The British Isles, the UK and GB

The UK, Great Britain, and the British Isles

The difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and the British Isles,...

…and how to talk about them without offending people!

The UK, or “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, is the Sovereign state composed of the constituent countries of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The adjective for the UK is “British”.

Great Britain is the big island. As a geographic term, it includes all of mainland England, Scotland, and Wales. Politically, this is expanded out to include all the smaller islands of those countries, too.

The Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK, but worth including here because it is very entangled in this mess of names and identities.

The British Isles is a term that has historically been used by the British to describe all of Britain, Ireland, and the neighbouring islands. This includes the Isle of Man, and often the Channel Islands, both of which are properties of the British crown (but not part of the UK).

However, the Channel Islands are not part of the same archipelago, and their frequent inclusion in “The British Isles” is a hint that the term is not a purely geographical one.

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