The UK, Great Britain, England, The British Isles, etc. Are They All the Same?
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Some of these terms may sound familiar to you but do you think that they all refer to the same territory? The answer
is 'NO' and it is one of the most interesting things that you will learn in this first stop of the journey through the English
speaking countries. Let's have a look at the following map:
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What continent do you think it is? Yeah, it is Europe so, 1 point for you if you guessed this answer in the previous
activity. Now, try to identify the UK. (Tip: Check the picture in the cover page of this module). There we are! And what
is the precise meaning of the letters UK? Well, it is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and
thanks to this name you will have guessed that Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland are included in the UK. Did
you know the full name of the UK? Now look closely at this clarifying picture:
![Key Diffferences between the United Kingdom, England and Great Britain Differences UK, Great Britain and England](differences_map.png)
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Very often, people use the names United Kingdom (UK), Great Britain and England as synonyms, referring to the same
place but, as you can see, they are different. England is just one country within Great Britain and the United Kingdom;
Great Britain is the biggest island and three countries are inside it: England, Scotland and Wales; finally, The United
Kingdom refers to all of them: that is, both islands - except the South of Ireland, also called Southern Ireland or the
Republic of Ireland. They are called the British Islands, and islands like Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man are also
dependent on the British Crown.
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The following diagram explains this in a different way:
![British Isles Euler diagram British Isles Euler diagram](512px-British_Isles_Euler_diagram_15.svg.png)
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Now that you know the difference among these terms, can you tell the name of some cities within the UK?
Keep learning!