As some people have it the UK has not been invaded since 1066, is
there any other nation state which has had a similar reprieve or is
the UK the nation which has survived without invasion for the longest?
 If you answer this in the negative, or in the positive, I'd like to
know which the competing nation states are.  Thanks.

Has Switzerland ever been invaded?

Yes, Pinkie. By the French Revolutionary armies, in the 1798. They
forced the Swiss to form the "Helvetic Republic".

Thanks, Scriptor! You're a fount of knowledge. :-)

You're welcome. But you know that ;-)

Last invasion of England?
http://www.hillsdale.edu/personal/stewart/war/Ren/1463-North.htm
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Wales-History/Fishguard.htm

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/JacobiteRebellionChronology.htm

and perhaps this:
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/BorderReivers.htm
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/StewartMonarchs.htm#James%20IV
    (see James IV, Battle of Flodden Field, invaded England)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Revolution

And, of course, Bonnie Prince Charlie:
http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/charlieb.html

Perhaps only successful invasions count, but the Glorious Revolution
was also successful, I believe.

Other countries:  Iceland

Sorry, but your assumption is simply incorrect. Like many others,
you've forgotten or overlooked the fact that the Channel Islands, part
of Great Britain - though geographically nearer to France - were
invaded by the Germans in 1940, and occupied until 1945.

Moreover, bear in mind that the United Kingdom in its present form -
ie the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - has only
existed since 1927, following the partition of Ireland, and the
creation of the Republic of Eire. Before that, the unification of
Great Britain (ie England, Wales and Ireland) and Scotland only
occurred with the Act of Union in 1707; and the union of England and
Wales was completed only in the 16th century.

During the 600 or 700 years from the 13th to the 20th centures there
were various conflicts between England and the other constituent parts
of what is now the United Kingdom. In particular, England fought many
wars against Scotland, involving many incursions by English forces
into Scotland, and at least one incursion in the other direction  - in
1513 when the Scottish were heavily defeated in Northumberland, at the
Battle of Flodden Field . Also, notoriously, Oliver Cromwell, then
England's head of state, invaded Ireland in 1649, and treated the
Irish people with a degree of savagery which is remembered to this
day.

Perhaps the 1066 reference is to the Isalnd of Great Britain, not the UK.

Has Japan ever been invaded?

Obviously, Japan succumbed in 1945 but that certainly wasn't an invasion.

Like our oracle Bryan, I also thought of Iceland, though technically
it has been a colony of Norway/Denmark for quite a while.

It is very flattering to be coupled with Bryan/Probono.  :-)

I am going on the assumption that Pippip means "invasion" in the sense
of military attack into the territory of England as a nation by the
force of another nation or pretender to the throne.  This would leave
out Iceland, although, as Poli-guru correctly points out, it was ruled
by Norway and Denmark for centuries.
http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Europe/Iceland-HISTORY.html

I wouldn't count as an invasion the stationing of friendly defense
forces by England or the US.

Japan: one can argue about whether Japan was invaded, since the main
island was not attacked.
http://www.kimsoft.com/2004/mongol-koryo-japan.htm

It is a bit difficult to be certain what constitutes an 'invasion'

The victor tends to re-write the history books.

For example Henry VII had minimal claim to the throne, 

http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-vii-of-england
|Henry made an unsuccessful attempt to land in England during the
abortive revolt (1483) of Henry Stafford, 2d duke of Buckingham.
Thereafter he bided his time in France until 1485 when, aided by other
English refugees, he landed in Wales. At the battle of Bosworth Field
he defeated the royal forces of Richard, who was slain. Henry advanced
to London, was crowned, and in 1486 fulfilled a promise made earlier
to Yorkist dissidents to marry Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth.|

Now, that could be regarded as an invasion.

Similarly there is some doubt about the Norman Conquest.
Edward the Confessor was largely brought up in Normandy, and reckoned
that the Normans were a pretty canny bunch.
Harold was the brother of Edward's wife, and did not really have that
much claim to the throne.

There is a version that Edward made William his heir.
It is also interesting that the invading forces went to some lengths
to /avoid/ going over certain patches, presumably because they were
friendly.

The Normans were not that far removed from the Anglo/Saxon/Danes in
Britain, as they were Viking settlers invited in to protect the French
coast.

There is even some doubt about the Roman invasion, recently evidence
has turned up that indicated that the Romans were settled in Britain a
long time before Claudius's invasion - and that the 'invasion' was
more a PR stunt.

All a bit tricky.

Channel Islands aren't part of the UK so World War 2 doesn't count.

is very flattering to be coupled with Bryan/Probono

Sorry Myo but its a revolting thought


Klome