England is not an island!
By
Matt Obee
on March 08, 2007
I repeatedly encounter people who seem convinced that England is in fact an island, presumably confusing it with Great Britain. Please people, England has two land borders (arguably three).
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OK, i'm agreeing for now, but convince me -- what's the name of the island England is on? I thought the island was also (confusingly) named England.
The name of the biggest island, made up of England, Wales and Scotland, is Great Britain :)
So it is England < Great Britain < United Kingdom?
I thought GB was a synonym for the UK?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_%28terminology%29
What's the third (arguable) border, Matt? Surely there is no doubt about it: England has only two land borders — one with Wales, the other with Scotland.
Technically, one could say that England shares a third small land border with France in the middle of the Channel Tunnel crossing.
What about Cornwall? ;)
The three borders are Scotland, Wales and Ireland (Northern Ireland is part of the British Isles).
So England is ON an island but is not the name of that Island. Correctly it is part of a group of Islands called the British Isles which make up the United Kingdom (UK) in much the same way as the United States is made up of states.
@ Matt, Jean-Francois; no, nope, absolutely not, don't think so.
"Great Britain" may refer to England, Scotland, and Wales, but what is the real name of the island?
Tad,
The "real" name of the island has been "Great Britain" for about 1,000 years. It's a corruption of the French "Grande Bretagne" meaning "Greater Brittany", following the conquest of much of the isle in 1066 by Duc William.
The United Kingdom, or to give it its full name, "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" includes Ulster (aka Northern Ireland.)
The British Isles, also includes Ireland (which is the island made up of Eire and Ulster) plus a whole bunch of smaller island.
The Shetlands have been part of the United Kingdom for a few hundred years (previously they were part of Denmark.)
Packers,
I'd agree that the UK has a land border with Eire, but not that England does.
Something about an island having the term "great" in its name just seems wrong.... Are you sure that it wasn't originally just "Briton?"
or there may also have been a place called lesser Britain. of course, it may have turned out to be a peninsula of the same island, and for whatever reason the island kept the "great" on its name.
And anyway, history is full of irrational Nomenclators, Tad.
Life is full of irrational nomenclatures.
And the Isle of Skye is seachdist.
The Isle of Wight is Lifist
Free Scotland!
... with every purchase of a small, decorative wall. Or, upgrade to a Great Wall and get a Free Tibet!
I don't know how anyone can disagree with this. England is not an island. Great Britain (which is composed of England, Scotland and Wales) is an island.
i know how people can disagree with this. they push the little button on the right.
doesn't mean they know anything.