British Virgin Islands; the Cayman Islands; the Falkland Islands;

Gibraltar; Montserrat; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; the

Turks and Caicos Islands; the Pitcairn Islands; South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands; and Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus.[152] British
claims in Antarctica are not universally recognised.[153] Collectively
Britain's overseas territories encompass an approximate land area of
1,727,570 square kilometres (667,018 sq mi) and a population of
approximately 260,000 people.[154] They are the remnants of the British
Empire and several have specifically voted to remain British territories
(Bermuda in 1995, Gibraltar in 2002 and the Falkland Islands in
2013).[155]
The Crown dependencies are possessions of the Crown, as opposed to
overseas territories of the UK.[156] They comprise three independently
administered jurisdictions: the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey in
the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. By mutual
agreement, the British Government manages the islands' foreign affairs
and defence and the UK Parliament has the authority to legislate on their
behalf. However, internationally, they are regarded as "territories for
which the United Kingdom is responsible".[157] The power to pass
legislation affecting the islands ultimately rests with their own
respective legislative assemblies, with the assent of the Crown (Privy
Council or, in the case of the Isle of Man, in certain circumstances the
Lieutenant-Governor).[158] Since 2005 each Crown dependency has had a
Chief Minister as its head of government.[159]
Politics
Main articles: Politics of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of the United
Kingdom and Elections in the United Kingdom
Elderly lady with a yellow hat and grey hair is smiling in outdoor
setting.
Elizabeth II is Queen of the United Kingdom and each of the other
Commonwealth realms.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as monarch of
fifteen other independent Commonwealth countries. The monarch has "the
right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to
warn".[160] The Constitution of the United Kingdom is uncodified and
consists mostly of a collection of disparate written sources, including
statutes, judge-made case law and international treaties, together with
constitutional conventions.[161] As there is no technical difference
between ordinary statutes and "constitutional law", the UK Parliament can
perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts of Parliament, and
thus has the political power to change or abolish almost any written or
unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass
laws that future Parliaments cannot change.[162]
Government
Main article: Government of the United Kingdom
The UK has a parliamentary government based on the Westminster system
that has been emulated around the world: a legacy of the British Empire.
The parliament of the United Kingdom meets in the Palace of Westminster
and has two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed House of
Lords. All bills passed are given Royal Assent before becoming law.
The position of prime minister,[nb 8] the UK's head of government,[163]
belongs to the person most likely to command the confidence of the House
of Commons; this individual is typically the leader of the political
party or coalition of parties that holds the largest number of seats in
that chamber. The prime minister chooses a cabinet and its members are