The UK votes to leave the European Union in historic referendum
LONDON -- Voters have decided that Britain should leave the European Union after a bitter campaign that highlighted deep divisions over issues of sovereignty and national identity.
Scotland, southeast England and London were the only areas where people voted in favour of remaining in the European Union. Wales and the rest of England strongly backed the Leave campaign.
As the results trickled in, the value of the pound against the dollar hit a 31-year low, the lowest since September 1985.
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The BBC forecasted the win for the Leave campaign at 4:39 a.m. after 70% of votes were counted. It called the election around 6 a.m.
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UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who supported leaving the EU, said:
"I now think we've won ... We've done it not just for ourselves but for the whole of Europe."
"We will have done it without having to fight, without a single bullet being fired."
"Let June 23rd go down in history as our Independence Day."
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The official turnout at the referendum was 72.2%.
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More than 46 million registered to vote in the referendum which asked "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?"
The vote was counted in 382 local counting areas, representing local government areas in England, Scotland and Wales, and one each for Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
In UK history, this is only the third nationwide referendum.
Financial markets were volatile ahead of the vote, and opinion polls suggested a tight race. The pound had surged over the week amid market optimism that uncertainty over the vote would end with a vote to stay.
An opinion poll conducted by Ipsos MORI on the eve of the referendum showed a narrow lead for the "remain" camp. The poll of 1,592 people showed a four-point lead for those who want Britain to remain part of the EU.
Londoners battled downpours and flooding to vote in the referendum.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
UPDATE: June 24, 2016, 6:11 a.m. BST Headline and official declaration added.
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