Britain, known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in full, its mainland is located in the British Isles which is situated on the northwest of the British continent, and it is surrounded by the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Atlantic.

Britain is a Western European island country composed of England, Wales and Scotland in Great Britain, Northern Ireland in the northeast part of Ireland and a series of subordinate islands. In addition to its local territory, it also has 14 overseas territories, with a total population of more than 64 million, and the main ethnic groups are the England.

Britain established its constitutional monarchy in the glorious revolution in 1688. The United Kingdom is the world's first industrialized country and is the first to complete the industrial revolution with its national power strengthening rapidly. From the 18th century to the early 20th century, the territory under the British rule crossed over the world's seven continents, and it was the world's most powerful country, known as the “Empire on which the Sun Never Sets”. In the two world wars it both achieved victory but there were serious damage to its national strength. By the second half of the twentieth Century the British Empire disintegrated and its capitalist world hegemony was replaced by the United States. However, the United Kingdom is still a great power with influence in the world.

Britain is a highly-developed capitalist country. It is one of Europe's four major economies, and its citizens have a higher standard of living and good social security system. It is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the European Union, the Schengen Convention and the G-8, founding member of NATO, and is also one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.