[thechat] GB is UK

Simon Dell simondl at epic.co.uk
Thu May 30 11:00:00 CDT 2002


At 14:30 30/05/02 +0100, you wrote:
>Now I know that the subject (in the right, or wrong, place) could get you a
>kick in the face.
>Just remembering that Great Britain and The United Kingdom are very
>different things. Why, does the ISO country code list the united kingdom
>as... gb?
>
>Not that most people will give a hoot, but I know there's some that will  :)
>
>Oddness?
>mk

This confused me, so I looked it up.
In case anyone is unsure where they live:

< block_quote cite="http://www.alt-usage-english.org/whatistheuk.html" >
3. Great Britain
This is a both 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. The name
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. The island of Rockall, several hundred miles
out in the Atlantic, is legally part of Scotland, although actually closer
to Ireland; the British claim to the island is disputed by the Irish
Republic. Some, though not many, administrative bodies have jurisdiction
over Great Britain. Great Britain was a Kingdom from 1707 to 1800, but no
longer is.
4. The United Kingdom
Great Britain and Northern Ireland together make up the United Kingdom,
hence the full name ("The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern
Ireland"). I suspect that the UK is probably the only country in the world
whose average inhabitant has no idea what its legal name actually is. This
defines the area represented in the UK Parliament and for which that
Parliament normally makes laws. It is also a citizenship unit (although
only since 1981). It does not define the area for which the UK government
is responsible in international law - see below.
5. The United Kingdom and Islands
This includes a further three jurisdictions which have never been part of
England, Wales, Scotland or Ireland and are not part of the UK but over
which the Queen is sovereign and for which the UK government is
internationally responsible. They are the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea
between England, Scotland and Ireland, and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and
Jersey, which are the two parts of the Channel Islands, off the coast of
France, and were part of the Duchy of Normandy before William I conquered
England in 1066. Alderney and Sark are subordinate parts of the Bailiwick
of Guernsey. All of these territories have their own representative
institutions and laws (offshore banking and stamps looming large as in many
small territories). They are British Possessions, but not colonies, and
their inhabitants, unlike those of colonies, are British citizens (except
for EU purposes).
6. The British Isles
Another geographical term referring to the whole group of islands adjoining
Great Britain, including Ireland. Politically it includes the United
Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man. Usage is not
consistent as to whether the Channel Islands are included - geographically
they should not be, politically they should. Irish people may detect
political implications in this term, and it tends to be avoided, although
there is no obvious alternative. The term used in connection with the
Northern Irish peace process is just "the Isles", which could be anywhere.
One obvious alternative, "Great Britain and Ireland", is also avoided
because it used to be part of the title of the British monarch (1801-1925).
< /block_quote>

That settles that, then.

Simon





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