United Kingdom
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Capital: London
- Northern Europe
- 1 neighbour in Travle
United Kingdom overview
United Kingdom is in Northern Europe, Europe. Its capital is London. The World Bank counts about 69.5 million people for 2025 on 243,610 km² of surface area.
In the Travle map, United Kingdom has 1 neighbour: Ireland. From there, 1 countries can be reached by land.
Population, density and language
The World Bank counts 69,487,000 people in United Kingdom for 2025, which is 22nd of 170 by population. Spread over 243,610 km² of surface area (2024), that is about 285 people per km², 19th of 169 by density.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (SP.POP.TOTL), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.Rankings compare the entries in Travle's country list that have World Bank data (170 with population, 169 with surface area). Some list entries are territories, so a rank here is not a rank among sovereign states.
| Language | Share (est.) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| English | 98% | official |
| French | 17% | — |
| German | 9% | — |
| Spanish | 8% | — |
| Polish | 4% | — |
| Punjabi | 3.6% | — |
CLDR shares are estimates of people who use each language, so they can add up to more than 100%.
How big is United Kingdom, really?
With 243,610 km² (2024, land plus inland water), United Kingdom is 79th of 169 by surface area and covers 0.17% of the combined area of those entries.
In that ordering, Guinea (245,857 km²) is just larger; Uganda (241,551 km²) just smaller.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; checked 2026-10-19.United Kingdom at a glance
- Capital
- London
- Region
- Northern Europe, Europe
- Population
- 69,487,000 (2025)
- Surface area
- 243,610 km² (2024)
- Density
- 285 people per km²
- Official languages
- English
- Currency
- Pound Sterling (GBP)
- Calling code
- +44
- Internet domain
- .uk
- Land neighbours
- 1 (Natural Earth) · 1 (Travle)
Each figure is sourced in its own section below. "Not available" means no source used on this page has the figure.
United Kingdom within Northern Europe
Natural Earth places United Kingdom in Northern Europe (UN subregion). Of the 10 entries from Travle's country list in that subregion, United Kingdom is 1st by population and 4th by surface area, with 63.6% of the combined population of those entries.
| Country | Population (2025) | Area km² (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 69,487,000 | 243,610 |
 Sweden | 10,596,620 | 528,860 |
 Denmark | 6,009,169 | 42,920 |
 Finland | 5,646,436 | 338,485 |
 Norway | 5,610,870 | 624,500 |
 Ireland | 5,484,367 | 70,280 |
 Lithuania | 2,888,774 | 65,290 |
 Latvia | 1,847,785 | 64,590 |
 Estonia | 1,366,475 | 45,340 |
 Iceland | 392,404 | 103,000 |
Sources: World Bank WDI (SP.POP.TOTL, AG.SRF.TOTL.K2), data updated 2026-10-08; subregion from Natural Earth 1:110m. A dash means the World Bank has no figure.
Location, borders and position
United Kingdom is in Northern Europe, Europe. Its outline in Natural Earth lies in the northern hemisphere and the eastern and western hemispheres. Its capital, London, is at about 51.5° N and 0.1° W.
On land, Natural Earth's boundary data gives United Kingdom 1 neighbour; the Travle game map gives it 1.
Sources: Natural Earth 1:110m (outline and capital) and 1:10m boundary lines (neighbours), public domain.
Where United Kingdom is on the map
Countries bordering United Kingdom
Natural Earth's boundary data and the Travle map agree on this 1 land neighbour.
| Country | Direction | Land boundary in Natural Earth | Border in Travle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ireland | west | Yes | Yes |
Geographic column: Natural Earth 1:10m Admin-0 boundary lines (land) 5.1.0 (public domain), checked 2026-10-19; Natural Earth shows de facto boundaries and does not settle disputes. Travle column: the game's own border map.
Money and language in United Kingdom
Currency
- Pound Sterling: code GBP, numeric 826. ISO 4217 lists it for 4 entries in total, so it is shared with 3 others.
Official languages
- English: official in 91 territories in CLDR, including United Kingdom.
- 3 more languages have regional official status: Welsh, Irish and Scottish Gaelic.
CLDR is a technical reference, not a legal text. Laws and constitutions can describe languages differently.
Currency, domain and dialling code
- Currency
- Pound Sterling (GBP)
Source: Unicode CLDR release-48-2 currencyData (region GB); code, name and number from ISO 4217 list one (SIX), published 2026-09-17; checked 2026-10-19. - Internet domain
- .uk
Source: IANA Root Zone Database; checked 2026-10-19. - International dialling code
- +44
Source: ITU, List of ITU-T Recommendation E.164 assigned country codes (position on 15 December 2016); checked 2026-10-19. - Time
- UTC+00:00 in January, UTC+01:00 in July (2026)
IANA zones: Europe/London
Source: IANA Time Zone Database 2026e (zone.tab); UTC offsets computed for 15 Jan and 15 Jul 2026 with Node.js ICU tz 2026a; checked 2026-10-19.
United Kingdom codes and abbreviations
| Standard | Code |
|---|---|
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 | GB |
| ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 | GBR |
| ISO 3166-1 numeric | 826 |
| ISO 4217 currency (Pound Sterling) | GBP · 826 |
| Country-code top-level domain | .uk |
| ITU-T E.164 country code | +44 |
Sources: Natural Earth (ISO 3166-1), ISO 4217 list one (SIX), IANA Root Zone Database, ITU E.164 list; linked with dates in the sections above.
Fun facts about United Kingdom
- With about 285 people per km², it is 19th by density in that list.
- It has the largest population of the 10 entries in Northern Europe from Travle's country list.
- English has official status in 91 territories in Unicode CLDR, United Kingdom among them.
- It has a single land neighbour in Natural Earth's boundary data.
- The longest Travle trip from United Kingdom takes 1 steps, to Ireland.
- The Pound Sterling is listed for 4 entries in ISO 4217.
- UNESCO lists 35 World Heritage properties in United Kingdom; the earliest inscription dates from 1986.
Each fact is calculated from the sources cited on this page.
How far can you travel from United Kingdom in Travle?
Starting from United Kingdom and moving one border at a time, this is how many countries in the game's map you reach at each step. Countries that need a sea crossing never appear, because the game only follows land borders.
| Steps | Countries | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 |
In total 1 of the 171 other countries in the map can be reached by land. The longest trips take 1 step and end in Ireland. The other 170 cannot be reached without crossing the sea (50 in Africa, 46 in Asia, 36 in Europe, 18 in North America, 13 in South America, 7 in Oceania).
Nearby routes from United Kingdom
Shortest land routes in the game's map to the countries up to 3 steps away. There can be several routes of the same length; this list shows one. The section above shows how many countries are reachable in total.
- Ireland: 1 step (United Kingdom → Ireland)
World Heritage in United Kingdom
UNESCO lists 35 World Heritage properties in United Kingdom: 29 cultural, 5 natural and 1 mixed. The first 7 were inscribed in 1986.
- Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (cultural, inscribed 1986)
- Durham Castle and Cathedral (cultural, inscribed 1986)
- Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast (natural, inscribed 1986)
- Ironbridge Gorge (cultural, inscribed 1986)
- St Kilda (mixed, inscribed 1986)
- Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (cultural, inscribed 1986)
- Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey (cultural, inscribed 1986)
- Blenheim Palace (cultural, inscribed 1987)
- City of Bath (cultural, inscribed 1987)
- Frontiers of the Roman Empire (cultural, inscribed 1987, shared with other countries)
- Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church (cultural, inscribed 1987)
- Canterbury Cathedral, St Augustine's Abbey, and St Martin's Church (cultural, inscribed 1988)
Showing the 12 earliest of 35. The full list is on the UNESCO website.
Source: UNESCO World Heritage List (XML feed); checked 2026-10-19. Names as listed by UNESCO; descriptions on this page are our own.
United Kingdom — frequently asked questions
What is the capital of United Kingdom?
London.
Which countries border United Kingdom?
On land, Ireland, according to Natural Earth's boundary data. The Travle map uses the same neighbours.
What currency and language does United Kingdom use?
The currency is the Pound Sterling (GBP). Unicode CLDR gives English official status.
How far can you travel from United Kingdom in Travle?
Following land borders only, 1 countries are reachable. The farthest need 1 steps: Ireland.
How many people live in United Kingdom?
The World Bank counts 69,487,000 people for 2025.
How big is United Kingdom?
243,610 km² of surface area (2024), according to the World Bank.
What is the dialling code and internet domain of United Kingdom?
The international dialling code is +44 and the country-code domain is .uk.
What time zone does United Kingdom use?
UTC+00:00 in January, UTC+01:00 in July (2026).
Keep exploring
- Spin the country wheel to get a random country.
- Play Travle and try to cross the map border by border.
- Browse all countries of the world, countries by population, capitals, country codes or try the flag quiz.