What is the official status of Great Britain?

Question

I know that The United Kingdoms or Great Britain include Wales, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, my questoin is are these countries still their own country and it's just a union or are these countries just one country now?

Answer 1

From the point of view of international law the only one of these that is a country is the United Kingdom.

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are known as countries but legally they are the equivalent of provinces. They have no international recognition as independent states.

Great Britain is not a country. The British Isles comprise Great Britain, Ireland and over a thousand smaller islands in the north sea. Great Britain is the single largest island in the British Isles and England, Scotland and Wales are constituent parts of the island of Great Britain.

Historically England and Wales were separate countries, but were unified when King Edward I of England conquered Wales in 1281. In 1603 King James VI of Scotland became King of England as well (as James I) and so all three "countries" were unified as one state.

Ireland was conquered by the British in 1541 and the King of Ireland was also the King of England. In 1801 England and Ireland merged as a single Kingdom, but later on after the IRA campaigns began most of Ireland withdrew from the Union in 1922, leaving only Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom.

Hope that answers your question :-)

Answer 2

The UK is a country with four constituent parts, as others have said.

Great Britain, although often (mis)used as the name of the country, for example in the Olympic Games, is actually not a country but the main island of the British Isles, the eighth largest in the world. Ireland is the second largest island of the British Isles, and is divided between the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland). Offshore islands of England, Wales and Scotland are not in fact part of Great Britain.

Answer 3

The United Kingdom is a political union made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom also has several overseas territories, including Bermuda, Gibraltar, Montserrat and Saint Helena among others. The dependencies of the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, while possessions of the Crown and part of the British Isles, are not part of the United Kingdom. A constitutional monarchy, the United Kingdom has close relationships with fifteen Commonwealth Realms that share the same monarch — Queen Elizabeth II — as head of state.

Answer 4

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four nations (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland) that are governed by one state (the United Kingdom).

Conversely, the United States of America is one nation governed by a confederation of 50 states. The federal government conducts international affairs on behalf of all 50 states.

The British Isles consist of two very large islands, Great Britain and Ireland (or Éire), and numerous smaller islands.

See the articles below for an explanation of the differences among the terms nation, country, and state.

- Deep Thought

PS - Only states (the government of a country) have international legal status.

Answer 5

Great Britain, wales, england, scotland, northern ireland = not a countries

UK: country

Look at my referenced link for an article that will answer all of your questions

Answer 6

It's Great.

Answer 7

No.. Wales is England.. Scotland is England.. Northern Ireland is England.. they all make up the U.K.