Difference Between Great Britain,The United Kingdom & England..

The United Kingdom (UK) is often incorrectly referred to as England, Britain, or Great Britain. In fact, the UK is the union of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The name United Kingdom is short for: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Great Britain refers to one of the two major islands that comprise the British Isles; it is made up of England, Scotland, and Wales.

Some people likely confuse England as being the same as the whole of Great Britain or the United Kingdom because of England's dominance and power in Great Britain and the UK. As the largest part of the UK, England holds about 84% of the population of the entire United Kingdom and geographically covers approximately 57% of Great Britain. Moreover, London, as England's capital and the largest city in the UK, has been the ruling center of government for the United Kingdom since 1707. In 1999, however, Scotland and Wales were granted some self governing powers, and the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly of Wales now has some ruling power.

It is also easy to confuse the term "British" as meaning the same as "English." "British" correctly refers to any people from Great Britain and not only the "English" from England. For the most part, people from England, Scotland, and Wales, prefer to be referred to as "English," "Scottish," and "Welsh" respectively, as opposed to the more generic "British" term.