Do England, the United Kingdom, and Great Britain, all refer to the same place? What’s the difference, and what’s included in each? Here’s the answer in a 5-minute video that breaks these down, and I’ve also highlighted some quick answers below that. You’ll understand your initial question in the first 30-seconds, but this clip does a great job with the natural follow-up questions like why the Queen is on Canadian currency, and where do Belize and the Cayman Islands fit in? Enjoy!
Here’s a quick breakdown:
England contains about 80% of the population of the UK.
Great Britain includes England, Wales and Scotland. Great Britain is a geographical term referring to the island on which the greater parts of England, Wales and Scotland are situated, and a legal one referring to those three territories considered together. Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles, which is most of the UK but not all.
Where does the name Great Britain come from? The name GB originates from the Latin ‘Britannia’, the ‘Great’ being introduced to distinguish it from Little Britain, which was the French province later called Bretagne, or Brittany.
