Someone help. Can someone explain how Great Britain and the UK work?

Question

I'm trying to understand but I don't get it. I guess it's a bit more complicated than North America whet I live. I know that Europe is the continent. I know a few major cities like London and Dublin. But I don't get the difference between the UK and Great Britain. I know what uk is short for though. Please keep it as simple as possible. And please explain like is England the same as a state in the U.S?

Answer 1

Great Britain is an island, called that to differentiate it from "Little Britain," which is the area of France usually called Brittany.



On Great Britain, there were separate countries: England, Wales, and Scotland. On the next next big island was Ireland.



England took over Wales (who were led by a Prince) in the 1200's. The English king made his son Prince of Wales to appease the Welsh people, and the heir of the English (and later British) monarch has been Prince/Princess of Wales ever since, albeit not automatically. They have to be invested.



Elizabeth I was the last "English" monarch. Her relative, James VI, King of Scotland became King of England (as James I) as well. About 100 years after that, the kingdoms were united to form the United Kingom. Later, this included Ireland, but eventually, the 4 southern counties left, and became their own country. So the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland contains: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. (The Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands are separate - under the British Crown, but, not technically part of the UK. Sort of.)



Each of the former countries has more "rights" than a US state. They have their own money, and stamps, and a Parliament or government of their own, although not all are equal. E.g., Scotland has more powers than Wales does. Each acts as it's own country for things like sporting events, especially in the Commonwealth Games. However, each is not really a country of it's own, but, part of the UK, which is a country.

Answer 2

United Kingdom: England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey & certain other Channel islands.

Great Britain: the same.

The Irish Republic (the Catholic one) was given indenpendence around 1922 or so.

England is a country & not like a state but the various counties in England function in some manners like our states.

The counties do not have nearly the amount of power that our states have.

Wales has very limited "freedom", but is permitted to use Welsh as the language & English is also spoken there.

Scotland has more freedom than Wales but the Queen is still the ruling symbol.

Norhtern Ireland: is also under direct rule of the Queen & has ongoing violence from the early 1970ies as the majority of Catholics (who are the minority in the north) want to join with the republic.

The Channel islands guerney, Jersey, have a different connction to the UK in that they have certain laws that permit more independence from thecrown & as they are much closer to France they have certain ties sto that country but they are not part of France.

Cornwall the very south western portion of England technically never actually joined as part of the UK although the people there are English but formerly spoke Cornish & had close ethnic ties to the Brittany state of France.

The British military takes in people from all of the UK and also has an Irish guard that comes from the Republic of Ireland. I am not sure how that works but they must defend the Queen & the UK rules while attached to that unit.

Britain has no possessions on the continent of Europe.

They still possess the British Virgin Islands & a few other islands in the Caribbean.

Canada, Australia & new Zealand are considered Dominions of the UK but are independent countries that do accept the Queen as their overall symbol of their dominion but elect their own PM & parliaments.

Answer 3

England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were all countries at one point in time. England then invaded wales in 1141 and ruled it as a fief of the Pope. In 1279, King Edward I of England conquered Wales ruling in a personal union were they were both still mindependent but, shared one monarch. Multiple attempts to annex Scotland were defeated.



In 1531, Henry VIII of England cut ties with the Catholic Church so he could divorice Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boelyn. During this time England annexed Wales with the Laws in Wales Act in 1535 and 1542. He also took control of Ireland ruling for himself in a personal union as the Kingdom of Ireland. It tried to break away in the 1640s as the Catholic Confederation but, was reconquered by Cromwell.



In 1603, Elizabeth I of England died childless so the throne passed to James VI of Scotland a relative who became King James I of England. This personal union lasted (which the brief Commonwealth) until 1714. A secession crisis erupted in the early 1700s when Queen Anne had no children and the throne of England was to pass to Prince George of Hanover. Scotland passed a law to select it's own monarch so the Act of Union was passed in 1707 unifying England and Scotland as the Kingdom of Great Britian.



In 1796, the Irish revolt against Britian inspired by the French Revolution but, they were deeated. The Act of Union 1800 unified Britian and Ireland into the United Kingdom of Great Britian and Ireland in 1801. After WWI, the Irish rose up against Britian and the treaty allowed most of Ireland to become free (modern Ireland) while the six Ulster provinces remained the with United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland which is the ofical name of the country. Great Britian only refers to England, Wales and Scotland but, it is usually used interchangable with the United Kingdom. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the four counties that make up the country like the fifty states thta make up the US.

Answer 4

Nope, England is the one that is in charge. Scotland is sick of it and is trying to break free from englands control. Something to remember, it is NEVER okay to refer to the welsh, the irish, and especially scots as british, and even at that, don't use the word 'british' please specify which country you mean it can get confusing.