What is the United Kingdom's National Day?

The National Day of the United Kingdom is a date that varies from year to year and coincides with the official celebration of the Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Although the real date of her birthday is on the 21st April 2008 (born in 1926), the official date is celebrated in the United Kingdom in mid June, for weather related reasons. The Ambassadors have flexibility to chose the date to mark this celebration in the countries where they are accredited, but always in mid June. For more information, please visit the website of the British Monarchy.

What are the official holidays in the United Kingdom? What are Bank Holidays?

The official public holidays in the United Kingdom are:

New Year’s Day (1st January)
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
May Bank Holiday
Spring Bank Holiday (Last Monday of May)
Summer Bank Holiday (Last Monday of August)
Christmas Day (25th December)
Boxing Day (26th December)

The majority of public holidays in the United Kingdom are known as bank holidays – so called because these are days on which banks are legally closed. Excluding Christmas, Boxing Day and Easter Sunday, all the other holidays vary from year to year and most fall on a Monday.

What are the national symbols of the countries that constitute the United Kingdom?

England – The Rose – Saint George’s Day – 23rd April
Scotland – The Thistle – Saint Andrew’s Day – 30th November
Wales – The Daffodil  - Saint David’s Day – 1st March
Northern Ireland – The Shamrock - Saint Patrick’s Day – 17th March

How is the climate in the United Kingdom?

The climate in the United Kingdom is classified as a mid-latitude oceanic climate.  The winter months from December to February are the coldest, with temperatures ranging about 5º C / 41º F. The temperature rises during the spring months from March to May and reaches the highest levels in the summer months between June and August.  During the autumn, between September and November, the temperatures falls gradually. The average annual precipitation is of 947mm. For more detailed information and to see the latest weather forecasts for cities and regions of the United Kingdom, please visit the Met office website.

What is the correct term: Great Britain or United Kingdom?

Both are correct, although they correspond to different realities. The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Its full name is “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Great Britain on the other hand, comprises only England, Scotland and Wales.  The Isle of man and the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom. They are largely self-governing with their own legislative assemblies and systems of law. The British Government is, however, responsible for their defence and international relations.

What is the UK national flag?  Is there a Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish flag?

The Union Flag, or Union Jack, is the national flag of the United Kingdom. It is so called because it combines the crosses of the three countries united under one Sovereign - the kingdoms of England and Wales, of Scotland and of Ireland (although since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom).   The flag consists of three heraldic crosses.  The cross of St George, patron saint of England since the 1270's, is a red cross on a white ground. After James I succeeded to the throne, it was combined with the cross of St. Andrew in 1606.  The cross saltire of St Andrew, patron saint of Scotland, is a diagonal white cross on a blue ground.  The cross saltire of St Patrick, patron saint of Ireland, is a diagonal red cross on a white ground.   This was combined with the previous Union Flag of St George and St Andrew, after the Act of Union of Ireland with England (and Wales) and Scotland on 1 January 1801, to create the Union Flag that has been flown ever since.

For more information please visit the website of the British Monarchy on the Internet.

I would like to learn the words of the UK National Anthem.

The British National Anthem dates back to the eighteenth century. 'God Save The King' was a patriotic song first publicly performed in London in 1745, which came to be known as the National Anthem at the beginning of the nineteenth century.  The words and tune are anonymous, and may date back to the seventeenth century.  In September 1745 the 'Young Pretender' to the British Throne, Prince Charles Edward Stuart, defeated the army of King George II at Prestonpans, near Edinburgh.   In a fit of patriotic fervour after news of Prestonpans had reached London, the leader of the band at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, arranged 'God Save The King' for performance after a play. It was a tremendous success and was repeated nightly.
This practice soon spread to other theatres, and the custom of greeting monarchs with the song as he or she entered a place of public entertainment was thus established.  There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. Additional verses have been added down the years, but these are rarely used.

The words used today are those sung in 1745, substituting 'Queen' for 'King' where appropriate. On official occasions, only the first verse is usually sung.
The words of the National Anthem are as follows:

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign.
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen.