Talk:Great Britain/Archive 4

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Keep Britain Great?

The article makes no mention that the majority of Britains live under the impression that the 'great' refers to UK's past imperial power, rather than simply indicating the largest of the British islands. This is no trivial point, as the concept of 'Great Britain' is fundamental to many citizens concept of the nation and its international role. Stub Mandrel (talk) 07:06, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

You would need to provide references for those assertions to have them included in the article. Bazza (talk) 09:13, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

The majority of Britons would have studied geography at school and should therefore know exactly what is meant by the term Great Britain. Where are you getting your information from?--Ykraps (talk) 09:41, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

Ha ha! You think? Johnbod (talk) 15:25, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

It's covered in Key Stage 1 so yes, I think so. Do you also believe they are confused about the Great Lakes? Does anybody have any evidence for Stub Mandrel's assertions?--Ykraps (talk) 17:43, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

For info - great places in UK. Not great where I live though. -Roxy the grumpy dog. wooF 17:58, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

More fundamentally, it doesn't matter much to us what "the majority of Britains" (sic) think, since we are a global project. In my experience Britons never give the matter a moment's thought (whatever they think it means), but foreigners are often variously puzzled, offended, or even made furious by the term. Johnbod (talk) 03:16, 6 September 2021 (UTC)

I see no reason for any change to this article on these issues. The name of the island is explained in the article. Strongly oppose any attempts to rewrite the meaning of it or even rename the island on this article. This is an article about an island called Great Britain. Its not our job to debate if the name is appropriate or not. RWB2020 (talk) 07:47, 6 September 2021 (UTC)

@RWB2020: The OP was not suggesting debating this, nor renaming the article. It is our job to reflect knowledge and opinion which other people and institutions have reliably documented. Should such a reliable set of references be produced to support the OP's assertion, then that would make it eligible for inclusion in this article. There is already a section about how the island's name is used. Until those references are provided, though, there is no change to be made. (It is an omission, perhaps, that no mention is made of past political and other advertising campaigns which have played on the double meaning of "great": e.g. [1]) Bazza (talk) 09:55, 6 September 2021 (UTC)

"Great" Britain does not refer to the island's status as the biggest of the islands. It's called "Great Britain" to indicate the whole island, i.e. greater Britain. "Britain" (Britannia) was the Roman province of England and Wales; "Great" Britain was to include Scotland. BBX118 17:02, 6 September 2021 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bbx118 (talk • contribs)

If "Great" refers to the size and not the colonial "glory" of the past why is the UK called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland indicating a union of two countries on my passport? e.g Great Britain created in 1707 by the Act of Union and many years later adding Northern Irland. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7F:8D21:7600:8C6E:2E8D:E38B:7DEB (talk) 20:47, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

I feel I should add for clarity, if you read the Act of Union article on wiki it says the Act of Union joined the countries of Scotland and England together to create Great Britain, this is specifically stated as an important piece of information in the Act at least according to the wiki page. The Act of Union therefore is in itself referring to Great Britain as a country! This in turn means British Isles is far more accurate when referring to the island or islands. Use of Great Britain will indicate a country to many although I fully understand that this is contentious as well as it can indicate to some that England and Scotland therefore are not countries, which I disagree with but it is why I use Scotland and England or UK in conversation rather than Great Britain which is mildly controversial. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2A02:C7F:8D21:7600:8C6E:2E8D:E38B:7DEB (talk) 21:18, 3 October 2021 (UTC)

What is your opinion (and everyone else's) on the name "Britain" being added to the opening, as it is with the Encylopedia Brittanica article?

https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Britain-island-Europe

It just looks odd that it's not mentioned here when it is the case everywhere else one reads about Great Britain, or Britain. "Great Britain" evolved as a term to include Scotland (England and Wales being the Roman Province "Britannia"). Brexit has also given Britain a slightly more political role, given how often we now hear about a "border in the Irish Sea" between Britain and Northern Ireland. The country itself is the UK.

BBX118 16:15, 12 October 2021 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bbx118 (talk • contribs)

Strongly oppose any change on this for reasons set out in the previous discussion on this same topic before when there was no consensus for what you are proposing then either. The article makes clear the terminology of the terms, we absolutely should not confuse the situation further by putting it in the opening sentence where it cannot clearly be explained. Nothing has changed since that previous discussion. This is an article about the island called Great Britain. RWB2020 (talk) 21:04, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

The island is referred to in almost all sources as "Great Britain, or Britain". No one has proposed a valid, impartial reason why the article should be the exception to this. If anything it's causing further confusion not having in the lead. BBX118 16:50, 4 November 2021 (UTC)

Perhaps this is also a good example of how a country can be considered "great" (or, in this case, "Great") without emphasizing that the term was assumed in connection with its history of invasion, oppression, and general fancy for world domination. Although a mere Canadian, I'm reasonably well-read, and until now thought "Great" referred to GB's regional inclusiveness—and, knowing what a fascinating part of the world it was geographically and culturally, that the other meaning of "great" was a happy coincidence.
Why not let others have this idea? Why dwell on its former policy of assimilation, "master race" mentality, and so on? Let bygones be bygones, I say, and let the language relax into its more benign, less grasping implications (although of course there are those in Ireland who would disagree with even that). It is, after all, the English language, and there are many ways to be "great".
And now for our concluding remarks—and a conveniently similar semantic example—I turn you over to the great John Cleese.– AndyFielding (talk) 01:36, 7 June 2022 (UTC)

The island isn't called Great Britain - it is called Britain - Great Britain refers to the entire territory of the Kingdom of Great Britain - namely Britain plus all its outlying islands. Marlarkey (talk) 21:52, 21 September 2022 (UTC)

Contradictory and wrong "Great Britain" vs "Britain"

This article is wrong and not even consistent within itself. "Britain" is the name of the island - the largest island of the archipelago. "Great Britain" refers to the territory ruled by the Kingdom of Great Britain - namely the island of Britain plus the other neighbouring islands that made up the Kingdom. The larger grouping of islands is referred to as "Great Britain" using "Great" as in "larger". The article isn't even consistent within itself, The third paragraph of the intro contradicts the first paragraph of the intro. Throughout the article the use of "Great Britain" and "Britain" is poorly and inconsistently applied. Its a mess Marlarkey (talk) 20:12, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

Have you read the Terminology section of this article? CMD (talk) 20:32, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

Exactly... throughout the terminology section both the term "Britain" and the term "Great Britain" are used inconsistently. Sometimes in the section the island is referred to as "Britain" and sometimes as "Great Britain", including several instances where "Great Britain" should be used instead of "Britain" if following the convention that "Great Britain" is the name of the island. And there are several other cases where "Britain" should be used instead of "Great Britain" if following a convention that "Britain" is the name of the island. In other words this section neither follows the convention that "Great Britain" is the name of the island NOR follows the convention that "Britain" is the name of the island. It should at least make its mind up which version it is following and follow that. Marlarkey (talk) 21:50, 21 September 2022 (UTC)

The comments by Marlarkey are mostly wrong. The island's name is Great Britain, not Britain. Ghmyrtle (talk) 21:33, 16 September 2022 (UTC)

No you're wrong... you are perpetrating a falsehood - that's the point and the article isn't even consistent - in some cases it (correctly) refers to the island as Britain and in other places as Great Britain. That's the pointofthis comment Marlarkey (talk) 21:44, 21 September 2022 (UTC)

Yes, Britain is the big island, but that (disam) page gets it wrong too. Great Britain includes the Isle of Wight, Scottish islands and so on. But not Ireland. Johnbod (talk) 22:00, 21 September 2022 (UTC)

I'm currently sitting in my house a few miles west of London. Can you tell me which island I'm on? Bazza (talk) 08:22, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

I already did - Britain. Johnbod (talk) 12:10, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

You are on the island of Great Britain, which is part of the wider political entity that is colloquially known as Britain. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:02, 23 September 2022 (UTC)

Every reliable source I've seen states that Great Britain is the name of the island, but often includes the smaller islands around it (in the same way that a rock off the coast of Jamaica would still be considered part of Jamaica but Jamaica is equally considered to be an island). "Britain" is today a colloquial term most commonly used to refer to the UK. Unless the OP is going to provide some sources to substantiate their claims this discussion is as waste of time. It's important to recognise that throughout history these and similar words have been used to apply variously to the island, the group of islands, the kingdoms and peoples. This is documented well at Britain_(place_name)#History. WaggersTALK 09:01, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

If so, what is the precise, technical, meaning of "Britain"? Not Little Britain anyway. Johnbod (talk) 12:10, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

It does not have a "precise, technical, meaning". It has various meanings, some of which contradict each other. Most commonly, it means the entirety of the UK, while "Great Britain" means the large island, sometimes also including the smaller islands which are part of England, Scotland and Wales. Ghmyrtle (talk) 19:08, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

You're contradicting yourself now. "Great Britain is the name of the island but often includes the smaller islands". So Great Britain is more than the name of the main island. It is the name for the collection of islands, of which there are many but of which Britain is the largest. Wight, Mull, Western Isles, Sicily Isles, Farne Islands, Orkney, Shetland, etc... the many islands ruled by the Kingdom of Great Britain are called "Great Britain" as in 'larger Britain'. Britain being the name of the single main island. Marlarkey (talk) 10:29, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

No, that's not what I said. Great Britain is the name of the big island. Sometimes - and only sometimes, and nearly always erroneously - it is used colloquially to include some of the smaller islands around it, just like any other island would be. Your idea that Great Britain has to be larger than Britain because "great" means "big" is original research - essentially just your opinion - and is simply not true in reality. WaggersTALK 12:10, 17 January 2023 (UTC)

Exactly. Great Britain is larger than Britain. Britain is the main islands. Great Britain is the whole collection of islands that made up the territory of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Marlarkey (talk) 10:30, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

Repeating this misconception does not make it true. You are wrong. Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:17, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

You are wrong Marlarkey (talk) 20:24, 4 October 2022 (UTC)

The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Wight". Obvious really. Roger 8 Roger (talk) 21:15, 22 September 2022 (UTC)

... and not Scilly at all. Ghmyrtle (talk) 08:05, 23 September 2022 (UTC)

The Kingdom of Great Britain was a politically entity formed by the union of Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland. The Kingdom of Great Britain ruled greater Britain, namely the geographic island of Britain and its other islands ruled by England and Scotland.Marlarkey (talk) 10:26, 28 September 2022 (UTC)

"Great Britain" is the name of the largest island of the British Isles, but it is sometimes shortened to "Britain" for convenience, like the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" is often shortened to simply the "United Kingdom". Rreagan007 (talk) 01:50, 17 January 2023 (UTC)

No it isn't.

Here's is a correct representation:

https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-0d774185c6c64f536ec2e7738b817dcd-lq

You can see that Great Britain is the territory ruled by the Kingdom of Great Britain that existed from 1707 to 1801 before the union with the Kingdom of Ireland.

You can see quite clearly that Great Britain is made up of a collection of islands, the largest of which is called Britain.

Marlarkey (talk) 12:17, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

This article is an example of how the internet creates a falsehood, that becomes self-referentially cited as evidence that the falsehood is true, and thus accepted as fact when it is false. Marlarkey (talk) 12:19, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

There are a lot of assertions along the lines of "I'm right and you're wrong!" in this discussion. Let's look at some sources:

• Britannica seems to think that Great Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe and consisting of England, Scotland, and Wales. The term is often used as a synonym for the United Kingdom, which also includes Northern Ireland and a number of offshore islands.
• Also Britannica: Great Britain, therefore, is a geographic term referring to the island also known simply as Britain. It’s also a political term for the part of the United Kingdom made up of England, Scotland, and Wales (including the outlying islands that they administer, such as the Isle of Wight).
• Historic UK (which looks a bit suss TBH) thinks that Great Britain is the largest island in the British Isles.
• Smithsonian Magazine: In strict geographic terms, Great Britain (also known as “Britain”) is an island tucked between the North Sea and the English Channel, which at its narrowest point is about 20 miles away from the European continent. Great Britain is part of the British Isles, a collection of more than 6,000 islands including Ireland in the west and smaller islands like Anglesey and Skye.
• Merriam Webster also thinks Great Britain is the largest of the islands in the British Isles.
• The Ordnance Survey bucks the trend however - they think that Great Britain is the official collective name of of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands. It does not include Northern Ireland and therefore should never be used interchangeably with ‘UK’ – something you see all too often.

Don't know what to make of all this - people use the words differently? It depends on who you ask? Girth Summit _(blether) 15:57, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

The same term referring to both an island and its broader archipelago is an exceedingly common and boring occurrence. You'll notice the linked euler diagram has, to the left of the Great Britain line, a line circling another group of islands, Ireland. The meaning of the term "Britain" by itself is a bit more interesting, but also already covered in this article's Terminolgy section. CMD (talk) 16:34, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

Seems pretty straight forward to me. The Ordnance Survey is the official mapping agency for the UK. It traces its routes back to 1745 and is the definitive source of geographic data for the UK. The other sources you mentioned are US-oriented sources and we know have Americans frequently make errors about the geography and political structures of the UK and its subdivisions. You're simply proving my point. The internet is creating a falsehood. Fact is, as defined by the official source of information, Great Britain is the official collective name for the islands of England, Scotland and Wales - ie the territory that formed the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Great Britain is the geographic lands of the Kingdom of Great Britain. Before the Kingdom of Great Britain nobody referred to the island group as "Great Britain" because before that there had been no need to.

The Isle of Wight was part of the Kingdom of England.

Anglesey part of the Principality of Wales, which itself was part of the Kingdom of England.

The Western Isle, Orkney and Shetland were part of the Kingdom of Scotland.

Great Britain was the geographic area of the Kingdom of Great Britain - including the main island of "Britain", plus all the other islands that made up the group.

Ref CMD's reference to Ireland - Achill Island is part of the Kingdom of Ireland - "Ireland" as a geographic term refers to the lands of the Kingdom of Ireland, just like Great Britain refers to the lands of the Kingdom of Great Britain.

So its all pretty clear... and now people don't get it because the internet tells them otherwise, because people don't get it. Marlarkey (talk) 15:09, 31 May 2023 (UTC)

Lack of Recent History

I am trying to do research on the history of Great Britain, and I find it very hard to find out information on the late 1800s and early 1900s 216.251.143.50 (talk) 21:37, 1 June 2023 (UTC)

You'll probably find the Victorian era article, and perhaps the Edwardian era article useful. If you have any specific questions you're trying to find answers for, I recommend asking at Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities where there's a team of volunteer researchers ready to help you. WaggersTALK 13:41, 2 June 2023 (UTC)

Does Great Britain include it's associated islands?

This article refers to Great Britain as an island.

The Ordnance Survey (https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/whats-the-difference-between-uk-britain-and-british-isles) says "Great Britain is the official collective name of of England, Scotland and Wales and their associated islands.".

While researching, I was misled by this Wikipedia article into believing that Great Britain does not include the associated islands. JonBib (talk) 12:53, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

@JonBib: You were not misled. The article is clear, but maybe you did not read all of the Great Britain article's lead. The same name is used geographically, and politically.

The first paragraph of the article states that "Great Britain" is, indeed, the name of an island. The third paragraph points out that the term "Great Britain" can also refer to the political territory of England, Scotland and Wales, which includes their offshore islands".

The Great Britain § Terminology section of the article goes into great detail about the name and how it is used. Bazza (talk) 13:01, 21 November 2023 (UTC)