The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK), is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It is an island nation in northwestern Europe. England is an important tourist destination and home to the site of neolithic Stonehenge, Baths Roman spa, and centuries-old universities at Oxford and Cambridge. The UKs economy is one of the strongest in Europe, with many important industries, including manufacturing, high tech, film, publishing, car production, tourism, education, financial services, and food production. The service sector is the dominant sector in the UK economy. London is the world capital for foreign exchange trading. The UK is currently an important member of the European Union (EU); however, in a 2016 referendum the country voted to leave the EU. The European Countries Today series provides information on the 15 of the most important countries in Europe. Each book in the series describes the history, geography, economy, culture, and relationship each country has with its neighbors. There is also a separate title, European Union Facts & Figures, which provides statistical and factual information about the European Union. Each title in this series includes color photos throughout, and back matter including: an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities and expand their viewpoints through our content rich non-fiction books. Key Icons in this series are as follows: Words to Understand are shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definiti
