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The Differences Between "British Isles", "United Kingdom" and "Great Britain"

[via this discussion on MetaFilter] Perhaps the diagram to the left — The Great British Venn Diagram — will finally end the confusion between the terms “British Isles”, “United Kingdom” and “Great Britain” once and for all.

Joey deVilla

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  • From the wikipedia article on the subject, which is consistent with the feelings of my fellow Irish, and ought to be respected:

    The term British Isles is no longer used in Irish state documents, has been abandoned in schoolbooks in the Republic of Ireland and is being phased out of textbooks.

  • Similarly, "Ireland" might well mean only the Republic in some contexts. And what about the Isle of Man?

  • Not to beat a dead horse, but calling Ireland part of the British Isles is like calling the Philippines part of the "Japanese Isles," since Japan occupied them and all that.

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