Q 01/05

How many countries make up the United Kingdom?

A) Four

B) Two

C) Three

D) Five

Answer · why

A) Four

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; the Prime Minister's website has called it "countries within a country".

Q 02/05

Which country shares the UK's only land border?

A) Normandy, France

B) Republic of Ireland

C) Isle of Man

D) The Netherlands

Answer · why

B) Republic of Ireland

Northern Ireland's boundary with the Republic runs 310 miles; the UK is otherwise surrounded by sea.

Q 03/05

What is the capital of Scotland?

A) Glasgow

B) Aberdeen

C) Edinburgh

D) Dundee

Answer · why

C) Edinburgh

Cardiff and Belfast are the capitals of Wales and Northern Ireland; London serves both England and the UK.

Q 04/05

What is the capital of Wales?

A) Swansea

B) Newport

C) Wrexham

D) Cardiff

Answer · why

D) Cardiff

Cardiff, Swansea and Newport are each unitary authorities in their own right among the 22 in Wales.

Q 05/05

In which year did England and Scotland unite to form the Kingdom of Great Britain?

A) 1603

B) 1642

C) 1707

D) 1688

Answer · why

C) 1707

The Acts of Union declared them "United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain" on 1 May 1707.