Fun Facts about the UK

1. Big Ben does not refer to the famous clock, but actually to the bell.

2. Champagne was invented in England by scientist Christopher Merret in 1662.

3. Windsor Castle is the largest royal home in the world. It is also the oldest continually inhabited royal residence in Britain, having been built by William the Conqueror around A.D. 1080.

4. London has a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.

5. Until 1832, England only had two universities: Oxford and Cambridge.

6. Golf is Scotland’s national game.

7. Cardiff, Wales, is home to the world’s oldest record shop, Spillers, founded in 1894.

8. The Queen doesn’t have a passport.

9. British Library in London is the largest library in the world. It has more than 170 million items catalogued.

10. United Kingdom is the only country in the world without a written constitution.

11. Scottish Gaelic is one of only four Celtic languages to survive into the modern age. Welsh, Breton, and Irish Gaelic are the other three.

12. In the UK, if you reach your 100th birthday, you get a personalized card from the Queen.

13. Every day, the British drink 165 million cups of tea, which is over 20 times more than the average American.