Recording 101, page 130
EXTRA READING
About Great Britain
Exercise 1 The countries
England is the largest country in (Great) Britain.
(Great) Britain
There are three countries in Great Britain: England, Scotland and Wales. It does not include Northern Ireland.
Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles. In everyday speech you can drop the word ‘Great’ which is a reference to size.
The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is often called the UK for short.
The British Isles is the geographical name that refers to Great Britain, the whole of Ireland (Northern and Southern), and all the other islands round about (e.g. the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man).
But it is important to remember that Southern Ireland – that is, the Republic of Ireland – is completely independent.