.

In the UK, you must be at least 17 years old to drive a car or motor cycle and you must have a driving licence to drive on public roads.

The official home of the Prime Minister is 10 Downing Street, in central London, near the Houses of Parliament. He or she also has a country house outside London called Chequers.

Radar was developed by Scotsman Sir Robert Watson-Watt (1892-1973), who proposed that enemy aircraft could be detected by radio waves. The first successful radar test took place in 1935.

Alexander Fleming was researching influenza (the ‘flu’) in 1928 when he discovered penicillin. Fleming won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945. Penicillin is still used to treat bacterial infections today.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a jury has 12 members, and in Scotland a jury has 15 members.

More recently, important composers include Gustav Holst (1874-1934), whose work includes The Planets, a suite of pieces themed around the planets of the solar system. He adapted Jupiter, part of the Planets suite, as the tune for I vow to thee my country, a popular hymn in British churches.

St Patrick founded a monastery on the island of lona, off the coast of what is now Scotland.

Mothering Sunday (or Mother’s Day) is the Sunday three weeks before Easter. On this day, children send cards or buy gifts for their mothers.

Many people were encouraged to leave the UK to settle overseas. Between 1853 and 1913, as many as 13 million British citizens left the country.

Post-war immigration means that nearly 10% of the population has a parent or grandparent born outside the UK.

Sir Walter Scott wrote poems inspired by Scotland and the traditional stories and songs from the area on the borders of Scotland and England. He also wrote novels, many of which were set in Scotland.

The National Trust was founded in 1895 by three volunteers. There are now more than 61,000 volunteers helping to keep the organisation running.

Political parties welcome new members. Joining one is a way to demonstrate your support for certain views and to get involved in the democratic process.

Members of the House of Lords, known as peers, are not elected by the people and do not represent a constituency. The role and membership of the House of Lords has changed over the last 50 years.

One of the most famous battles of the Hundred Years War was the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where King Henry V’s vastly outnumbered English army defeated the French.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, if an accused person is aged 10 to 17, the case is normally heard in a Youth Court in front of up to three specially trained magistrates or a District Judge. In Scotland a system called the Children’s Hearings System is used to deal with children and young people who have committed an offence.

Sir Peter Mansfield (1933-), a British scientist, is the co-inventor of the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner. This enables doctors and researchers to obtain exact and non-invasive images of human internal organs and has revolutionised diagnostic medicine.

The Senedd has the power to make laws for Wales in 21 areas, including education and training, health and social services, economic development, and housing. Since 2011, the Senedd has been able to pass laws on these topics without the agreement of the UK Parliament.

Prior to the Reform Act (1832), the number of people who had the right to vote for members of Parliament was still very small. Only men who owned property of a certain value were able to vote. No women at all had the vote. Some constituencies were controlled by a single wealthy family. These were called ‘pocket boroughs’. Other constituencies had hardly any voters and were called ‘rotten boroughs.

All Scottish clans were required formally to accept William as king by taking an oath. The MacDonalds of Glencoe were late in taking the oath and were all killed. The memory of this massacre meant some Scots distrusted the new government.

Many different television (TV) channels are available in the UK. Some are free to watch and others require a paid subscription. British television shows a wide variety of programmes. Popular programmes include regular soap operas such as Coronation Street and EastEnders.

British values based on history and traditions and are protected by laws, customs and expectations.