The Houses of Parliament in London is the seat of UK government. This famed structure sits upon the River Thames (pronounced "tems"). The clock tower at far right contains Big Ben -- not the clock itself, but the 13th bell that chimes the hours.

THE COUNTRY

The Harry Potter saga takes place in the United Kingdom (UK). The Muggle scenes are set in the fictional town of Little Whinging in the county of Surrey, England. Surrey really exists and is in southeast England near London.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is in a hidden place in Scotland (the author specifically said the school is there in an interview reprinted in Scholastic's Conversations with J.K. Rowling). The castle is disguised as a dangerous ruin, with a sign warning Muggles to stay away, according to The Goblet of Fire.

Sometimes the UK is called "England," or "Great Britain," but these are names for just one part of this monarchy. The official name is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." "Great Britain" refers to England, Scotland and Wales, which joined together under the Act of Union in 1707. It also includes Northern Ireland.

The UK was at one time the world's most powerful nation, with the most feared navy on earth. At one point in the 1800s, the UK controlled about one-fourth of the Earth's land. The strength of the country is reflected in the words of a 1740 song by Thomas Arne (taken from a poem by James Thompson):

Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves;
Britons never will be slaves.

The nations not so blest as thee,
Shall in their turns to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.

During the 20th century, the UK's land holdings gradually decreased. Today, some of the old empire still exists as independent nations or dominions that keep Queen Elizabeth II as their leader: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Bermuda and the Bahamas.

By the end of the 20th century, the UK was striving to hold its own as an industrial leader in Europe. Today it is a leader in agriculture and has great natural gas, coal and oil reserves. The largest part of the UK's gross domestic product is banking, insurance and financial services. The manufacturing industry has decreased during the century, but still remains an important employer.

The Republic of Ireland won its independent status from the UK in 1921 through a treaty. Its citizens are mostly Catholic. Northern Ireland consists of six counties that belong to the UK and are primarily Protestant. There have been conflicts between the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland since the 1920s. The Catholics want to reunite the six counties with the Irish Republic, while the Protestants wish to stay within the UK. There has been much bloodshed and death over this issue. The best known aspect of this conflict have been battles between the Irish Republican Army and the UK military.

GOVERNMENT

Buckingham Palace, one of the royal family's official residences, remains a popular tourist attraction.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy, meaning it has a royal head of state, as well as a constitution that sets up a legislative branch (the Parliament) executive branch (queen and prime minister) and judicial branch (court system). This means that the king or queen is more of a symbolic leader and is the "chief of state." Most day-to-day leadership is with the Parliament and the prime minister, who is designated "head of government."

The Parliament consists of the Houses of Commons and Lords. The members of Parliament (MPs) in the 659-seat Commons are popularly elected, like the people serving in the United States House of Representatives and Senate. Political districts from which MPs come are called constituencies. All UK citizens in good standing over the age may register to vote.

The two major political parties are the Conservatives -- nicknamed "Tories" -- and Labour. The Conservatives hold political views something like U.S. Republicans, favoring less government regulation, encouragement of business and economy and making government-owned or operated agencies private ("privatizaton"). Labour resembles U.S. Democrats with their platform for the "working man" and more support for government programs, especially in the social services area.

Smaller parties include Liberal Democrats, Ulster Unionists, Scottish Nationalists, Plaid Cymru, Social Democratic and Labor, Ulster Democratic Unionists, Independents, Sinn Fein and Scottish Labor member.

Prime Minister Tony Blair

The House of Lords consists of the "Lords Temporal" and the "Lords Spiritual," represent the official state religion, the Church of England. They are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, the Bishops of London, Durham and Winchester, and 21 senior diocesan bishops (a diocese is religious governing district). The Lords Temporal were until the end of the 20th century hereditary peers (nobles). The peers currently in the House of Lords have lifetime rights to their seats, but they are no longer hereditary positions.

The prime minister (PM) is usually the representative of the political party that has won the most seats in Parliament in the most recently election. The PM receives the traditional seals of power from the reigning king or queen when he or she takes office. He or she traditionally lives at 10 Downing St. in London and appoints members to a cabinet. The current PM is Tony Blair, from the Labour Party. The PM is a very powerful person in terms of hiring and firing officials and shaping government policy.

ROYALTY

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The monarchy remains important and well-known in society, despite the occasional calls to abolish it because it is too expensive and/or outdated. It is tradition, and tradition is very hard to change or dismiss. The royal influence persists and cannot be separated from the UK government. It is a symbol of the country and government -- often called the "Crown" or "Her Majesty's Government."

Queen Elizabeth II (born 21 April 1926) is the current monarch. She ascended to the throne in February 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI. In 2002, Elizabeth is marking her golden julibee, or 50th year upon the throne. She married to Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1947. She is the mother of four children: Prince Charles (the Prince of Wales, born 1948); Prince Andrew (the Duke of York, born 1960); Prince Edward (the Duke of Wessex, born 1964) and Princess Anne (the Princess Royal, born 1954).

Prince Charles is the current heir to the throne. His sons, born to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, are William (born 1982, second in line to the throne) and Henry (called "Harry," boron 1984, third in line).

Prince Charles

A popular member of the royal family is the frequently smiley "Queen Mum," the widow of King George VI and the mother of Queen Elizabeth. She was born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon on 4 August 1900 and major celebrations marked 100th birthday in 2000. She is the longest living British royal ever. She is considered a commoner, because she was not born into a royal family. However, she was still born to wealthy Scottish nobles who were descended from the Scottish royal family. Queen Mother Elizabeth is known for her cheerful personality, kindness and intelligence -- she was fluent in French by age 10 and supported the nurses caring for soldiers during World War I, when her family's castle temporarily became a hospital.

Though Queen Elizabeth may be regarded as a figurehead, the government must still consult with her on every aspect of national life in the UK. She opens meetings of the Privy Council and Parliament; meets with foreign heads of states or their representatives; receives information on cabinet decisions; and signs important governmental documents. The queen also is commander-in-chief of the UK military and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Members of the royal family at a gathering (from left) Queen Mother Elizabeth ("Queen Mum"), Prince William, Prince Charles, Prince Harry.

Fact: the current family has German roots through Elizabeth and Philip. The queen's great-grandfather was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Germany, and the consort and husband of Queen Victoria. Her ancestry also reaches back to King George I (who ruled in the early 1700s), who was from Hanover, Germany. He became king because he was the closest relative of Queen Anne; only a Protestant could be a ruler of Great Britain. Hanover family members ruled in both Germany and the UK at the time.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, also can trace his ancestry to Germany -- his mother was a Battenberg. During World War I, when the UK was fighting Germany, a decree in 1917 by Queen Victoria's grandson, George V, changed the royal family name to the more English "Windsor." It's the name of a castle. When Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor married Prince Philip, he was carrying the name Mountbatten, the English version of Battenberg (berg is German for mountain). Elizabeth took the name Windsor-Mountbatten, but the dynasty (family of rulers) is the House of Windsor. The name passed to her children, and then on to her son's children.

OTHER POLITICAL INFORMATION

Flag: The colors of red, white and blue. The main field (background) is blue, with the red Cross of St. George, edged in white. It crosses over the red diagonal cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The St. Patrick's Cross itself is superimposed over the white Cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The current flag has been in use since about 1801, when the cross of St. Patrick was added. It is nicknamed the "Union Jack" because it is the union of the symbols for England, Scotland and Ireland (which are also in a union themselves called the "UK"), and because when it first was flown on naval ships, it was raised on the "jack staff."

Units of money: The pound (£). The UK money system is decimal, like most currency systems in the world. One pound = 100 pence. The current value is about £1 = $1.45-$1.50 U.S. The exchange rate varies daily. Although the UK is a member of the European Union, it has decided not to use the euro (€), the group's official currency, at this time. On 1 January 2002, 12 EU member states began using the Euro in place of their local currencies; the UK is among three that have not adopted it.

Local governmental units: Forty-seven boroughs, 36 counties, 29 London boroughs, 12 cities and boroughs, 10 districts, 12 cities, 3 royal boroughs. Boroughs are either districts within a large city, such as London, or part of a county.

GEOGRAPHY FACTS

Population: Nearly 60 million (as of mid-2001)

Land area: 244,820 square kilometers (94,525 square miles)

Coastline: 12,429 kilometers (7,723 miles)

Climate: Temperate. More than half the days are cloudy.

Terrain: Mostly rugged hills and mountains, with level to rolling plains in the east and southeast. About 25 percent of the land is suitable for planting.

Lowest point: Fenland -4 meters (-13 feet)

Highest point: Ben Nevis, Scotland, 1,343 meters (4,406 feet)

CULTURAL

Ethnic groups: English, 81.5 percent; Scottish, 9.6 percent; Irish, 2.4 percent; Welsh, 1.9 percent; Ulster, 1.8 percent; West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and others, 2.8 percent

Languages: English; other languages spoken are Gaelic, Welsh and native languages of ethnic populations, such as Pakistani or Hindi.

Life expectancy: Men, 74 years; women, 79 years

Literacy rate: 99 percent (for age 15 and over)

Time zone: Greenwich Mean Time. Other time zones spread out from this one, which could be considered the major reference point for the Earth's time zone system.

Religions: The Church of England is the official state religion. There are also Jewish, Islamic, Catholic, Sikh, Hindu and Protestant groups in smaller numbers.

TRANSPORTATION

Railways: The UK is still heavily traveled by passenger trains. It is appropriate, then, that J.K. Rowling invented the Hogarts Express. The total rail system is 16,878 kilometers (10,488 miles), which includes freight lines.

Roads: 371,603 kilometers (230,903 miles) of paved roads and highways.

Waterways: 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles)

Airports: 489. The busiest is Heathrow Airport in London.

SOURCES AND MORE INFO

The World Factbook, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The spy agency has some really detailed descriptions on every country on earth.

Britpolitics. More info than you cared to know about the British government system.

History of "Rule, Britannia": the Britannia Web site. Also lots of touristy stuff.

Another travel site by the British Tourist Authority has created Discovering the Magic of Britain, a map and guide to the locations used in the first Harry Potter movie. There also is loads of stuff about the UK at the main site.

Also, thanks to Michael Mellor for some corrections to the political information.

Photographs of the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace are from FreeFoto. The animated UK flag is from 3DFlags.com.