Quote:
Originally posted by Caw
when i went to america last october i was walking in a shopping mall and thi9s woman asked me if i wanted to buy something... she asked where i was from i said Scotland and she said ' you speak english in scotland' i tell you i felt like snapping her neck... lol only kiddin
but anyway just to clarify the full name is THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHER IRELAND and that is what it says on my passport
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Lol...
From Wikipedia if anyone's interested:
The British Isles consists of: Great Britain, Ireland and many smaller surrounding islands.
Great Britain, sometimes simply Britain, is the largest of the British Isles and is more commonly used as a political term, and an alternative name for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the constituent countries of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Great Britain means the countries of England, Wales and Scotland considered as a unit. The term Great Britain is often used (incorrectly) as synonymous with the UK. However, the UK and Great Britain are not equivalent since the UK is a state formed from the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Britain is widely used as a political synonym for the United Kingdom.
British Islands consists of the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. These are the states within the British Isles that have the British monarch as head of state.
England is the largest and most populous constituent country[1][2] of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total population of the United Kingdom.
So in short:
1. Great Britain/Britain is said in reference to the entire UK, as well as England. Britain is widely used as a political synonym for the United Kingdom..so people don't just have to refer to us as the "UK"
2. The UK is a state formed from the union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Which could contribute towards Wales being ignored more.
3. It's not surprising that people refer to the entire UK as England sometimes, when 83% of the UK population are living in England.
4. It's also not surprising that people may be confused what to call us if we are classed as Britain/Great Britain/United Kingdom all at once.