British people

The citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as those of the British Overseas Territories and the Crown dependencies, are referred to as British people or Britons. They are also referred to in the vernacular as Brits. Modern citizenship and nationality of the United Kingdom are governed by British nationality law. Citizenship and nationality of the United Kingdom may be obtained in a variety of ways, including by descent from British people. In the context of history, the terms "British" and "Britons" might refer to the Ancient Britons, who were the original occupants of Great Britain and Brittany. The present Welsh people, Cornish people, and Bretons are the descendants of the Ancient Britons. It also refers to those who were born in countries that were a part of the British Empire and settled in the United Kingdom before to 1973 but do not have citizenship or nationality in the UK.

Even while early claims of Britishness date back to the latter part of the Middle Ages, it wasn't until the Union of the Crowns in 1603 and the Creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 that a sense of British national identity was established. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, when Britain was embroiled in multiple worldwide battles with France, the concept of "Britishness" and a common British identity were established. This concept continued to evolve during the Victorian period. The complicated history that led to the formation of the United Kingdom in Great Britain and Ireland gave rise to a "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" in those two countries. This sense of "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" was the result of a "particular sense of nationhood and belonging" that was In spite of the fact that Northern Ireland has been deeply divided along ethno-sectarian lines for a very long time, Unionists are certain in their belief that British identity should be maintained.

The majority of modern Britons may trace their ancestry back to one of the many different ethnic groups who landed in Great Britain between the prehistoric era and the 11th century, including the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Norse, and Normans. During the late Middle Ages, early Modern Period, and beyond, the progressive political unification of the British Isles made it easier for people to move between England, Scotland, and Wales. This made possible cultural and linguistic exchange, as well as intermarriage between the people of these three countries. Since 1922 and even earlier, people from what is now the Republic of Ireland, the Commonwealth, mainland Europe, and other places have immigrated to the United Kingdom. These immigrants and their descendants are mostly British citizens, though some of them have assumed a British, dual, or hyphenated identity. This covers persons of African and Caribbean descent who were born and raised in the United Kingdom as well as those of Asian descent who were born and raised in the United Kingdom.

The British people are characterised by their "strong regional accents, expressions, and identities," and their culture is diversified, multinational, multicultural, and multilingual. Since the 19th century, the social structure of the United Kingdom has undergone significant transformations, including a decrease in religious observance, an expansion of the middle class, and an increase in ethnic diversity, particularly since the 1950s. During the 1950s, citizens of the British Empire were encouraged to immigrate to Britain to work as part of the recovery from World War II. This was one of the factors that contributed to the change in the social structure of the United Kingdom. The population of the United Kingdom is approximately 66 million people, and there are approximately 140 million people of British descent living in the diaspora, the majority of whom live in the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, with smaller concentrations living in the Republic of Ireland, Chile, South Africa, and various parts of the Caribbean.