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From: ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: The British flag - correction and further note on terminology
Message-ID: <866@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 18-Apr-84 18:48:49 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.866
Posted: Wed Apr 18 18:48:49 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Apr-84 20:13:24 EST
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Organization: NTT Systems Inc., Toronto, Canada
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Apologies if you got the first version of this posting as well.
I think I cancelled it in time.

Dave Peak is right about the flags (as far as I know), but needs a
slight correction on the nomenclature of the country.

	Great Britain - the island consisting of England, Scotland, and Wales
	Britain - the same
	British Isles = Great Britain + the island of Ireland + all
			associated offshore islands such as Isle of Man
			(Anybody know whether the Channel Islands count?)

All of these are geographical entities.
The political entity commonly called Britain (or even England, which
of course is just one part) is officially:

	The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

which tells you its geographical makeup.  Before the Republic of Ireland (Eire)
was created in 1921, the word "Northern" was missing.  And originally,
before Ireland, uh, entered the U.K, it was just "The United Kingdom of
Great Britain".

If your citizenship is of that political entity, you are officially a
"Citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies", and you are also a "British
subject".  But the latter is a much broader term, including the citizens
of all countries in the Commonwealth.  (Until about the time Britain granted
independence to India, "British subject" was all there was; no "Citizen of
Canada", "Citizen of the U.K. and Colonies", and so forth.)

I may as well note that:
	the island of Ireland = Northern Ireland + the Republic of Ireland

Mark Brader