Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
United Nations
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
United Nations General Assembly Antonio Guterres United Nations Trygve Lie Dag Hammarskjöld, 1954. U Thant, 1965 Kurt Waldheim Javier Pérez de Cuéllar Boutros Boutros-Ghali Kofi Annan
For Students
United Nations summary
Quizzes
Secretariat Building at United Nations Headquarters with Members States' flags flying in the foreground, United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York. (photo dated 2017)
Global Governance Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
43 Questions About Politics (Mostly in the United States) Compiled from Britannica’s Quizzes
Related Questions
Read Next
Close up of a hand placing a ballot in a ballot box. Election vote voter voting
Have Any U.S. Presidents Decided Not to Run For a Second Term?
United States Presidential Election of 2012. Mitt Romney. Official portrait of President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, Dec. 6, 2012 after his reelection Nov. 6, 2012. Official portrait Obama
10 Democrats Who Made History
Explosion of the USS Shaw's forward magazine during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. The Shaw was repaired and served in the Pacific through World War 2.
The Attack on Pearl Harbor
Korean War - U.S. Marines watch explosions of bombs dropped by Marine Vought F4U Corsair fighter bomber planes during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, Korea, in December 1950. soldiers
Korean War Timeline
J. Robert Oppenheimer (L) & Gen. Leslie R. Groves at ground zero examine remains of a base of the steel test tower at the Trinity Test site of a nuclear bomb; as part of the Manhattan Project in New Mexico, Sep. 1945. Los Alamos National Laboratory
Timeline of the Manhattan Project
Discover
Flags of the countries of the world (flagpoles).
How Many Countries Are There in the World?
William Shakespeare
The Death of Shakespeare
Figure 13: A Maxim machine gun, belt-fed and water-cooled, operated by German infantrymen, World War I.
7 Deadliest Weapons in History
"Landing of Columbus" by John Vanderlyn, oil on canvas; commissioned 1836/1837, placed 1847. In the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C. 12' x 18' ft. (3.66 m. x 5.49 m.) Christopher Columbus and members of his crew are shown on a beach
5 Unbelievable Facts About Christopher Columbus
Chinese pictograph, calligraphy tablet of Huang Tingjian, a famous calligrapher in Ancient Song Dynasty. The background of Chinese cultural elements.
The World’s 5 Most Commonly Used Writing Systems
Ahura Mazda - relief of the Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda at the ancient ruins of Persepolis in Iran. Also known as Ormazd Zoroastrianism,
Which Religion Is the Oldest?
NBA Lakers Celtics Finals Kevin Garnett shooting.
10 Great Sports Rivalries

United Nations: Facts & Related Content

Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Hegseth boasts about ending 'woke' program on women and security. Trump signed it into law • Apr. 29, 2025, 7:28 PM ET (AP)
Canadian company turns to Trump for permission to mine international waters, bypassing a UN agency • Apr. 29, 2025, 5:15 PM ET (AP)
UN agencies that provide aid worldwide slash jobs or cut costs as US funding drops • Apr. 29, 2025, 3:59 PM ET (AP)
Palestinian envoy tells UN court Israel is killing Gaza civilians. Israel says it’s being persecuted • Apr. 28, 2025, 11:06 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As UN
Awards And Honors Nobel Prize
Date October 24, 1945 - present
Headquarters New York City
Areas Of Involvement human rights • economic development • international relations • equality • trust territory
Related People Nadia Murad • Franklin D. Roosevelt • George H.W. Bush • Fridtjof Nansen • Eleanor Roosevelt • Benjamin Netanyahu • Michelle Bachelet • Douglas MacArthur • Samantha Power • Kofi Annan • Haile Selassie I • Jens Stoltenberg • John Bolton • Thoraya Obaid • Kurt Waldheim

Did You Know?

  • About 91 million people receive food and other assistance from the World Food Program, a branch of the UN.
  • The UN's annual Peacekeeping budget is approximately 1% of America's annual miltary expenditures.
  • Around 67 countries every year receive assistance with elections from the UN.
  • 45% of children worldwide receive vaccines, including the polio vaccine, from United Nations agencies.

Photos and Videos

United Nations General Assembly
Antonio Guterres
United Nations
Trygve Lie
Dag Hammarskjöld, 1954.
U Thant, 1965
Kurt Waldheim
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Kofi Annan
Hear about the formation, functions, and limitations of the International Criminal Court
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Secretariat Building at United Nations Headquarters with Members States' flags flying in the foreground, United Nations Headquarters, New York City, New York. (photo dated 2017)
Global Governance Quiz
Encyclopaedia Britannica thistle graphic to be used with a Mendel/Consumer quiz in place of a photograph.
43 Questions About Politics (Mostly in the United States) Compiled from Britannica’s Quizzes