The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country in western Europe, and a member of the European Union. Usually known simply as the United Kingdom, as the UK or, inaccurately, as Great Britain or Britain, the UK has four constituent parts. Three of these parts England, Wales and Scotland, are often considered countries or nations in their own right. The fourth is Northern Ireland and its border with the Republic of Ireland is the current limit of UK sovereignty in the island of Ireland. Some groups in Cornwall also contend that Cornwall should be considered as a nation of the UK not a county of England.