You're talking about the Kingdom of Great Britain, a political entity. The island itself has been called Great Britain for a very long time. Great Britain: the

You're talking about the Kingdom of Great Britain, a political entity. The island itself has been called Great Britain for a very long time. Great Britain: the island that contains the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales (throw in Cornwall as a separate country if you're of a mind, I'm fine with that). Less Britain: an old name for Brittany in what is now France. The native language there is Breton, a Celtic language related to Welsh. England: One country within Great Britain. United Kingdom: The countries of Great Britain, plus Northern Ireland, plus some of the surrounding islands -- but not all! Ireland (excluding Northern Ireland) is obviously not part of the United Kingdom, nor are the Channel Islands (in some of which Queen Elizabeth is the Duke of Normandy, rather than the Queen per se), nor numerous others. The British Isles: Great Britain, Ireland, and all of the surrounding islands. This is a geographic designation, not a political one, as there is no unitary government. Yes, it's confusing.