Difference between UK and Great Britain?

[Andreana]

OK, there is this guy from London who's a student here at our university. We've recently had a discussion with him when somebody asked him what the difference between UK and Great Britain was. He said there was none - both terms would be used for the same country. I remembered that our English teacher back at school had told us that there IS a difference and that Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales while the UK is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. A glance through Wikipedia confirmed that my memory is not that bad at all .
Now, here is my question: How come this Londoner isn't aware of the difference between the UK and Great Britain? Maybe British citizens don't pay too much attention to these definitions because after all it is not imporant anyway. Perhaps it's a bit like referring to the UK by saying England?
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[Conchita]

Hello Andreana,

Maybe you’ve already visited the ‘Know Britain’ site. Anyway, the following quote from one of their pages might answer your questions. At the same time, it shows that you practically replied to them yourself:

[Alan]

Hi Andreana,

Speaking as someone who's lived here what seems for ever, I have to admit that it's a complete muddle. If you talk about the English, people in the other parts of the country say: What about us (Scottish/Welsh/northern Irish)? The other expression The British sounds terribly formal to me and of late the expression is The Brits, which to me sounds like the title of a soap opera. I also find it very irritating when I go through one of these lists on the Internet where you're asked for your country. Is it Great Britain or United Kingdom? But there we are - it's one of life's minor irritations. On this site in my newsletters I usually say: Here in the UK we ... and when I fill up (or fill out) a form, I usually write: British/English and that seems to suffice.

Have I confused you or what?

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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[Andreana]

Hi Alan, thanks a lot for clarifying this point - it shows how complex life can be. That's why it's good that we have the opportunity to pick your brain and get an explanation from you whenever we need. By the way I look forward to reading the next issue of your newsletter.
Regards
Andreana
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A smile will open doors

[Thomas Corbett]

Someone mentioned about how a Londoner didn't know the difference between the United Kingdom and Great Britain. As already stated by someone else the UK consists of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, whereas Great Britain consisted of the three countries minus Northern Ireland.

But let's muddy the geographical waters a little more. Great Britain is called 'GREAT', not because it is particularly great in the meaning of the word but because it was greater than Brittany in France, which was once under the rule the same monarch, and so that was why Britain was called 'great' to differentiate it from Brittany.

Let's throw a spanner into the Northern Ireland part of the geographical works. Northern Ireland is made up of six counties which is a dependancy of Great Britain. Now Ireland is divided into 4 Provinces, one of which is Ulster, (the other 3 belong to the Irish Republic) consisting of nine counties, wherein lies the six counties already mentioned - the other three counties belong to the Republic of Ireland. Even some natives of Northern Ireland (the British part) find it difficult to get their mind round this as some UK politicians refer to the Irish Dependancy as Ulster, others refer to it as Northern Ireland and yet others to it as simply the 'NORTH'. Now, bear with me on this as it gets slightly difficult. Donegal is a county of Ulster, it is at the extreme northern part of the island of Ireland, it belongs to the Republic of Ireland which is referred to as the 'SOUTH'. So Donegal, whilst situated in the North is in fact in the South. Clear so far?

[Prezbucky]

My two cents:

Great Britain = the island of Britannia (England, Wales and Scotland)

UK = United Kingdom of Great Britain (Britannia) and Northern Island

I suggest that the English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish national soccer teams consolidate into one team -- the UK. Such combined forces would really be something to behold... or might, anyway, if any Scottish, Welsh or Norther Irish were good enough to unseat any of England's players. hehe

hehe

Though, seriously, England really badly needs a natural left-side midfielder... so maybe Scotland or Wales could help with that. Ryan Giggs, for instance, could be yanked out of international retirement to play on the left.
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[Ralf]

[Prezbucky]

don't they always play in New Zealand though?
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