What is the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and England?

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British life and culture - England, Scotland and Wales

Why is England or the UK sometimes called Britain?

Woodlands Junior School is in the south-east corner of England

'When people say England, they sometimes mean Great Britain, sometimes the United Kingdom, sometimes the British Isles - but never England.'
'How to be an Alien' by George Mikes

"England" is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain (or simply Britain), or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK. ( Nationality of the British people).

The diverse history of England, Scotland and Wales has led to very different cultural traditions; The Scots and Welsh have right to feel aggrieved whenever the term 'English' is used wrongly, to mean all three.

Great Britain, the United Kingdom and
the British Isles do not mean the same thing!

During the next few pages we will explain the differences and answer the following questions:

Questions about Great Britain

What is Great Britain?
Is Britain the same as Great Britain?
Which countries are in Great Britain?

Find out about Great Britain

Questions about the United Kingdom

Where is the UK?
What countries make up the UK?
What is the official title (name) of the UK?
Why is the whole of Ireland not part of the UK?
How and why was the UK formed?

Find out about the UK

Questions about the British Isles

What is the British Isles?

Find out about the British Isles

England and Alabama	Scotland and South Carolina	The UK and Oregon
UK and the USA	Wales and Massachusetts	The UK and Japan

Learn about England and the other countries in Britain
from the children who live in ther

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