thependulumswings

Do you remember just a few (or many) years ago when your teacher spoke the nine most dreaded words you heard that day?  “Today we are going to have a pop quiz.”  Remember what your (printable) reaction was?  Do “oh boy,” “jeez,” “gosh darn,” or even”dammit” or stronger come to mind?

Well it’s that time again unfortunately.  We have but one geographical question for you.  And it’s all centered around a tricky old world area.   Are you ready?

What’s the difference between England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom?  Go ahead, admit it.  You’ve used them interchangeably at times and may not have been entirely clear on what distinguishes one from the other from the other.

First the easy part.  England is, well, England.  England is a country that is part of Great Britain as well as the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west.  England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south.  Think London, the queen, Big Ben, Wimbledon, and parliament.

It gets a bit trickier from here.  Great Britain is the totality of the island mentioned above.  So, England, Scotland, and Wales comprise Great Britain and share the aforementioned borders.  With an area of 80,823 sq mi, it is the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world.  In 2011, Great Britain had a population of about 61 million people, making it the world’s third-most populous island after Java in Indonesia and Honshu in Japan.

And finally, The United Kingdom is the combination of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  It’s been such since 1801.  It’s often simply referred to as “The UK.”  It’s actual name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.   No wonder it’s called “The UK.”  The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands.  It is a sovereign country unto itself.  It’s estimated population is 66 million as of 2011.

The Union Jack flag (which actually combines the three 19th century designs from England, Scotland, and Ireland) is the official flag of the UK since 1801.  Notably Wales is a part of the UK, but the flag was designed prior to its invasion and inclusion in the union.

You may be ready to wave the proverbial white flag after sorting through this.