View source for Administrative geography of the United Kingdom

{{short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use British English|date=May 2020}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}
[[File:Map of the administrative geography of the United Kingdom.png|thumb|250px|Administrative units of the United Kingdom]]

The '''administrative geography of the United Kingdom''' is intricate, layered, and inconsistent across its constituent nations. As a sovereign state located northwest of [[continental Europe]], the [[United Kingdom]] comprises [[England]], [[Northern Ireland]], [[Scotland]], and [[Wales]]. Each of these nations operates its own distinct system of [[local government]] and [[Territorial division|territorial divisions]]. As a result, there is no single, unified layer of administrative units that spans the entire United Kingdom.<ref name="UN">{{cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-48-Add1.pdf |title=Ninth United Nations Conference on the standardization of Geographical Names |date=August 2007 |author=United Nations Economic and Social Council |publisher=unstats.un.org |access-date=2008-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081030183619/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/geoinfo/9th-UNCSGN-Docs/E-CONF-98-48-Add1.pdf |archive-date=30 October 2008 |url-status=dead |author-link=United Nations Economic and Social Council }}</ref>

As there is no written document that comprehensively encompasses the [[Constitution of the United Kingdom|British constitution]], and owing to a convoluted [[history of the formation of the United Kingdom]], a variety of terms are used to refer to its constituent parts, which are sometimes called the four [[countries of the United Kingdom]].<ref name="IsScotland?">{{cite web|url=http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/faq/category2.htm|publisher=scottish.parliament.uk|author=Scottish Parliament|access-date=2008-08-01|title=Your Scotland questions; Is Scotland a country?|quote=As the UK has no written constitution in the usual sense, constitutional terminology is fraught with difficulties of interpretation and it is common usage nowadays to describe the four constituent parts of the UK (Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland) as “countries”.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621091953/http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/vli/publicInfo/faq/category2.htm|archive-date=21 June 2008|url-status=dead|author-link=Scottish Parliament}}</ref> The four are sometimes collectively referred to as the [[Home Nations]], particularly in sporting contexts. Although the four countries are important for legal and governmental purposes, they are not comparable to administrative subdivisions of most other countries.

The United Kingdom also contains 17 [[#Dependent territories|dependent territories]] which are not officially a part of the UK but are represented by it in places like the UN.

Historically, the subnational divisions of the UK have been the [[Counties of the United Kingdom|county]]<ref>Bryne, T., ''Local Government in Britain'', (1994)</ref> and the [[ecclesiastical parish]], while following the emergence of a unified [[parliament of the United Kingdom]], the [[Wards of the United Kingdom|ward]] and [[United Kingdom constituencies|constituency]] have been pan-UK political subdivisions. More contemporary divisions include [[Lieutenancy area]]s and the statistical territories defined with the modern [[International Territorial Level]] (formerly [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]]) and [[ISO 3166-2:GB]] systems.

==History==
{{main|History of the formation of the United Kingdom}}

[[Image:British Isles Euler diagram 15.svg|thumb|250px|left|[[Euler diagram]] of the [[British Isles]]]]
This structure was formed by the [[political union|union]] agreed between the former [[Sovereignty|sovereign states]], the [[Kingdom of England]] (including the [[Principality of Wales]]) and the [[Kingdom of Scotland]] in the [[Treaty of Union]] and enacted by the ''[[Acts of Union 1707]]'' to form the single [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] (1707–1800); followed by the ''[[Act of Union 1800]]'', which combined Great Britain with the [[Kingdom of Ireland]] to form the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]. The [[independence]] of the [[Irish Free State]] in 1922, following the [[partition of Ireland]], resulted in the present-day [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]].

Wales was incorporated into the English legal system through the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542]], the earlier [[Statute of Rhuddlan]] having restricted but not abolished Welsh Law following the [[Edwardian conquest]] in 1282.  As a result, [[England and Wales]] are treated as a single entity for some purposes, principally that they share a legal system (see [[English law]]), while Scotland and Northern Ireland each have a separate legal system (see [[Scots Law]] and [[Northern Ireland law]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/acts_of_union_01.shtml |title=Acts of Union: The creation of the United Kingdom |last=Macinnes |first=Professor Allan I. |date=17 February 2017 |publisher=BBC |access-date=13 November 2019}}</ref>

[[Northern Ireland]] was the first part of the British Isles to have a [[devolved]] government, under the ''[[Government of Ireland Act 1920]]'', and that continued until the [[Parliament of Northern Ireland]] was suspended in 1972. After a period of [[Direct rule over Northern Ireland|direct rule]] by the Westminster government and some abortive attempts at reinstating devolved government during the [[The Troubles|Troubles]], the present-day [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] was established in 1998, and is currently in operation following a number of periods of suspension. The complex history of Northern Ireland has led to differing views as to its status. The term "Province" is often used by [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] and British commentators to refer to Northern Ireland, but not by [[Irish nationalism|nationalists]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Northern Ireland Civil Service under Direct Rule and Devolution |journal=International Review of Administrative Sciences |volume=69 |issue=2 |pages=205–217 |last=Carmichael |first=Paul |date=1 June 2003 |publisher=International Review of Administrative Services |doi=10.1177/0020852303069002006 |s2cid=155060595 }}</ref>

==Overview of administration==

Following [[Brexit]] the UK [[Office for National Statistics|ONS]] replaced the [[EU]] [[NUTS1]] regional model with its own [[International Territorial Level]] model, continuing the treatment of the 3 [[Home Nations]] alongside the 9 [[Regions of England]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|+ Overview of administrative divisions of the UK
!Sovereign State
| colspan="9" |[[United Kingdom]]{{sup|[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|[L]]]}}
|-
!Constituent country
| colspan="6" |[[England]]
(without devolution)
| rowspan="2" |[[Wales]]{{sup|[[Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament|[L]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Scotland]]{{sup|[[Scottish Parliament|[L]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Northern Ireland]]{{sup|[[Northern Ireland Assembly|[L]]]}}
|-
! rowspan="2" |Authority area
| colspan="6" rowspan="2" |[[Greater London Authority]] and [[combined authority]] areas,{{sup|[C]}} other areas
|-
| colspan="3" |(with devolution)
|-
!Lieutenancy area
| colspan="6" |[[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial counties]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Preserved counties of Wales|Preserved counties]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Lieutenancy areas of Scotland|Lieutenancy areas]]
| rowspan="2" |[[Lieutenancy areas of Northern Ireland|Lieutenancy areas]]
|-
!County type
| colspan="2" |[[Non-metropolitan county|Non-metropolitan]]
|[[Metropolitan county|Metropolitan]]
| colspan="3" |''Unique''
|-
!County council area
|Two-tier council area{{sup|[[List of county councils in England|[C]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Unitary authorities of England|Unitary authority]] areas{{sup|[C][U]}}
|''None''
|''None''
| rowspan="2" |[[City of London]]{{sup|[[City of London Corporation|[C]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Isles of Scilly]]{{sup|[[Council of the Isles of Scilly|[C]]][S]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Local government in Wales|Principal areas]]{{sup|[[County council#Wales|[C]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Local government in Scotland|Council areas]]{{sup|[[Local government in Scotland#Governance and administration|[C]]]}}
| rowspan="2" |[[Local government in Northern Ireland|Districts]]{{sup|[C]}}
|-
!District
|[[Non-metropolitan district]]s{{sup|[B][C]}}
|[[Metropolitan borough]]s{{sup|[B][[Metropolitan borough#Metropolitan district councils|[C]]]}}
|[[London boroughs]]{{sup|[[London boroughs#London borough councils|[C]]]}}
|-
!Parish
| colspan="4" |[[Civil parishes]]{{sup|[[Parish councils in England|[C]]][T]}}
|''None''
|[[Parish councils in England|Civil parishes]]
|[[Community (Wales)|Communities]]{{sup|[[Community council#Wales|[M]]]}}
|[[Community council#Scotland|Communities]]{{sup|[V]}}
|([[Civil parishes in Ireland|Civil parishes]]){{sup|[W]}}
|}

;Notes

The markers above link to relevant articles where available.

:{{sup|[B]}} Can have city, borough or royal borough status
:{{sup|[C]}} Has a council
:{{sup|[L]}} Has a legislature
:{{sup|[M]}} May have a council
:{{sup|[S]}} ''Sui generis'' unitary authority.  Not a county nor part of [[Cornwall]].  Powers similar to a mainland county.
:{{sup|[T]}} Can have city, town, village or neighbourhood status.  Not all areas of England have parishes, especially metropolitan areas.
:{{sup|[U]}} County council areas comprising one district.  The council is at either county or district level.
:{{sup|[V]}} Limited administrative functions
:{{sup|[W]}} No administrative functions

==Systems of government==
{{PoliticsUK}}

=== England ===
{{main|England|Local government in England|Subdivisions of England}}

#England has no [[devolved English parliament|devolved national legislature or government]].
#Varied upper administration levels
##[[Combined authorities]]<!--No combined county authorities exist yet-->
##[[County councils]]
##[[Greater London Authority]]
#[[Districts of England|Districts]] (all of England) can be called cities, boroughs or royal boroughs. Separate legislation exists for:
##[[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authorities]]
##[[non-metropolitan districts]]
##[[metropolitan boroughs]]
##[[London borough]]s
##[[sui generis]] status (the [[City of London]] and [[Isle of Scilly]]).
#[[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]]es with parish or town councils, most of England but not as common in larger urban areas.

=== Northern Ireland===
{{main|Northern Ireland|Local government in Northern Ireland}}

Northern Ireland has the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] and [[Northern Ireland Executive]] established under the [[Good Friday Agreement]]. During periods where the devolved institutions were suspended, executive government in Northern Ireland was administered directly by the [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]] and laws made in the [[United Kingdom Parliament]] – known as ''"direct rule"'' in contrast to [[devolution]].

For local government, Northern Ireland is divided into 11 [[districts of Northern Ireland|districts]], which are unitary authorities.

Northern Ireland is divided into six traditional [[Counties of Northern Ireland|counties]].  Though widely used, these no longer serve any administrative purpose.

===Scotland ===
{{main|Scotland|Local government in Scotland|Subdivisions of Scotland}}

Scotland has a devolved [[legislature]], the [[Scottish Parliament]], with a government, the [[Scottish Government]], since 1999. The Scottish Government is headed by the [[First Minister of Scotland]] who is responsible for all areas of decision making, government policy as well as the [[International relations of Scotland|international engagement of Scotland]].<ref>{{cite web |title=First Minister |url=https://www.gov.scot/about/who-runs-government/first-minister/ |website=www.gov.scot |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The Scottish Parliament is made up of 129 elected [[Members of the Scottish Parliament]] (MSPs), with the population of Scotland being represented by a number of 8 MSPs. The Scottish Parliament consists of two types of MSPs – a constituency MSP who represents the local area, and seven regional list MSPs who collectively represent the larger area that includes any given constituency.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why you have 8 MSPs |url=https://www.parliament.scot/msps/about-msps/why-you-have-8-msps |website=www.parliament.scot |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

The Scottish Parliament meets at [[Scottish Parliament Building|Holyrood]], located in the capital city of [[Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite web |title=About The Building |url=https://external.parliament.scot/help/9983.aspx |website=external.parliament.scot |access-date=11 April 2024 |date=19 June 2014 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Edinburgh is also the seat of [[Bute House]], the [[official residence]] of the First Minister, as well as the [[Palace of Holyroodhouse]], the official residence of the [[British monarchy|monarch]] in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Palace of Holyroodhouse today |url=https://www.rct.uk/visit/palace-of-holyroodhouse/the-palace-of-holyroodhouse-today |website=www.rct.uk |access-date=11 April 2024 |language=en}}</ref> The highest courts in Scotland operating under the countries [[Scots law|legal system]] – the [[High Court of Justiciary]] and the [[Court of Session]] (known collectively as the [[Supreme Courts of Scotland]]) – are based at [[Parliament House, Edinburgh]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Edinburgh High Court |url=https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/court-locations/edinburgh-high-court |website=www.scotcourts.gov.uk |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>

For local government, Scotland has 32 [[council areas of Scotland|council areas]] (unitary authorities). Below this uniform level of subdivision, there are varying levels of [[area committees]] in the larger rural council areas, and many small [[community councils]] throughout the country, although these are not universal. Scottish community councils have few if any powers beyond being a forum for raising issues of concern.

===Wales ===
{{main|Wales|Local government in Wales}}

Wales has an elected, devolved legislature, the [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament; {{Langx|cy|Senedd Cymru}}), from which the [[Welsh Government]] is drawn.
For local government, Wales consists of 22 unitary authorities: 10 [[county borough]]s, 9 Counties, and 3 Cities.  Below these are community councils, which have powers similar to those of English parish councils.

The 22 unitary authorities are grouped into [[Preserved counties of Wales|preserved counties]], which are used for ceremonial purposes.  Although based on the [[subdivisions of Wales|counties]] used for local government between 1974 and 1996, they no longer have an administrative function.

==Democratic representation==
===Parliaments===
{{see also|United Kingdom Parliament constituencies}}
Each of the 650 electoral areas or divisions called [[Constituency|constituencies]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] has, since 1950, elected one [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) to represent it at the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]].  Before 1950, some constituencies elected two or more MPs using the [[plurality bloc vote]] system, and before the [[Reform Act 1832]] nearly all constituencies in England returned two MPs.

The devolved [[Scottish Parliament]], the Welsh [[Senedd]] both use an [[additional member system]] of elections, which combines single-member constituencies with multi-member electoral regions.

Elections to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]] are held under the [[single transferable vote]] (STV) system, in 18 multi-member constituencies.

===Local government===
The [[wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom]] are electoral districts at subnational level represented by one or more councillors at [[local authority]] level, or else used to divide the electorate into [[electoral district]]s for voting. It is the primary unit of British electoral geography.

==Informal divisions==

There are also many informal, historical and special purpose regional designations. Some such as the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands of Scotland]] have or have had, to some extent, formal boundaries. Others such as the [[London commuter belt]] are more diffuse. Some such as [[Snowdonia]] ({{langx|cy|Eryri}}) have a formal boundary in some contexts; in this case as a [[National Park]]. Others such as [[The Fens]] of eastern [[England]] are quite distinctly [[intensional definition|defined]] by [[geography]] but do not form any official [[polity|entity]].

==International subdivisions==
The UK's [[Office for National Statistics]], the [[International Organization for Standardization]] and before 2021 [[Eurostat]], have developed subdivision codes for the UK. See [[ITL (UK)]] and [[ISO 3166-2:GB]].

==Dependent territories==
[[Image:British_Overseas_Territories_and_Crown_Dependencies.svg|thumb|500px|Administrative units of the United Kingdom and its dependent territories]]
The United Kingdom has 17 dependent territories in total: three "[[Crown Dependencies]]" in the British Isles and in the [[English Channel]] and fourteen "[[British Overseas Territories|overseas territories]]" scattered around the world.

Unlike other former colonial powers, the British Government does not classify its overseas possessions (or the crown dependencies, which share historical ties with the British Crown) as subdivisions of the United Kingdom itself; rather, each is treated in law as a separate jurisdiction. Most have their own legislatures and a degree of autonomy usually exceeding that of the devolved UK nations, including fiscal independence.

Out of the 14 overseas territories, 10 are autonomous, two used primarily as military bases, [[South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands|one uninhabited]], and [[British Antarctic Territory|one an Antarctic claim]].

However, the UK retains varying degrees of responsibility in all of the territories, currently ranging from full political control to a largely ceremonial presence. The main reserved matters are the areas of diplomacy, international treaties, defence and security. The UK also retains in all territories a residual responsibility for 'good governance', a loosely defined constitutional concept recently exemplified by its imposition of direct rule following alleged serious corruption in the [[Turks and Caicos Islands]]. The UK parliament at Westminster, and the British Government through the Privy Council, both retain the power to legislate for the overseas territories – though by convention will usually only do so with each local government's consent.

The three [[Crown Dependencies]] within the British Isles are self-governing<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/about/moj/our-responsibilities/Background_Briefing_on_the_Crown_Dependencies2.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2015-03-09 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022130846/http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/about/moj/our-responsibilities/Background_Briefing_on_the_Crown_Dependencies2.pdf |archive-date=2015-10-22 }} Background briefing on the Crown dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man</ref> possessions of [[the Crown|the British Crown]]. They are distinct from the British overseas territories of the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmjust/56/5604.htm|title=House of Commons – Crown Dependencies – Justice Committee|first=The Committee Office, House of|last=Commons|website=publications.parliament.uk|access-date=3 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120625201135/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmselect/cmjust/56/5604.htm|archive-date=25 June 2012}}</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Countries of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Types of subdivision of the United Kingdom]]
*[[Devolution in the United Kingdom]]
*[[European Parliament constituencies in the United Kingdom]]
*[[British Isles (terminology)]]
*[[British Overseas Territories]]
*[[Crown Dependencies]]
*[[List of subnational entities]]
*[[ONS coding system|Office for National Statistics coding system]] for counties, districts, wards and census areas
*[[List of regions of the United Kingdom by Human Development Index]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071028044626/http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/findcontactbrowse?r.l1=1073909872&topicId=1074537118 Browsable list of all UK local authorities' contact details and websites on the Business Link website]
*[http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/geography/beginner-s-guide/index.html Beginners' guide to UK geography – administrative geography]

{{United Kingdom topics}}
{{UK subdivisions}}
{{Europe topic|Subdivisions of}}
{{Articles on first-level administrative divisions of European countries}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Administrative Geography Of The United Kingdom}}
[[Category:Geography of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Government of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Lists of subdivisions of the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Types of subdivision in the United Kingdom| ]]
[[Category:United Kingdom by country]]