United Kingdom and Great Britain are terms that are frequently used interchangeably. However, they are not quite identical. The lengthy history of the British Isles is the basis for the two names and the distinction between them.
Off the coast of Europe’s northwest are a collection of islands known as the British Isles. Ireland and Great Britain are the two biggest of these islands. One of the smaller ones is the Isle of Wight. A little region of France currently known as Brittany was also referred to be Britain throughout the Middle Ages.
As a result, the term “Great Britain” was often used to refer to the island. The Kingdom of Great Britain, which was formed in 1707 by the union of the island’s competing kingdoms of England and Scotland, was the first time the name had any formal importance.
Since the 12th century, Ireland had been practically an English colony, and after Great Britain’s establishment, it continued to be governed by the British monarch. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or simply the United Kingdom, was created in 1801 as a result of its official union with Great Britain.
The union, however, only lasted until 1922, at which point Ireland (with the exception of six northern counties) seceded. Ireland quickly gained independence and adopted the term United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as its official name.
Therefore, the word “Great Britain” refers to the island also known by the name “Britain.” It also refers to the political region of the United Kingdom that consists of England, Scotland, and Wales (as well as any outlying islands under their control, like the Isle of Wight). The phrase “United Kingdom” is solely political; it refers to the sovereign state that includes all of Great Britain as well as the area that is currently known as Northern Ireland.
Source: Ghana/MaxTV/MaxFM/max.com.gh/Belinda Quansah
