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Pub argument needs help....



Willy Dangle

New member
Aug 31, 2011
3,551
....what is the difference between GB & the UK?
 


sully

Dunscouting
Jul 7, 2003
7,824
Worthing
Great Britain is the main land mass of England, Scotland and Wales. UK includes Northern Ireland. Hence "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" being the full name of our country.
 


Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
Great Britain is the main land mass of England, Scotland and Wales. UK includes Northern Ireland. Hence "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" being the full name of our country.

It depends how you're defining "main land mass". GB includes most the islands surrounding the mainland (e.g. IOW, Scilly Isles, Orkneys etc), but not all (eg Isle of Man and the Channel islands).
 


GoldWithFalmer

Seaweed! Seaweed!
Apr 24, 2011
12,687
SouthCoast
I'd say about 150 years,Britain was once Great,now it's merely an United Kingdom,until some Scots get their wish to walk away..
 






Mtoto

Well-known member
Sep 28, 2003
1,839
It depends how you're defining "main land mass". GB includes most the islands surrounding the mainland (e.g. IOW, Scilly Isles, Orkneys etc), but not all (eg Isle of Man and the Channel islands).

Not sure that's right. I was always taught that "the British Isles" includes about 1,000 islands, most of which are tiny, barren and uninhabited (but also, in geographical terms, Ireland, with a population of 3m).
Great Britain, on the other hand, is the biggest of the British Isles, ie. nothing that's not attached to it counts.
 




Goldstone1976

We Got Calde in!!
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patreon
Apr 30, 2013
13,765
Herts
Not sure that's right. I was always taught that "the British Isles" includes about 1,000 islands, most of which are tiny, barren and uninhabited (but also, in geographical terms, Ireland, with a population of 3m).
Great Britain, on the other hand, is the biggest of the British Isles, ie. nothing that's not attached to it counts.

Nah, it's right, honestly :thumbsup:

The British isles is the UK plus Eire.
 
















dingodan

New member
Feb 16, 2011
10,080
One is GREAT. The other is just Ukay...
 






Baldseagull

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2012
10,869
Crawley
Great is short for Greater as in the larger landmass of Britain - England, Scotland and Wales.

Great is to differentiate from Little. Brittany in France was once Little Britain, after being settled by Cornish and Welsh Britons, and we were (and still are) Great Britain.
 




fataddick

Well-known member
Feb 6, 2004
1,601
The seaside.
Great is to differentiate from Little. Brittany in France was once Little Britain, after being settled by Cornish and Welsh Britons, and we were (and still are) Great Britain.

Indeed. Saved me having to type it myself. Great Britain is the main landmass. Little Britain was the name given to what is now the Breton (non-French) speaking region of NW France originally settled by Cornlanders and Welsh. British Isles is Great Britain plus Ireland plus loads of clagnuts (mostly at the NW edge of Scotland). United Kingdom is a political term that has no geographical significance at all, and could change at any point, eg if Scotland grow balls. Scotland could leave the UK tomorrow, but can never leave Great Britain (er, unless some future technology enables them to turn the remains of Hadrian Wall into a combined laser drill and landmass transporter).
 
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Willy Dangle

New member
Aug 31, 2011
3,551
Great Britain is the main land mass of England, Scotland and Wales. UK includes Northern Ireland. Hence "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" being the full name of our country.

great britain= scotland wales and england

uk= great britian and northern ireland

Part 2 of the messy row was why then does the flag of Great Britain (Union Jack) contain Ireland.
 


DTES

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
6,022
London
Scotland could leave the UK tomorrow, but can never leave Great Britain (er, unless some future technology enables them to turn the remains of Hadrian Wall into a combined laser drill and landmass transporter).

So the full name, "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland", will have to change, as the country will no longer contain all of Great Britain.

If Scotland votes yes, new passports for everybody - but I'm sure our passport office can cope with the backlog that will create :facepalm:
 



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