Kingdom of Four Political Regions

The United Kingdom is made up of four regions: Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The government is a constitutional monarchy. Today, the British king or queen is only a symbol of power. Parliament has the actual power to govern. The British Parliament is made up of two parts. The House of Lords are nobles. The House of Commons are representatives. They are elected by the citizens. The House of Commons is the more powerful of the two. The prime minister is the head of government. He or she belongs to the political party that has the most seats in the House of Commons. The job of the other parties is to question government rules and laws. Northern Ireland has long been an area of struggle. Irish Catholic nationalists and Irish Protestants often have conflicts.

Many Irish Catholics wanted Northern Ireland to secede. They did not want to be part of the United Kingdom. They

wanted Northern Ireland to join with the Republic of Ireland. Irish Protestants supported the United Kingdom government. Important rivers flowing into the North Sea are the Thames, Humber, Tees, and Tyne. In the west are the Severn and Wye, which empty into the Bristol Channel and are navigable.