This little island just off the coast of western Europe, with smaller islands dotted around it's extremities, is known by many names even within its shores. Natives may feel certain that they know which to use, or which name refers to what grouping of nations, but what exactly is the difference between the United Kingdom, Britain and England?

The full name that goes with the Union Jack flag (created in 1801), is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This is often shortened to either the United Kingdom, Great Britain, the UK or (often for sporting events) GB. The United Kingdom is a monarchy which rules over four separate states: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland came into being after the passing of the Act of Union in 1800. Previously, both the Scottish and English (including Wales at this time) Parliaments had passed similar Act of Union legislation in 1707, which had formed the Kingdom of Great Britain.

In 1921, the war of Independence in Ireland led to the partitioning of the country. The Kingdom of Ireland had been under English control since 1691, and had formally been part of the Kingdom of Great Britain since the 1800 Act of Union. In 1922, Northern Ireland declared its intention to be part of the UK, and in 1927, the formal name was changed to include Northern Ireland in the Union.

Great Britain, as a name for a geographical region, can be traced back to Roman times. It was used to distinguish the land south of Hadrian's Wall, which stretches from Wallsend on the river Tyne in the west, to the shores of the Solway Firth in the east. In this context, "Great" simply means the larger portion of land. Britain as a word is an amalgamation of several related spellings from Latin, Old French and Middle English. Britania was the name used by the Romans after the invasion of AD 43, and adopted by the Norman French as a familiar sounding word, similar to Breton in their own land. There are also connections to the Welsh "Prydain", as the ancient native peoples of the Island were groups in a number of Celtic tribes. The name of the country, as with so much else, has come from invaders.

What of England then? England is the portion of the island that covers much of the south and east of the land mass, with land borders to Wales in the west and Scotland to the north. It became a unified country in 927 (though the name had been in used since 897), and takes it's name from the Angles, one of the three Germanic tribes to settle on the island in the 5th and 6th centuries. England was before 927 a collection of 7 smaller kingdoms, each of whose rulers had claimed the title of King of England at various times. It was King Athelstan of Wessex that brought the smaller kingdoms together, though it was not until the defeat of the Norwegian Eric Bloodaxe by Edred in 954 that the union was fully acknowledged.

England has the capital city of the United Kingdom, London, and is also home to time itself as the Greenwich Meridian runs through the city. The English language is spoken by millions of people around the world, yet it has no official designation as the principal language of its people. It is however one of two native languages of England, the other being Cornish.

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