Consisting of four individual countries--England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland--that are joined politically to form a single nation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland faces the unique challenges of uniting four distinct cultures.At the same time, membership in the European Union has added an additional governing body to an already complex situation.Still, the citizens of the United Kingdom look to the future with the knowledge and desire to stand together to face issues of identity, questions over the future of its monarchy, and an aging welfare state.