Never a country has acquired so many names. In day-to-day life we use them casually and interchangably, but when we go deep down then the differences could be dug out.
How to call the country I now live in? I used the 'UK' in the blog title, but when describing I sometimes use 'British'. Then the idea of the 'British Isles' appears in national media at times.
An awful lot to do with history, which I am not an expert in. But let's share what I have gathered up till now.
As everyone knows this country is made up of big islands. The main Island, which comprises 3 regions - England, Scotland, Wales, together with some small outposts (Isle of Wight, Shetland etc) which are very close to the main Island and which have long been occupied, is known collectively as 'Great Britain'. Why 'great', I have never worked out. But don't assume all British muttering 'Great Britain' to be arrogant and self-important.
To the West of Great Britain is Ireland, which used to be wholly ruled by the British but now only rules the Northern part. The 'United Kingdom' was used to describe the combination and Great Britain and Ireland, and now Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So under the 'UK' there are the Irish and the British.
Then there are a few 'client states' half-ruled by the British. They are not colonies in the sense that the UK government does not rule over, but these states are of the size of a county in the UK and therefore too small to be a country on their own. They adhere to the standards of the UK (so they look like part of UK in daily life) and has protection of the UK government (passports, military etc). They are the likes of Isle of Man and the Jersey Islands. Together they form the 'British Isles'.
Quite complicated, isn't it? But nowadays, given that the UK is no longer the world's leading power, who cares about its nomanclature? Just use them freely, albeit with slight caution at times.
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