You Asked
The United Kingdom, Britain, England … what am I supposed to call it? — Jillian, Los Angeles, Calif.

Marshall Answered
It depends on what you are talking about. What you see below is the United Kingdom plus Ireland:

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This is also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So the United Kingdom is the northern part of the left island plus the right island. The southern part of the left island is Ireland.

Great Britain is the right hand island. It is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.

England occupies a part of Great Britain. It is a country with its capital in London.

Sometimes, especially with foreigners, these three terms are sometimes used incorrectly. For example, the monetary unit called the pound sterling is sometimes referred to as the British pound. This is technically incorrect because it is the currency of the United Kingdom. But it is historical, and that’s what people call it.

So, if you are talking about the country named England, you call it England. If you are talking about the world’s ninth largest island, which consists of England, Scotland and Wales, you call it Great Britain. If you are talking about the United Kingdom (which is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland), you call it the United Kingdom or the U.K.

So now when you see an ad for “Visit Britain”…

…You know what they are talking about.