Kings and other kinds of monarchs have ruled for many thousands of years; for example, many kings are mentioned in the Bible and in ancient historical records. Three of the oldest countries with monarchs that still hold office are the United Kingdom, which has had the same British Royal Family for nearly 1,000 years, Denmark where the royal line has remained unbroken for almost 1,200 years, and Japan, which has records showing a line of Emperors dating back even farther.