Wednesday, April 8, 2015

G is for Great Britain

I thought I'd take this opportunity to help teach something that I didn't know when I moved to the UK (and, I suspect, might need some teaching).

Thank you, Internet.
Great Britain isn't the same as the UK, or England.

I can hear the collective "Huh?" already.

So, what is Great Britain, exactly?

Great Britain is the name of the large island that consists of the countries--yes, countries--of England, Wales, and Scotland.

Let me stress that England, Scotland, and Wales are different countries.  I know.  I was surprised, too.

The United Kingdom consists of the countries of Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), plus the country of Northern Ireland (which shares the island of Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, which is not part of the UK, but is a part of Europe...they use the Euro for currency).

So when you refer to the "British", you're generally referring to someone from Great Britain. So someone who is English is British, but someone who is British might not be English--they might be Welsh or Scottish.  Make sense?

And there you have it.

You're welcome.

Come by tomorrow for H!

xoxo Sarah

6 comments:

  1. Thank you for sorting things out. I must admit I am still a bit confused but I guess your post will finally help me understand.

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    1. It is kind of tricky! I'm glad I was able to help. :-)

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  2. Great information and all definitely facts I did not know. I think I may need to read that over again a few times to actually get it all straight in my head!
    Brandy from Brandy's Bustlings

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    1. Glad to be of service! I was surprised to learn these too, but I'm glad I did or the locals wouldn't have been happy, hahaha.

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  3. Oh, I knew that! When I was in Dublin the first time (studying English, you know), I shared my room with a Welsh girl. She was the one who told me, "Why do people call it England? England is just a little part of Great Britain."
    I've been careful of what I call it ever since.

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    1. It is an easy mistake to make, though. Somehow that part of the geography never made it into history lessons. :-/

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