Worth Sharing #17

July 18, 2016

Disambiguating Britain

I have a confession — until this last week I didn’t know the true difference between the United Kingdom, Britain, England and so on. Thanks to Project Britain it’s now clear. Here’s how I break it down.

Areas Of Land

Britain — The land area comprising the countries of England and Wales.

Great Britain — The land area comprising the countries of England, Wales, and Scotland.

British Isles — The land area comprising Great Britain (England, Wales, and Scotland), Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom), Ireland (not part of the United Kingdom), and several smaller surrounding islands.

Countries/Governments

United Kingdom — The trick here is to know the United Kingdom is short for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK is a governing body made up of 4 countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Another way to think about it: the United Kingdom is a country made up of 4 other countries.

Misc

What I’m listening to —

I’m enjoying rediscovering ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ by The Smashing Pumpkins. While ‘Siamese Dream’ was a groundbreaking album, I consider ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ to be Billy Corgan’s magnum opus.