Great Britain, England, UK, British Isles: What’s the difference
Does Britain and United Kingdom mean the same thing? And England? Well, what about Great Britain? These questions are probably confusing you because you thought they are all the same. Actually, it is not your fault. Understanding complex geopolitical dynamics is tough. Let us clear the air for you. Broadly speaking, Great Britain or Britain is made up of England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is made up of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and British Isles is made up of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
The history behind the geographical dynamics
Great Britain and the United Kingdom are used interchangeably. However, as already mentioned, they are not synonymous. These are two different names and the difference between them has to do with the complex history of the British Isles.
First of all, what is the British Isles? It is a group of islands located off the northwest coast of Europe. It is made up of over 6,000 islands. But the largest of these are Great Britain (or Britain) and Ireland. Actually, in the Middle Ages, Britain was also the name applied to a small part of France (that is now known as Brittany) and to avoid any confusion the island started to be called Great Britain.
That said, the name Great Britain practically had no official significance until 1707, when its rival kingdoms of England and Scotland were united as the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Now let’s come to Ireland. Since the 12th century, Ireland had essentially been an English colony. When Great Britain was formed, Ireland remained under the influence of the British crown. In 1801, the colony formally joined with Great Britain as a single political entity and these two together came to be known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland — or the United Kingdom for short.
However, this union lasted only till 1922. That year Ireland (except for six counties in its north) seceded. In around 1940s, it became a sovereign republic (Republic of Ireland), while its former partner took on the official name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
How do they operate politically?
So now, if the geography is clear to you, let’s understand how these countries or regions operate politically. So, within the UK, parliament is sovereign. However, each country has the autonomy to some extent. For the most part, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish parliaments defer to the UK Parliament in “reserved matters” such as foreign policy and EU membership. However, they get to have the authority over “devolved matters” dealing with things like education and housing.
On the other hand, the Republic of Ireland (which shares a border with Northern Ireland) has operated as a sovereign state of its own since becoming a sovereign country and has its own relationships and memberships with the United Nations, the EU and other international organisations.
What does the term British imply?
So, who do we refer by saying ‘British’? Well, that’s again very confusing. It can refer to things that relate to the UK, Great Britain or the former British Empire.