(no subject)
So there's bird flu is in Scotland. I'm not particularly worried, but it's caused me to have to share a geography lesson with several people. Consequently, I'm going to share it here too!
Let's start generally. The biggest unit is that of the British Isles. The British Isles is a geographic term, really, that refers to all of the is islands that make up and surround the United Kingdom and Ireland. It includes the entire island of Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland), England, Scotland, Wales, and several smaller islands like the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, etc. Here are the British Isles:
Alright. So we started with the British Isles, but that's not the same thing as the United Kingdom. The technical title is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This, then, is the UK (the white parts):
Ignore the fact that it includes Northern Ireland in Great Britain, because they've clearly not paid attention to geography and titles.
Notice, though, that Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is a province of the United Kingdom. Great Britain, however, is made up of three COUNTRIES: England, Wales, and Scotland. All are really countries, and everyone who lives within them is technically 'British' but primarily people think of themselves as English, Welsh, or Scottish. The only time they really claim to be British is when something good happens in another of the countries and they want to claim to be part of it. If you call a Welsh or Scottish person English they WILL get angry. With that said, if you're English you don't need a visa to live in Scotland or Wales or vice versa, and you don't need a passport to travel through.
Great Britain:
They all have their own regional languages. Welsh is by far the most prominent of the local languages as it's still taught in school and a good part of the welsh population can speak it. The other local languages are making a comeback, though, in an attempt to encourage the growth of local culture.
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England all have representatives elected to parliament, and Scotland, N. Ireland, and Wales all have their own local parliaments too. So they all have a say in the greater government, and in what happens locally.
So when they say that bird flu is in Scotland, that means that it IS in Britain, and it IS in the UK, but it is NOT in England! It's about 7 hours from me, so I'm a-friggin-okay!
Let's start generally. The biggest unit is that of the British Isles. The British Isles is a geographic term, really, that refers to all of the is islands that make up and surround the United Kingdom and Ireland. It includes the entire island of Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland), England, Scotland, Wales, and several smaller islands like the Isle of Wight, Isle of Man, etc. Here are the British Isles:
Alright. So we started with the British Isles, but that's not the same thing as the United Kingdom. The technical title is The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This, then, is the UK (the white parts):
Ignore the fact that it includes Northern Ireland in Great Britain, because they've clearly not paid attention to geography and titles.
Notice, though, that Northern Ireland is not part of Great Britain. Northern Ireland is a province of the United Kingdom. Great Britain, however, is made up of three COUNTRIES: England, Wales, and Scotland. All are really countries, and everyone who lives within them is technically 'British' but primarily people think of themselves as English, Welsh, or Scottish. The only time they really claim to be British is when something good happens in another of the countries and they want to claim to be part of it. If you call a Welsh or Scottish person English they WILL get angry. With that said, if you're English you don't need a visa to live in Scotland or Wales or vice versa, and you don't need a passport to travel through.
Great Britain:
They all have their own regional languages. Welsh is by far the most prominent of the local languages as it's still taught in school and a good part of the welsh population can speak it. The other local languages are making a comeback, though, in an attempt to encourage the growth of local culture.
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England all have representatives elected to parliament, and Scotland, N. Ireland, and Wales all have their own local parliaments too. So they all have a say in the greater government, and in what happens locally.
So when they say that bird flu is in Scotland, that means that it IS in Britain, and it IS in the UK, but it is NOT in England! It's about 7 hours from me, so I'm a-friggin-okay!