The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The British Isles also includes the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group.1
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1997 Edition
Don Aitken, "What is the UK? Is it the same as Britain, Great Britain or England?", February 2002
Welcome to CWAnswers
CWAnswers is your guide to the sprawling world wide web. The directory aims to provide a useful guide made by users. You can share your knowledge as well - simply sign up and edit your first entry. For questions just contact the team at support - at - cwanswers.com.
Weblinks for Uk And Ireland
Top 10 for Uk And Ireland
Things about Uk And Ireland you find nowhere else.
Select content modules
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include Great Britain and Ireland, and numerous smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland. The British Isles also includes the Crown Dependencies of the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group.1
Collier's Encyclopedia, 1997 Edition
Don Aitken, "What is the UK? Is it the same as Britain, Great Britain or England?", February 2002
The term "British Isles" is controversial in relation to Ireland, where there are objections to the use of the phrase and the government of Ireland discourages its use. An Irishman's Diary Myers, Kevin; The Irish Times (subscription needed) 09/03/2000, Accessed July 2006 'millions of people from these islands - oh how angry we get when people call them the British Isles' "Geographical terms also cause problems and we know that some will find certain of our terms offensive. Many Irish object to the term the 'British Isles';..." The Dynamics of Conflict in Northern Ireland: Power, Conflict and emancipation. Joseph Ruane and Jennifer Todd. Cambridge University Press. 1996
Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490-1700. (London: Penguin/Allen Lane, 2003): “the collection of islands which embraces England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales has commonly been known as the British Isles. This title no longer pleases all the inhabitants of the islands, and a more neutral description is ‘the Atlantic Isles'” (p. xxvi) "Britain and Ireland" is a frequently used alternative name for the group.
The term Brytish Iles was introduced into English by the Classical scholar and geographer John Dee.OED Draft Revision Sept. 2008: British Isles, n.; Since Irish independence, the term British Isles is deprecated by some speakers in Ireland while others regard the British Isles as a geographical or territorial rather than political description.
Alternative names and descriptions
main: British Isles naming dispute
Several different names are currently used to describe the islands. Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and atlases that use the term British Isles define itLongman Modern English Dictionary - "a group of islands off N.W. Europe comprising Great Britain Ireland, the Hebrides, Orkney the Shetland Is and adjacent islands"
Merriam Webster - "Function: geographical name, island group W Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland, & adjacent islands"
dictionary.com - includes for example the American Heritage Dictionary - "British Isles, A group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe comprising Great Britain, Ireland, and adjacent smaller islands"
Encarta - "British Isles, group of islands in the northeastern Atlantic, separated from mainland Europe by the North Sea and the English Channel. It consists of the large islands of Great Britain and Ireland and almost 5,000 surrounding smaller islands and islets"
Philip's World Atlas
Times Atlas of the World
Insight Family World Atlas
as Great Britain, Ireland and adjacent islands, typically including the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney. Some definitions include the Channel Islands.OED Online: "a geographical term for the islands comprising Great Britain and Ireland with all their offshore islands including the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands"
[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Regions/Crown.html GENUKI: Crown Dependencies
]
[http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/britishisles/ The British Isles and all that
]
Philips University Atlas Many major road and rail maps and atlases use the term "Great Britain and Ireland" to describe the islands, although this may be ambiguous regarding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.[http://www.amazon.com/dp/2061006582 Amazon.com: Michelin Great Britain Ireland (Michelin Maps): Books: Michelin Travel Publications
]
[http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0860935760 Amazon.co.uk: Rail Atlas Great Britain and Ireland: Books: S.K. Baker
]
[http://www.readersdigest.co.uk/complete-drivers-atlas-great-britain-ireland-p-41.html?cPath=27_39 Complete Driver's Atlas of Great Britain & Ireland | |Readers Digest UK
]
Hammond International Great Britain, Ireland Another alternative name is "British-Irish Isles".John Oakland, 2003, British Civilization: A Student's Dictionary, Routledge: London
British-Irish Isles, the (geography) see BRITISH ISLES
British Isles, the (geography) A geographical (not political or CONSTITUTIONAL) term for ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, WALES, and IRELAND (including the REPUBLIC OF IRELAND), together with all offshore islands. A more accurate (and politically acceptable) term today is the British-Irish Isles.
