Terminology of the British Isles

Various terms are used to describe the different (and sometimes overlapping) geographical and political areas of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, and the smaller islands which surround them. The terminology is often a source of confusion, partly owing to the similarity between some of the actual words used, but also because they are often used loosely. In addition, many of the words carry both geographical and political connotations which are affected by the history of the islands. The purpose of this article is to explain the meanings of and relationships among the terms in use. However many of these classifications are contentious and have resulted in the British Isles naming dispute.In brief, the main terms and their simple explanations are as follows. Geographical terms:The British Isles is a group of islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Continental Europe. It includes Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Shetland, Orkney, and thousands of smaller islands. Traditionally the Channel Islands are included, though these specific islands are geographically closer to mainland continental Europe, being positioned off the French coast of Normandy. This, in part, has resulted in the term being disputed. Great Britain is the largest island of the archipelago.Ireland is the second largest island of the archipelago and lies directly to the west of Great Britain. The island of Ireland itself has its own list of Irish Isles.The full list of islands in the British Isles includes over 6,000 islands, of which 51 have an area larger than 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi). Political terms: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the constitutional monarchy occupying the island of Great Britain, the small nearby islands (but not the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands), and the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland. Usually, it is shortened to United Kingdom or the UK, though Britain is also an officially recognised short form. ""Great Britain"" is sometimes used as a short form, and is the name used by the UK in some international organisations. The abbreviation GB is frequently used for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in international agreements, e.g. Universal Postal Union and Road Traffic Convention, as well as in the ISO 3166 country codes (GB and GBR). ""England"" was also formerly used synecdochically to refer to the whole United Kingdom, but this usage became rare early in the 20th century. Ireland is the sovereign republic occupying the larger portion of the island of Ireland. However, to distinguish the state from the island, or to distinguish either of these from Northern Ireland, it is also called ""the Republic of Ireland"" or simply ""the Republic"". Occasionally, its Irish-language name, Éire (or Eire without the diacritic), will be used in an English-language context to distinguish it from ""Northern Ireland"", even though the word Éire directly translates as ""Ireland"".England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the four countries of the United Kingdom though they are also referred to as the constituent countries or, especially in sporting contexts, home nations of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland are legal jurisdictions within the United Kingdom.Great Britain means the countries of England, Wales and Scotland considered as a unit.British Islands consists of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. These are the states within the British Isles that have the British monarch as head of state.Linguistic terms:The two sovereign states in the region, the United Kingdom and Ireland, are frequently referred to as countries. So too are England, Wales, Scotland and, to a lesser extent, Northern Ireland (as is the whole island of Ireland).British is an adjective pertaining to the United Kingdom; for example, a citizen of the UK is called a British citizen—but for citizenship purposes ""British"" includes the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.Anglo- is often used as an adjectival prefix referring to the United Kingdom (notwithstanding that its original meaning is ""English"") particularly in the field of diplomatic relations. It can also refer to the English language, to anglophone peoples and can have a variety of other shades of meaning.Wales is sometimes called the Principality of Wales, although this has no modern constitutional basis.Northern Ireland is often referred to as a province or called Ulster, after the traditional Irish province of Ulster in which it is located.SportForms of national representation vary from sport to sport. England, Scotland and Wales often compete separately as nations. In some sports—such as rugby and cricket—the island of Ireland competes as a nation; in others, most notably association football, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland field separate teams. In these contexts England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland/Northern Ireland are sometimes described as the home nations.Rugby union players from both Ireland and Great Britain play for British and Irish Lions representing the four ""Home Unions"" of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.Great Britain is sometimes used to mean United Kingdom. For example, at the Olympic Games, the team called ""Great Britain"" represents Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, athletes from Northern Ireland have, by virtue of their entitlement to dual nationality, the choice of participating in either the Great Britain team or the Republic of Ireland team.In the majority of individual sports (e.g. tennis and athletics), at international level competitors are identified as GB if they are from Great Britain or Northern Ireland. A small number of sports (e.g. golf, darts, snooker) identify participants as representing their constituent country. In the Commonwealth Games, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales each compete as separate nations, as do each of the three Crown Dependencies (Ireland is not part of the Commonwealth and is not eligible to participate).↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ 13.0 13.1