What鈥檚 the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?

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Cunningham" data-title="What鈥檚 the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?" data-published-date="12 Dec. 2018" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-the-united-kingdom" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal gtm-topic-tool btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" data-modal=".md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="What鈥檚 the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom?" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-the-united-kingdom" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-the-united-kingdom">https://www.britannica.com/story/whats-the-difference-between-great-britain-and-the-united-kingdom</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing font-12"> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/John-M-Cunningham/3520691" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">John M. Cunningham</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">John M. Cunningham graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2000 with a B.A. in English. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018. A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular)...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John M. Cunningham</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div></div> </div> <article class="topic-content content mt-20"><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="3" data-descid="7"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="video" video-id="202261"><a data-id="202261" class="gtm-assembly-link d-flex justify-content-center" style="--aspect-ratio: 16/9" href="/video/difference-Great-Britain/-"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/61/202261-138-EFC1EB08/difference-Great-Britain.jpg?w=800&h=450&c=crop" alt="Demystified video whats the difference between great britain and the united kingdom" loading="lazy"><script type="application/json"> { "sources": [ { "file" : "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/G8Pj6m95.m3u8" } ], "image": "https://cdn.britannica.com/61/202261-138-EFC1EB08/difference-Great-Britain.jpg" ,"tracks": [ { "file" : "//assets-jpcust.jwpsrv.com/tracks/dGsKtldo", "label": "English" } ] ,"adfile": "//content.jwplatform.com/manifests/YRrou4i3.m3u8" } </script><div class="btn btn-xl btn-white btn-circle position-absolute shadow" style="top: 50%; transform: translateY(-50%)"><em class="material-icons" data-icon="play_arrow"></em></div></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">Encyclop忙dia Britannica, Inc.</cite></figcaption></figure><p class="topic-paragraph">The names <em>Great Britain</em> and <em>United Kingdom</em> are often used interchangeably. However, they are not actually synonymous. The reason for the two names, and the difference between them, has to do with the expansive history of the British Isles.</p><span class="MOD1"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Isles" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">British Isles</a> are a group of islands off the northwestern coast of Europe. The largest of these islands are Britain and Ireland. (Smaller ones include the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Isle-of-Wight" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Isle of Wight</a>.) In the Middle Ages, the name <em>Britain</em> was also applied to a small part of France now known as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Brittany-region-France" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Brittany</a>. As a result, <em>Great Britain</em> came into use to refer specifically to the island. However, that name had no official significance until 1707, when the island鈥檚 rival kingdoms of England and Scotland <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Act-of-Union-Great-Britain-1707" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">were united</a> as the Kingdom of Great Britain.</p><span class="MOD2"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Ireland, meanwhile, had effectively been an English colony since the 12th century, and after the emergence of Great Britain, it remained under the influence of the British crown. In 1801 it <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Act-of-Union-United-Kingdom-1801" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">formally joined</a> with Great Britain as a single political entity, which became known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland鈥攐r the United Kingdom for short. However, the union lasted only until 1922, when Ireland (with the exception of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Northern-Ireland" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">six counties in the north</a>) seceded. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ireland" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ireland</a> soon became a sovereign republic, and its former partner took on the official name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.</p><span class="MOD3"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><em>Great Britain</em>, therefore, is a geographic term referring to the island also known simply as Britain. It鈥檚 also a political term for the part of the United Kingdom made up of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/England" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">England</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Scotland" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Scotland</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Wales" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Wales</a> (including the outlying islands that they administer, such as the Isle of Wight). <em>United Kingdom</em>, on the other hand, is purely a political term: it鈥檚 the independent country that encompasses all of Great Britain and the region now called Northern Ireland.</strong></p><span class="MOD4"></span><figure class="md-assembly md-feature-assembly print-false" data-type="1" data-descid="5"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/193441-050-13CCA6B5/Terminology-British-Isles-United-Kingdom-Ireland-Great.jpg" target="_blank" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center " data-href="*"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/193441-050-13CCA6B5/Terminology-British-Isles-United-Kingdom-Ireland-Great.jpg" alt="map of the terminology of the British Isles. United Kingdom. Great Britain. Ireland." data-width="1600" data-height="1600" loading="eager"><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class=""><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" target="_blank" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/41/193441-050-13CCA6B5/Terminology-British-Isles-United-Kingdom-Ireland-Great.jpg" data-href="*">Great Britain versus the United Kingdom</a><span>The map shows the territories of the British Isles and the names by which they should be referred to.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div><cite class="credit d-block mt-5">Encyclop忙dia Britannica, Inc./Kenny Chmielewski</cite></figcaption></figure><span class="AM-END-OF-ARTICLE am-inline"></span></article> </div> </div> </div> <aside class="cm-rightrail d-none d-md-block ad-rail"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div class="grid gx-0"> <div class="col"> <div class="md-loading hidden display-4 font-weight-normal"></div> <div class="text-center my-20 mb-100"> <button class="md-infinite-load-next btn btn-blue" data-value="next-page">Load More</button> </div> </div> <div class="col-md-da-320 hidden-xs"> </div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Story","templateName":"DEMYSTIFIED","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":11,"pageId":6093,"pageLength":null,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/story-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"A","adLeg":"A","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Story","pageSubtype":"DEMYSTIFIED","articleTemplateType":null,"gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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What鈥檚 the Difference Between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? | Britannica