Countries within a Country

The official name of Great Britain is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. But it is often called in many ways. It can be called the United Kingdom, or the British Isles, or Great Britain. But what are the British Isles? And what is the difference between Great Britain and the United Kingdom? Why is England or the UK sometimes called Britain? The name United Kingdom refers to the union of what were once four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland (though most of Ireland is now independent).

United Kingdom	England	Scotland	Wales	Great Britain

The different history of England, Scotland and Wales has led to very different cultural traditions; The Scots and Welsh have right to feel angry when the term 'English' is used wrongly, to mean all three.

Scotland was a totally separate country from England, but in 1707 England and Scotland were united as one country. Since 1997, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have had their own parliaments.

The second largest island in the British Isles is called Ireland. The native language of Ireland is Eire. This is where the name Ireland comes from. Ireland is divided into 2 countries. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is now completely separate from the United Kingdom, but a small area in the North of Ireland is still a part of the UK. That is why the full title of the UK is “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

Many of the countries in the British Isles have their own languages, absolutely unrelated to English. In many cases native languages are spoken by only a small number of people, but in Wales the Welsh language is still the first language. In some parts of North Wales English is learned as a foreign language! Some of the islands in the British Isles, such as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, have their own laws, taxation and government. They also have their own flags and are politically separate from the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Vocabulary

to prosper ['prOspə] процветать

coast [kəust] морское побережье

main [meIn] главный, основной

separate ['sep(ə)rət] отдельный

completely [kəm'plItlI] полностью, совершенно, совсем

area ['FərIə] площадь, территория

native language родной язык

Welsh language валлийский язык

Channel Islands Нормандские острова (в проливе Ла-Манш, в составе Великобритании) Isle of Man остров Мэн (в Ирландском море, в составе Великобритании)

taxation [tæk'seIS(ə)n] налогообложение

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