ENGLAND: the birthplace of modern gin, but so very much more.

The United Kingdom, founded in 1707, is made up of four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Beyond the four countries, the U.K. also has sovereignty over the three Crown Dependencies (the Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey). However, as independent jurisdictions they are not part of the United Kingdom. The King serves as the islands’ head of state, but not technically as their king. In the Isle of Man, his title is Lord of Mann and in the Channel Islands, he has no specific title.

In the same way that the United States government has sovereignty over Puerto Rico, Guam and other territories beyond the 50 states, the United Kingdom’s sovereignty also extends to other territories beyond its borders. The 14 Overseas Territories in the diagram are the last remnants of the British Empire, former colonies that never claimed their independence or decided to remain under the umbrella of the U.K. They all belong to the constitutional monarchy of the United Kingdom and recognize the king as their monarch and head of state.

Separate from his role as Monarch of the United Kingdom, the King is also King of Canada, King of Australia, King of Jamaica, and King of the other 12 other sovereign states shown in the chart, known as Commonwealth Realms. Many of the countries have the Queen’s face on their currencies and several incorporate the Union Jack into their own flags, but the Royal Family has only a minor ceremonial role in their governments. Though the king is technically head of state for all of the Commonwealth Realms, in practice the head of state functions are carried out by official representatives, who each Realm nominates for itself.

The Commonwealth is the last remaining connection between the U.K. and [most of] its former colonies, which together make up about a third of the world’s population. The concept of the Commonwealth came into being shortly after colonies began declaring independence while retaining the U.K.’s monarch as the head of state. It described the changing British Empire, which now included independent countries. Since then it has gradually evolved into a voluntary intergovernmental organization in which all members are equal. Two of its members (Rwanda and Mozambique) don’t even have any historical ties to the British Empire. The King remains the ceremonial Head of the Commonwealth, but the U.K. no longer has any special role in the organization’s governance.