The actual name of the sovereign state we are talking about is The United Kingdom of

Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). The United Kingdom is made up of the countries

England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

The confusion of the terms seems to revolve around the term “country” and the political

powers that are perceived based on that word. While the four countries that make up the

UK are considered separate in the minds of locals, and in certain sporting events, their

powers for local law and control are devolved from the UK. Think of the 50 states of the

United States, while each state has their own set of laws, they all are still under

the power of the federal government. In the case of the UK, it is somewhat similar, though

certain responsibilities are also implied, like healthcare and education, these are delegated

to three of the four countries. The responsibilities that are delegated differ from one country

to the next. England is the only country in which the UK does not devolve any powers and

instead it is legislated directly by the UK government. When it comes to international

politics, it is the sovereign nation of the UK that is recognized and not any of the four

constituent countries.

The term “Great Britain” refers to the land mass that comprises England, Scotland,

and Wales. Something that aids in the confusion as to the difference between Great Britain

and the UK is that the term is sometimes internationally used as a synonym for the UK. For instance,

the UK’s Olympic team competes under the name “Great Britain” and the ISO (International

Organization for Standardization) gives the UK the country codes of GB and GBR. This can

be confusing given that the ISO also codes England, Scotland, and Wales as subdivision

countries of the UK but Northern Ireland as a subdivision province. If you’re getting

the impression that Northern Ireland is the red-headed stepchild of the UK, you may well be

right! (both figuratively and literally, if you believe the current statistics for redheaded populations that is)

The confusion over the definition of these four countries, in reference to the UK, is

further muddied up in sporting competitions. There are several international sporting events,

like the commonwealth games, and football competitions, in which each of the four has

their own team, and do not compete under a unified national team. When competing under

these conditions, their nations are referred to as “home nations”. Because each team

is from a specific home country, it can lead some to think these countries have political

autonomy as well. Given the inebriated thought processes attained during the enjoyment of

these competitions, it's not too hard to understand where this drunken confusion comes from.

If you’re curious when these unions between the countries that comprise the UK came about,

it happened as follows: England and Wales were joined in 1536. Scotland and England

were joined together in 1707, along with the previously joined Wales, to officially form

the Kingdom of Great Britain. Ireland decided to join up in 1801, at which point the United

Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. In 1922, however, many of the Southern counties

of Ireland decided to remove themselves from the union and the UK changed their name to

the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

So in summary:

Great Britain = England, Scotland, and Wales UK = England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern

Ireland (and the full name is the “United Kingdom of Great Britainㄧ and Northern Ireland”)

England = Just the part of the island that is England