Is the united kingdom a country? if so is england, ireland etc are countries witthin a country??

Question

THANKS

Answer 1

The United Kingdom is a country. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are commonly thought of as separate countries and have distinct cultural differences but are in fact parts of a union. This is somewhat like states in the U.S. The British Parliament and the Queen rule over the entirety of the UK including all four unions and not just England as is commonly thought since the house sits in London.  

On a side note: The country of Ireland is a sovereign nation and not a part of the United Kingdom having achieved independence whilst the state of Northern Ireland is still a part of the U.K.