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The United Kingdom is made up of the island of Great Britain and a part of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland). It also includes many other smaller islands
by nathankunicki 6y ago
The United Kingdom is made up of the island of Great Britain and a part of the island of Ireland (Northern Ireland). It also includes many other smaller islands
You're probably thinking of Great Britain by itself, which is the island containing the main parts of the countries of Scotland, England, and Wales.
- teeray 6y agoSo the UK is an archipelago?
- nfg 6y agoNo, I don’t think you can fairly say a country is an archipelago unless it’s solely composed of islands all of which are entirely the territory of that state.
- alexchamberlain 6y agoTo continue the pedantry, the archipelago is called The British Isles.
- dane-pgp 6y agoWhile you're right that it is called that (by many), some people object to it: > In Ireland, the term "British Isles" is controversial, and there are objections to its usage. The Government of Ireland does not officially recognise the term, and its embassy in London discourages its use. Britain and Ireland is used as an alternative description, and Atlantic Archipelago has also seen limited use in academia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles
- capekwasright 6y agoA similar controversy exists in the Arab world about what to call the Persian Gulf, where the names "Arabian Gulf" or simply "The Gulf" are preferred. [1] Amusingly (but perhaps not surprisingly), British imperialism briefly waded into this dispute as well: > Following British attempts to control the seaway in the late 1830s, the Times Journal, published in London in 1840, referred to the Persian Gulf as the "Britain Sea", but this name was never used in any other context. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_naming_dispute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Gulf_naming_dispute
- nmlnn 6y agoAlso, some people call "aubergines" "eggplants", they can't both be right!
- alexchamberlain 6y agoI guess that's reasonable, though it appears the name goes back to the 1st century, so the UK is named after the Isles, rather than the other way around? Has anyone proposed a viable alternative?
- dane-pgp 6y ago> the UK is named after the Isles Great Britain may have been named after one of the isles, but the controversy arises because the UK spans (part of, but not all of) the two main isles. > Has anyone proposed a viable alternative? I don't know what would count as "viable" if you reject "Britain and Ireland" and "Atlantic Archipelago".
- alexchamberlain 6y agoSorry, I didn't mean to reject anything. > Great Britain may have been named after one of the isles Great Britain is the largest island of the isles. The UK's full name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; ie there's no political entity of Great Britain (and never has been).
- dane-pgp 6y ago> The UK's full name is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Indeed. I suppose if Ireland's full name were "The Republic of Little Britain" there wouldn't be a controversy about the term "British Isles". > there's no political entity of Great Britain (and never has been). Unless you include the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1801): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Great_Britain
- Asraelite 6y agoI'm Irish and I've always found the controversy a bit ridiculous; it's a classic example of Irish people's distaste for all things English being taken to a nonsensical extreme. You never hear Brits complaining about the Irish Sea being called such.
- dafoex 6y agoI don't know, given the Isle of Man is in the middle of it, maybe it should be The Manx Sea? If we don't want anyone to own it, maybe call it The Sea of Sodor? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodor_(fictional_island) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodor_(fictional_island)
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]