Around the world the names \u2018England\u2019, \u2018Great Britain\u2019 and the \u2018United Kingdom\u2019 are often used interchangeably, generally referring to the island found just above France.<\/p>\n
In short, those three terms relate to three different but overlapping areas.<\/p>\n
The sovereign state which is ruled by the monarch and prime minister is the United Kingdom (UK), which is comprised of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The four countries are controlled by a central government in London, but do have some devolved law-making powers, similar in this regard to the US\u2019 states.<\/p>\n
England, UK or GB?<\/p>\n
While England is a country, it is not a sovereign state. It does not sit at the United Nations and cannot create its own border policy, for example.<\/p>\n
However, it is by far the largest of the UK\u2019s four composite countries, containing nearly 56 million of the UK\u2019s 66 million inhabitants at last count. London, located in the south of England, is the national capital city and the home of the United Kingdom\u2019s government.<\/p>\n
For these reasons, England is often incorrectly used as shorthand for the United Kingdom, ignoring the involvement of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK is the only one of those terms that relates to a nation state with its own sovereign government.<\/p>\n
And while the composite nations of the UK have their own legislative assemblies with devolved governments, \u2018Great Britain\u2019 has none of those powers. The name \u2018Britain\u2019 comes from the Roman word Britannia<\/a>, which also gives the name to the Brittaney region of northern France.<\/p>\n There are competing arguments regarding the origins of the name \u2018Great Britain\u2019 but it is generally agreed to be a remnant of Roman occupation. Great Britain is not a country, but in fact a landmass.<\/p>\n The northern European island that houses England, Scotland and Wales; that\u2019s Great Britain.<\/p>\n What is the history of the name \u2018United Kingdom\u2019?<\/p>\n Over recent years there has been a lot of mention of the UK\u2019s thousand-year monarchy<\/a>, which can be said to have begun around the year 925 with the unification of Anglo-Saxon tribes across modern day England.<\/p>\n The nations of England and Wales were united in 1536 when King Henry VIII enacted a bill that ensure that laws made in London applied to both countries. In 1707 the Kingdom of Scotland was added into the mix, along with England and Wales, to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.<\/p>\n In 1801 Ireland was conquered by the British and was added to the crown\u2019s kingdom, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However the union was not to last and in 1922 the southern counties of Ireland broke away from the UK to form the Republic of Ireland, leaving only Northern Ireland. To this day, the monarch reigns over the United Kingdom of Great and Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n Related stories<\/p>\n Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage<\/a>, right at your fingertips \u2013 anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s more: check out our TikTok<\/a> and Instagram reels<\/a> for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.<\/p>\n