The United Kingdom is located on islands off the northwestern coast of Europe, with an area of 243,809 square kilometers and a population of over 63 million people. London is the capital and largest city, and English is the official language. The climate is temperate oceanic with rainfall throughout the year and temperatures rarely below -11 C or above 35 C due to influences from the Gulf Stream. The UK has a parliamentary monarchy government and is a permanent member of the UN Security Council with close allies including other EU and NATO members as well as the United States and France.