The difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom
The difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom
Britain. Great Britain. The United Kingdom. The British Isles.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Britain. Great Britain. The United Kingdom. The British Isles.
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© Mattia Bicchi Photography, www.mattiabicchiphotography.com (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Time-lapse video of the isle of Skye, Scotland.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Shortbread used to be a luxury reserved for holidays like Christmas and New Year's.
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© UK Parliament Education Service (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Examining England's Act of Union with Scotland (1707) and the Articles of Union with Scotland (1706), in the Parliamentary Archives, London.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the gannets on Scotland's Bass Rock.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn about the many varieties of Scottish whisky.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Learn more about Robert Burns in this interview with Chicago Scots President Gus Noble.
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Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, MainzLearn about the large otter population in Scotland's Shetland Islands.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.The countryside of Scotland
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Transcript
Okay, so you have Britain.
Great Britain.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
All of these terms refer to the same place, right? Not exactly.
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe.
The largest of these islands are Britain
and Ireland.
In the Middle Ages, the name “Britain” was also used for a small part of France now known as Brittany.
So people started to call the island Great Britain. That name became official when the island’s rival kingdoms of England and Scotland united as the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
Make sense so far? Good, because it’s about to get complicated.
Ireland formally joined with Great Britain in 1801. Together they were known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland—or the United Kingdom for short.
But in 1922, all but six counties in the north of Ireland seceded.
The remaining unified country renamed itself the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which it remains today.
So, for those of you keeping score at home—the British Isles include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain is the location of Scotland, England, and Wales. So what’s the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? Your answer’s right here.
Great Britain.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
All of these terms refer to the same place, right? Not exactly.
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe.
The largest of these islands are Britain
and Ireland.
In the Middle Ages, the name “Britain” was also used for a small part of France now known as Brittany.
So people started to call the island Great Britain. That name became official when the island’s rival kingdoms of England and Scotland united as the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.
Make sense so far? Good, because it’s about to get complicated.
Ireland formally joined with Great Britain in 1801. Together they were known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland—or the United Kingdom for short.
But in 1922, all but six counties in the north of Ireland seceded.
The remaining unified country renamed itself the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which it remains today.
So, for those of you keeping score at home—the British Isles include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland. Great Britain is the location of Scotland, England, and Wales. So what’s the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? Your answer’s right here.
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