I knew Scotland had a parliament. I was surprised to learn that some islands have a type of sovereignty?

Question

I hope some of our UK friends could give me more information on this. We have, for example, sovernign Indian nations in the U.S. that control internal affairs, but have no power to deal with foreign nations except in trade matters and that's limited. Obviously, I'm referring to all the islands around the U.K including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Mann, the Isle of Manx etc. Can you help me understand their political status within the United Kingdom?

Answer 1

The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It occupies all of the island of Great Britain and the northeast part of the island of Ireland, sharing a land border with the Republic of Ireland. The United Kingdom is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, and its ancillary bodies of water, including the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea, Saint George's Channel, and the Irish Sea. The United Kingdom is linked to France by the Channel Tunnel, which is located in the south-east of England.

The United Kingdom also has fourteen overseas territories, including Bermuda, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Island group, British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, and British Antarctic Territory among others. The dependencies of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, formally possessions of the Crown, form a federacy with the United Kingdom collectively known as the British Islands.

Answer 2

Aye Suzie lass, your stuff is always a delight. I'm not Scottish but between you, Craig and Billy, I sometimes wish I were. By the way Craig says "doughnut" is a term for a "rude" part of the body, as in ,"raffle yer doughnut" so what is "doughnut hurling"? Also I "understood" what the Scotsman was saying. Does this mean I have been watching the ' Late Late Show with T.V.'s own Craig Ferguson" too much?