Great Britain is a
political term which describes the combination of
England,
Scotland, and
Wales, the three nations which together include all the land on the island. It is also a
geographical term referring to the island on which the greater parts of England, Wales and Scotland are situated.
Would you call it Britain or Great Britain?
Sometimes people use the shortened
(acortado) name Britain instead of
(en lugar de) Great Britain, to mean the same thing, but really Britain only refers to England and Wales.
The name Britain goes back to
Roman times when they called England and Wales "
Britannia" (or "
Britannia Major", to distinguished from "
Britannia Minor", that is
Brittany in France). The Roman province of Britannia only covered the areas of modern England and Wales. The area of modern Scotland was never finally conquered.
Why do they call it United Kingdom?
Because the United Kingdom is made up of:
•
England - The capital is
London.
•
Scotland - The capital is
Edinburgh .
•
Wales - The capital is
Cardiff.
•
Northern Ireland - The capital is
Belfast.
Can you name the UK flags?