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clarifying the terminology. Geographical locations are written in red, political entities are written in blue.]] The various terms used to describe the different (and sometimes overlapping) geographical and political areas of the Island s traditionally referred to collectively as the British Isles are often a source of confusion for people from other parts of the world, and even for the inhabitants of those islands themselves. The purpose of this article is to explain the meanings of and inter-relationships between those terms. The terms with technical meanings are:
Unfortunately, these various terms can be confusing not only in themselves (partly owing to the similarity between some of the actual words used), but also because they are often used loosely or inaccurately. Furthermore, to some extent the choice of terminology is often influenced by political stance. In everyday and even official use the terms are often used inaccurately. Alternative terms exist and in some cases — especially concerning Ireland — the choice of terminology can depend on the speaker's political positions. The traditional geographical term 'British Isles' is regarded, especially by some Irish, as politically charged, particularly with respect to the undisputed and complete independence of the Republic of Ireland. Alternative terms (see below) have been suggested, but few have caught on. To complicate matters, even those who make geopolitical distinctions often ignore the social ones, calling all people of the archipelago " English " or "British". In addition, there are historical names which may add to the confusion. TERMINOLOGY IN DETAIL
:::N.B.: The use of ''England'' to refer to the whole of the ''United Kingdom'' or ''Great Britain'' is incorrect and causes offence.
::N.B.: The use of ''Great Britain'' to refer to the whole of the ''United Kingdom'' is incorrect and causes offence.
:On the history of the name, see Britain .
:N.B.: While "United Kingdom" is normally abbreviated UK, the official ISO 3166 two-letter country code is '''GB''' and the three letter code is '''GBR'''. The UK's Internet Top-level Domain is ''' .uk ''', a break from the normal practice of following ISO 3166. :See also United Kingdom (disambiguation) for other united kingdoms and UK (disambiguation) for other meanings of the abbreviation.
Historically:
Present In sport GEOGRAPHICAL DISTINCTIONS The British Isles The British Isles is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Continental Europe . It includes Ireland and Great Britain , and the Isle Of Man , but usually excludes the Channel Islands . Also included are the thousands of small islands off the coast of both the larger islands such as Shetland and Orkney . This is the oldest of any of the terms discussed here, being recorded in a Greek text of 325 BC in the form ''Pretanikai nesoi'' (Pretanic isles). As this term predates any known political conflict on the islands, many people feel they can use it neutrally as geographical term. To others, however, especially some in Ireland and Scotland, it is seen as a misnomer because it implicitly favours (and could appear to be derived from) just one of the islands, namely Great Britain, and primarily to the southern part of that island. Since the traditional and geographical term British Isles is seen by some as having a political connotation and does give offence to some people in Ireland, alternative forms are occasionally used. For example, during the Irish Presidency Of The European Union in 2004, when the United Kingdom's Foreign Office was reported to have advised its own diplomats to avoid using the term British Isles in public or in working sessions in order not to offend their Irish counterparts. Alternatives include Great Britain and Ireland, but this has its own difficulties. In Ireland the term "these islands" is more often used to refer in aggregate to the islands in question. The term 'British Isles' occurs infrequently in documents on the Irish government website, and some of these documents assume that the Republic Of Ireland is excluded from the term 'British Isles'. Another term proposed in the late 20th century, which has received mixed acceptance, is ''' Islands Of The North Atlantic '''. Since 1978, the term British Islands (as opposed to ''British Isles'') has been used by the UK's governments and assemblies to define the United Kingdom, together with the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. Great Britain Great Britain refers to the largest of the British Isles. The word "Great" simply means "larger" (so no connection with "greatness" is intended) in contrast to Brittany , a historical term for a Peninsula in modern France that largely corresponds with the present day French province of Bretagne . That region was settled by Brython s (from Cornwall ) around 500 , fleeing from the Anglo-Saxon s, and named "Little Britain" by them. The French term "Bretagne" now refers to the French "Little Britain", not to the British "Great Britain", which in French is called ''Grande-Bretagne''. Ireland The second largest island in the archipelago is Ireland. Regarding Ireland as a part of the geographical "British Isles" does not intend to imply that all of the island is politically British — the Republic of Ireland gained full recognised independence from the United Kingdom in 1921. Northern Ireland is sovereign British territiory, and consequently a majority of the population of Northern Ireland consider themselves British. Traditionally Ireland is divided into four Province s - Leinster , Connacht , Munster and Ulster . The Republic of Ireland takes up 83% of the island, while Northern Ireland takes up six of the nine counties of Ulster. Ireland is also poetically known as "the Emerald Isle". Channel Islands Although the Channel Islands are associated with the United Kingdom politically, geographically they are clearly an outcrop of the nearby French Geology , and are indeed the last remaining parts of the former Duchy Of Normandy still under the crown of the United Kingdom . POLITICAL DISTINCTIONS The United Kingdom "United Kingdom" is short for ''The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'', which makes it self-explanatory. ''Great Britain'' is also widely, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the UK. ''Great Britain'' is often shortened to ''Britain'' when used as either a political or geographical term. Confusingly, ''Britain'' may also be used when referring to the UK, for example in newspaper articles. The United Kingdom is a sovereign State . Its four Constituent Countries , whilst having equal rights to elect Members Of Parliament on (nominally) the same terms, are sometimes considered to be of different status. This view may be supported by the existence of Devolved governments with different levels of power in Scotland and Wales. Due to historical precedence, England , Scotland , and Wales are considered to be Countries and Nations in their own right (although none of these is sovereign today). Wales is also a Principality of the United Kingdom (the Prince Of Wales is usually the heir to the British Throne ). Northern Ireland is often described as a Province of the United Kingdom, rather than a constituent country or nation, because it originally did not join the Union alone but with the whole of the island of Ireland; Northern Ireland also had, until 1972, a far greater degree of Self-government than the other constituent parts of the UK. The four constituent parts of the UK are also known to some as '' Home Nations ''; sporting contests between them are known as "Home internationals" (for example in Football , see the British Home Championship ). However, in Rugby Union , the four ''Home Nations'' are England, Ireland (the whole island, i.e. the Republic of Ireland plus Northern Ireland), Scotland, and Wales. Culturally, many consider the Cornish to be distinct from the English, but, politically, Cornwall is considered by the UK government to have the same status as any other County In England . However some have raised questions concerning the Constitutional Status Of Cornwall . Thus, ''Great Britain'' is both a geographical and a political entity. Geographically, it is one island, but politically it also contains the islands that belong to its constituent nations — England, Wales and Scotland (most notably England's Isle Of Wight , Wales' Anglesey and Scotland's Inner Hebrides , Outer Hebrides , Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands ). However, the abbreviation ''GB'' is sometimes officially used for the UK, for example in the Olympics — where athletes from Northern Ireland may choose whether to represent the UK or the Republic of Ireland — and as the Vehicle Registration Plate Country Identification Code , however the Internet Code ''" .gb ",'' although allocated to the UK, is unused (the UK uses ''" .uk "''). UK teams in the Olympics have competed under several different names — most recently in Athens the athletes were presented at the Opening Ceremony under a banner which said simply Great Britain, rather than the full Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Since the Good Friday Agreement , and the subsequent implementation legislation, sporting organisation (and several other organisations, e.g. Tourism , and Irish Gaelic and Ulster Scots language boards) on the island of Ireland has increasingly been cross-border. Citizens of the UK are called ''British'', ''Britons'', or (colloquially, and sometimes pejoratively) ''Brits''. ''Brits'' may sometimes be used and the United Kingdom (the correct term in this case is ''"British-French relations"''). ''Anglo-Saxon'' may be used when referring to the whole English-speaking world, the (correctly named, as it refers to the English Language , not a ''"British language"'') Anglosphere , although culturally or ethnically very few of the world's one billion English-speakers are of Anglo-Saxon origin. Ireland Ireland is the name since 1937 of the independent state which covers the island of Ireland apart from Northern Ireland. Since 1949, the "description" "Republic of Ireland" has been widely used, but the official name in the Irish Constitution is ''Ireland'', or, in the Irish language, ''Éire''. This is often very confusing because "Ireland" is the geographical term for the entire island. On the Island Of Ireland (as everywhere), the naming of places often raises political issues. The usage of "Ireland" as the official name of the state in the constitution of the Republic Of Ireland causes offence to some Unionists in Northern Ireland as it implies that the Republic of Ireland still has a territorial claim to the whole island — the terminology of "Republic of Ireland" or "Éire" is much preferred by Northern unionists when referring to that political state. Similarly, some Nationalists in Northern Ireland also prefer to reserve to usage of "Ireland" to refer to the whole island. The Republic of Ireland is often referred to by Irish Republican s by the term "the Twenty-six Counties", with the connotation that the state constituted as such forms only a portion of the ideal political unit, which would consist of all of the Thirty-two Counties into which the island is divided. From 1922 to 1937, the state comprising those twenty-six counties was officially known by the term "The Irish Free State ". Many people object to these (latter) two terms, as they are seen to imply that the Republic of Ireland is not a fully independent country. Conversely, some republicans and others refer to Northern Ireland as "the Six Counties" (in reference to Northern Ireland's six counties), a name that avoids the disputed link with Great Britain. Some even call it "the occupied six counties". Some Nationalist s use the terms, "the North of Ireland" and, "the North", instead of Northern Ireland; these are terms also used by the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ . Many people, especially some . HISTORICAL ASPECTS ''See also Origin Of The Term British Isles .'' The Greeks called the British Isles ''Pretaniké'' and the Romans initially called Great Britain ''Britannias'' or ''Alba'', and they called Ireland and other smaller islands ''Britanniae''. After the successful Invasion of CE 41 they called their province on the island of Great Britain '' Britannia '' (which province eventually covered roughly the same area as present-day England and Wales). The Romans then named Scotland '' Caledonia '' and Ireland '' Hibernia '' to differentiate them from the land that had been conquered — they never conquered either. The diagram on the right gives an indication of the evolution of kingdoms in the British Isles. Earlier, unmarked kingdoms are the more difficult to define Celtic , Saxon and Viking kingdoms such as Rheged , Strathclyde and Wessex . s in the British Isles. (Formally, ''Éire'' continues to exist but the term "Republic of Ireland" is more widely used).]] In 1603 the Scottish King James VI inherited the English Throne as "James I of England" (he styled himself as ''James I of Great Britain'', even though there was not a state called the ''Kingdom of Great Britain'' until 1707), although both states retained their independent parliaments and sovereignty, see Parliament Of Scotland and Parliament Of England . Scottish histories often refer to this monarch as ''James VI and I'' (James the Sixth and First), while conversely English historians may refer to the same monarch as ''James I and VI'' (James the First and Sixth). Many Scots (and not just Nationalists ) were upset in 1953, when at the Coronation of the present monarch, Elizabeth Windsor , she gained the title Elizabeth II , when in fact neither the former Kingdom of Great Britain (1707-1801), nor the current United Kingdom (1801–present day), have ever had an Elizabeth I. The former Kingdom Of England (927–1707), however, had a monarch titled Elizabeth I . The current rule is that, when a monarch takes a name used by both an English and a Scottish monarch post-1066, the ordinal number will be the higher of the two, see List Of Regnal Numerals Of Future British Monarchs . Therefore, were there to be another King James, he would be King James VIII, not III (following James VII Of Scotland And II Of England .) British Overseas Territories such as Bermuda , Gibraltar , Hong Kong , the Falkland Islands , and the British Antarctic Territory have (or have had) various relationships with the UK. The Commonwealth Of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth) is a loose confederation of nations roughly corresponding to the former British Empire , mostly for economic co-operation, formalised in 1931 . (The Commonwealth Of England and the Commonwealth Of England, Scotland, And Ireland have nothing to do with this and were temporary Republic s (or, sometimes known as "countries without a King"), replacing the previous kingdoms during the Interregnum ( 1649 – 1660 ).) ADJECTIVES The Adjectives used to describe the contents and attributes of the various constituent parts of the British Isles also cause confusion. ''British'' is generally used to refer to the United Kingdom . However, in a specifically physical geographical sense, ''British'' is used to refer to the island of Great Britain . The cumbersome adjective ''Great British'' is very rarely used to refer to Great Britain , other than to contrive a Pun on the word ''great'', as in "Great British Food". ''Irish'', in a political sense, is used to refer to the Republic Of Ireland . Northern Ireland , as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , would be included within the umbrella of the political term ''British'', though many unionists in Northern Ireland would also consider themselves Irish in a geographical sense. In order to be more specific, ''Northern Irish'' is therefore in common usage. The term ''Ulster'' can also be used as an adjective (e.g. " Royal Ulster Constabulary "), but this is more likely to be used by Unionists and has political connotations in the same fashion as its use as a proper noun (because only six of the traditional nine counties of Ulster , namely Antrim , Armagh , Down , Fermanagh , Derry and Tyrone , are included in Northern Ireland with the remaining three counties Cavan , Donegal and Monaghan forming part of the Republic). Likewise, Nationalists might describe, say, a lake in Northern Ireland as ''Irish''. However, some Nationalists might attribute what they see as less attractive aspects of Northern Ireland to Britain or even to England (e.g. "The Northern Ireland squad is an English football team"). ''Scottish'', ''English'' and ''Welsh'' are self-explanatory. The term ''English'' is, however, commonly and completely incorrectly used to mean ''British'' by many Anglophones, both within and without the archipelago. FURTHER INFORMATION Isle of Man and Channel Islands The Isle of Man and the two Bailiwick s of the Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies ; that is, non-sovereign Nation s, self-governing but whose sovereignty is held by the British Crown . They control their own politics, but not their defence. They are not part of the United Kingdom nor part of the European Union . Celtic names The Celtic Languages in the region — Cornish , Irish , Scottish Gaelic , Welsh and Manx — each have names for the various countries and subdivisions of the British Isles. Some of the above are: ; England :Cornish: ''Pow Sows'' :Irish: ''Sasana'' ('Saxony') :Manx: ''Sostyn'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''Sasainn'' :Welsh: ''Lloegr'' ; Scotland :Cornish: ''Alban'' :Irish: ''Albain'', ''Alba'' :Manx: ''Nalbin'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''Alba'' :Welsh: ''Yr Alban'' ; Wales :Cornish: ''Kembra'' :Irish: ''An Bhreatain Bheag'' ('Little Britain') :Manx: ''Bretin'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''a' Chuimrigh'' :Welsh: ''Cymru'' ('The People') ; Cornwall :Cornish: ''Kernow'' :Irish: ''Corn na Breataine'', ''an Chorn'' :Manx: ''Yn Chorn'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''a' Chòrn'' :Welsh: ''Cernyw'' ; Ireland :Cornish: ''Ynys Iwerdhon'' :Irish: ''Éire'', ''Éirinn'' :Manx: ''Nerin'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''Èirinn'' :Welsh: ''Iwerddon'' ; Republic of Ireland :Cornish: ''Repoblek Iwerdhon'' :Irish: ''Poblacht na hÉireann'' :Manx: ''Pobblaght Nerin'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''Poblachd na h-Èirinn'' :Welsh: ''Gweriniaeth Iwerddon'' ; Northern Ireland :Cornish: ''Kledhbarth Iwerdhon'' :Irish: ''Tuaisceart Éireann'', ''Tuaisceart na hÉireann'' :Manx: ''Nerin Twoaie'' :Scottish Gaelic: ''Èirinn a Tuath'' :Welsh: ''Gogledd Iwerddon'' Note: In Irish there are actually several terms for Northern Ireland: ''An Tuaisceart'', meaning "the North", is usually used, but a more recent term for official use is ''Tuaisceart Éireann''. ''Ulaidh'', the Irish word for Ulster, is also sometimes used, though the traditional region of Ulster also includes 3 counties which are not included in the political region of Northern Ireland. Ironically the most northern point in Ireland is 'down South', that is ruled from Dublin, not London. The English word ''Welsh'' is from a common Germanic root meaning "foreigner" ( Cognate with Wallonia and Wallachia , and also cognate with the word used in Mediaeval German to refer to the French and Italian s). The English names '' Albion '' and '' Albany '' are related to ''Alba'' and used poetically for either England or Scotland, or the whole island of Great Britain. English '' Erin '' is a poetic name for Ireland derived from ''Éire'' (or rather, from its dative form ''Éirinn'') Rockall The island of Rockall is a disputed territory in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a small, uninhabited island lying some 301.4 km (187.3 miles) west of St Kilda ( Outer Hebrides ) and 424 km (229.1 miles) north-west of Ireland. It is claimed by the United Kingdom (as part of the Isle Of Harris ), whilst its surrounding Continental Shelf (but not the island itself) is claimed by the Republic of Ireland, Iceland and Denmark (through the Faroe Islands ). Its remote position, however, means that it is open to question whether or not, geographically, it belongs to the British Isles. SLANG Blighty is a slang word for Britain derived from the Hindustani word ''bilāyatī'' ("foreign"). Depending on the user, it is meant either affectionately or archly. Europe While the term " Europe " includes the British Isles, it may be used to refer only to Mainland Europe , sometimes called ''"continental Europe"'' or simply ''"the Continent"'' by some people in the archipelago. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS |
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