I'm pretty sure I am right however an English guy I work with. Yes English, said that the UK and Great Britain basically mean the same thing. I remember learning about it in school. Anyway from what I think, The United Kingdom consists of, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. And Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales. It's amazing how many people have told me that there is no difference cause I'm 98% sure there is.
Other - United Kingdom - 14 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Great Britain = England, Wales, Scotland United Kingdom = England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
2 :
I believe that the uk is bigger of an area and g. Brit is more of a specified smaller area
3 :
What you said was right. GB doesn't include NI, but the UK does include them.
4 :
Great Britain is the island where the lands of Scotland, England, and Wales are located. The United Kingdom is the entire island of Great Britain along with Northern Ireland, which is not connected to Great Britain. Therefore, the United Kingdom and Great Britain are two different things.
5 :
You're right and your English friend is wrong. However, the terms UK and Great Britain are often used interchangeably, which although incorrect is a lot better than referring to the UK as England. (e.g. A correspondent on CNN the other day referred to David Cameron as "the Prime Minister of England"). That is extremely annoying and insulting to the Scots, Welsh and Northern Irish.
6 :
The UK is a sovereign state, not a country. The four constituent countries of the UK are England Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland. The native populations are English Scottish Welsh and Northern Irish and all those countries also have large immigrant populations. Great Britain is the collective term for England Scotland and Wales, and is also the name of the island they occupy which is the largest island in the British Isles. The name can also be used to include many of the islands close to it, including the Hebrides, the island of Anglesey , the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles plus many others. Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are on the island of Ireland, the second largest of the British Isles. The Republic of Ireland is a separate country, not part of the UK. The British Isles also include the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, and the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey off the coast of France, all of which are Crown Dependencies which have their own governments and are not part of the UK. The word 'Britain' historically means England and Wales, which were once part of the Roman Empire. The Romans called it Britannia major to distinguish it from Britannia minor in the area now called Brittany in the north west of France. The area which is now Scotland was was never part of the Roman Empire. The northern limit of the Roman Empire was marked by a defensive wall called Hadrian's Wall, intended to stop raids by the Picts. The wall is still standing, nearly 2000 years later. Here's all about it. http://www.aboutscotland.com/hadrian/ . . . . http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.american.edu/ted/images4/czhadwall.gif&imgrefurl=http://www1.american.edu/ted/ice/hadrian.htm&h=411&w=600&sz=148&tbnid=8Ycw6gBB18sX5M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dhadrians%2Bwall%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=hadrians+wall&usg=__2WsTB-Q2uKgtPIQS5Nigo5RqXhE=&sa=X&ei=Yt3dTazlNsGHhQfrgvDJCg&ved=0CEkQ9QEwBQ . . . . . Wales was eventually conquered and their leader Caer Caradoc who the Romans called Caractacus so impressed the Romans that when he finally was captured they took him and his family back to Rome and he was given a life of comparative luxury there as a free man. The hill were he was captured (according to tradition) is now called Caer Caradoc Hill. http://www.battlefieldanomalies.com/caradoc/06_the_battle.htm . . . . . Ireland, like Scotland, wasn't conquered by the Romans so it wasn't part of Britannia major. The Republic of Ireland became an independent country. in 1922. Before the separation there was the United Kingdom of Great Britain.and Ireland. Here is a British passport from before 1922. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Passport_UKGBI.PNG . . . . . The words 'Britain' and 'British' are used loosely but sometimes technically incorrectly for all or parts of the British Isles like saying 'America' for the USA. when America is actually a continent that the USA is a part of. The United States of America doesn't include all the other American countries but it is often assumed that the USA is meant, and not all of the American continent. Many people in Ireland however, especially in the Republic of Ireland, would be offended by being called British. They are Irish, citizens of the Republic of Ireland. Most people in Northern Ireland are happy to be British, (one of the reasons for the separation of 1922, the other being religious differences) many of them being descendants of settlers there from over 100 years ago and not of the original Gaelic population, especially during the Land Clearances in the Scottish Highlands. See The Dark Side for a good explanation, though the troubles are not entirely ended. http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20110401195237AAZTCHJ . . . . . Scotland Wales and Northern Ireland all have regional governments ( the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly and the Northern Ireland Assembly) and a degree of autonomy although the primary government of the UK is in London England. . The 'British Islands' ( not 'British Isles') officially recognised by the UK Government are the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. The term 'British Isles' is a geographical term for the whole group of islands. It is not officially used as a political term, only a geographical one, and should be avoided where a political sense might be taken to be implied though it may not have been intended. See on here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_citizen . . . . . A website run by a school in the south east of England has a lot of information about the British Isles. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/britain.html . . . http://www.projectbritain.com/ . . .
7 :
Yeah Great Britain is an island. The UK is a country whose full name is: "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"
8 :
The official name of the nation is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
9 :
Only "basically". You can get away with saying "Britain" for the whole UK, but Great Britain is the island technically. Our passports say "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and we are all BRITISH citizens. Therefore GB= Island with England, Scotland and Wales. However "Team GB", at the forthcoming Olympics, will have people from ALL over the UK, plus the Crown Dependencies of Isle of Man and The Channel Islands!! AS a Welshman, I am inclined to let him off here, as the ONE thing that does get up our NON English British noses (Americans can be THE worst culprits!!) is when people say England or English, when they mean Britain/UK or British. The President did it, last week, and media types all the time!!! How do you think we feel, when we hear the likes of "QUEEN OF ENGLAND" & "PRIME MINISTER OF ENGLAND"? I will tell you; marginalised, forgotten and INSULTED.
10 :
they are 100% NOT same thing the UK is England, Wales, Scotland an Northern Ireland Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland
11 :
No, Great Britain is the island which contains England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. That said, many people use the two terms as if they mean the same thing.
12 :
Yes you are correct.
13 :
The English guy is wrong. You are right. Great Britain is the geographical name for the big island containing England, Scotland and Wales. UK is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland.
14 :
No.
