What is the difference between Great Britain, United Kingdom and British Isles?
These names often used interchangeably. However, they are not actually synonymous.
Great Britain, therefore, is a geographic term referring to the island also known simply as Britain. It’s also a political term for the part of the United Kingdom made up of England, Scotland and Wales (including the outlying islands that they administer, such as the Isle of Wight).
United Kingdom, on the other hand, is purely a political term: it’s the independent country that encompasses all of Great Britain and the region now called Northern Ireland.
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe. The largest of these islands are Britain and Ireland (Nothern Ireland and Southern Ireland).
Smaller ones include the Isle of Wight.
These names often used interchangeably. However, they are not actually synonymous.
Great Britain, therefore, is a geographic term referring to the island also known simply as Britain. It’s also a political term for the part of the United Kingdom made up of England, Scotland and Wales (including the outlying islands that they administer, such as the Isle of Wight).
United Kingdom, on the other hand, is purely a political term: it’s the independent country that encompasses all of Great Britain and the region now called Northern Ireland.
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe. The largest of these islands are Britain and Ireland (Nothern Ireland and Southern Ireland).
Smaller ones include the Isle of Wight.