What Is The Difference Between Great Britain, Britain, England, UK, British Isle

1. 79

   ngurecoposted 12 years ago

   What Is The Difference Between Great Britain, Britain, England, UK, British Isles, Etc, Etc?
   
   A post office clerk once told me I have to pay a higher postage for Great Britain than UK because Great Britain was very far away.

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2. 53

   Shinkickerposted 12 years ago

   Lemme try this!!!
   
   Great Britain is the same as Britain which is England, Scotland and Wales.
   England is a country in Britain
   The UK is England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
   The British Isles is England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland plus the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight etc.
   
   I think that's right LOL

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3. 62

   tlcsposted 12 years ago

   Yes I think that Shinkicker has got it right!
   Coming from the UK (United Kingdom) and being British or English (born in England or Britain) and living in part of the british isles (Britain) I can safely say that he has explained it pretty well!

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4. 90

   Judi Beeposted 12 years ago

   Great Britain is an island made up of three countries:  England, Scotland and Wales.  It is often referred to as "Britain".
   
   England is one of the countries of the United Kingdom.
   
   The United Kingdom is the sovereign state comprising England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch of the United Kingdom (not England).
   
   The British Isles refers to the group of islands, of which Great Britain and Ireland are the largest; there are around six thousand smaller islands, including the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the Isles of Scilly.
   
   The Republic of Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom, but Northern Ireland is.

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5. 89

   JKennyposted 12 years ago

   As an Englishman I should know this, so here it goes:
   
   Great Britain and Britain are the same and includes England and Scotland. Technically Wales is a principality of England, thus making it part of England. Its the reason why Prince Charles is the Prince of Wales.
   
   The United Kingdom of Great Britain was initially created in 1707 with the union of England and Scotland. In 1801, the UK merged with Ireland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922, southern Ireland broke away, thus the name changed again to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
   
   The British Isles is the name given to all of the islands, including Britain, the whole of Ireland and all of the other smaller islands like the Isle of Man, Channel Islands, Shetland and Orkney.
   
   The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the UK, instead they are British possessions of the crown, so they belong to the Queen but they have their own government and pass their own laws, despite not having complete sovreignty.

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   1. 59

      PhiMaths ATBposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I know a fair few Welsh(wo)men who would disagree. I'm pretty sure Wales is technically a country, though certainly not in practice, though there is the Welsh assembly. Also, by you're reasoning Edinburgh would be part of England, as the DoE is Engl

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   2. 89

      JKennyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Yeah, they probably would, I wouldn't be surprised if both Wales and Scotland leave the Union in the near future. As for Edinburgh being a part of England on account of Phillip, does that mean Cornwall is part of Wales because of Charles?

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6. 84

   Imogen Frenchposted 12 years ago

   I think Judy Bee's answer explains it very well.
   
   I would say that the "UK" is the most commonly used of these nowadays, particularly on official documents and addresses. It includes England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
   
   I always think "Great Britain" sounds a bit old fashioned and pompous - but maybe that's just me.

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7. 62

   AfricaResourceposted 12 years ago

   lol! It sounds like they have no concept of global geography! Its basically all the same place, just different names!

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8. 67

   alian346posted 11 years ago

   Good answers except for one thing. The monarch of the whole of the UK is Queen Elizabeth (not Queen Elizabeth II). In Scotland she is Queen Elizabeth or Queen of Scots as her predecessor, the Tudor Queen Elizabeth of England was never Queen of Scotland.
   Where I live she is also the Duchess of Edinburgh - she has an awful lot of titles!!

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9. 0

   oceansiderposted 11 years ago

   Sorry, I was going to answer this question, but it has been answered perfectly by two  people already.  It can be a bit confusing I know....the difference between Great Britain, UK, British Isles, etc.  I know just what you mean!

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