The commonwealth is all backwards

Have you ever noticed that there aren't any websites ending .uk? They are always .co.uk. What's with the co you ask (well at least I do). My understanding is that it stands for "Commonwealth", but that doesn't make me any wiser. A long time ago I visited friends in Jersey, and when writing them letters (you know the paper kind we used in the 80's?. Well these people are in their 80's so still on paper) I asked them whether I should write Jersey, UK or Jersey, Great Britain on the envelope. They did give me an answer, but heck if I can remember. Think they said Great Britain, which supposedly include the small islands like Jersey. Why don't they just use country code endings like everybody else? Think it has a lot to do with what a taxi driver once told me in England "we just like to be a bit backwards". Well think euro, think meters, think driving on the wrong side and I am certain the taxi driver was right! PS. Just think about how you pronounce theater, it's certainly not how they spell it in England...theatre. The Americans may not have many things right, but when it comes to the language they got it down!