British Isles
The British Isles in relation to mainland Europe
Geography
Location	Western Europe
Total islands	6,000+
Major islands	Great Britain and Ireland
Area	315,134 km² 121,673 sq mi
Highest point	Ben Nevis 1,344 m (4,409 ft)
Administration
Guernsey
Largest city	St. Peter Port
Isle of Man
Largest city	Douglas
Ireland
Largest city	Dublin
Jersey
Largest city	St. Helier
United Kingdom
Largest city	London
Demographics
Population	~65 million
Indigenous people	Britons, English, Irish, Scottish, Ulster-Scots, Welsh, Cornish[1], Channel Islanders, Manx

The British Isles (Irish: variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór;^[2] Manx: Ellanyn Goaldagh; Scottish Gaelic: Eileanan Breatannach; Welsh: Ynysoedd Prydain) are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe which comprise Great Britain, Ireland and a number of smaller islands. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Ben Nevis ( Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis, peˈɲivəʃ is the highest mountain in the British Isles. The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Bailliage de Guernesey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. St Peter Port is the Capital of Guernsey, as well as the main Port of the island The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical Douglas (Doolish is the capital of the Isle of Man and its largest town Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The Bailiwick of Jersey ( Jèrriais: Jèrri) is a British Crown dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. Saint Helier ( French language: Saint-Hélier, Jèrriais: St Hélyi) is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. Ulster Scots, also known as Ullans, Hiberno-Scots, or Scots-Irish, refers to the variety of Scots (sometimes referred to as The Welsh people ( Welsh: Cymro ("Welshman" Cymraes ("Welsh woman" Cymry ("Welshmen/women" Cymry The Cornish people (Kernowyon are regarded as an Ethnic group of the United Kingdom originating in Cornwall. The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands The Manx are an ethnic group coming from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea in northern Europe. Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Manx ( Gaelg or Gailck, ɡilk or) also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language once spoken on the Isle Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the Continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world ^[3] The term British Isles is controversial in relation to Ireland,^[4] where many people may find the term offensive or objectionable; the Irish government also discourages its usage. There is dispute and disagreement over the term British Isles, particularly in relation to Ireland ^[5]

There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland. Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. ^[6] The group also includes the Crown dependencies of the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the archipelago. The Crown Dependencies are possessions of The Crown in Right of the United Kingdom, as opposed to overseas territories or colonies of the United The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands Physical geography (also known as geosystems or physiography) is one of the three major subfields of Geography. ^[7] There are other common uncertainties surrounding the extent, names and geographical elements of the islands. The various terms used to describe the different (and sometimes overlapping geographical and political areas of the Islands of Great Britain Ireland and surrounding islands are often

Alternative names and descriptions

Main articles: British Isles (terminology) and British Isles naming dispute

Several different names are currently used to describe the islands. The various terms used to describe the different (and sometimes overlapping geographical and political areas of the Islands of Great Britain Ireland and surrounding islands are often There is dispute and disagreement over the term British Isles, particularly in relation to Ireland

Dictionaries, encyclopaedias and atlases that use the term British Isles define it^[8] as Great Britain, Ireland and adjacent islands, typically including the Isle of Man, the Hebrides, Shetland, Orkney. Some definitions include the Channel Islands. ^[9]

Many major road and rail maps and atlases use the term "Great Britain and Ireland" to describe the islands, although this may be ambiguous regarding the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. ^[10] Another alternative name is "British-Irish Isles". ^[11]

In addition, the term "British Isles" is itself used in widely varying ways, including as an effective synonym for the UK or for Great Britain and its islands, but excluding Ireland. ^[12] Media organisations like the The Times and the BBC have style-guide entries to try to maintain consistent usage,^[13][14] but these are not always successful. The Times is a daily national Newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the Oxford University Press - publishers of the Oxford English Dictionary - and the UK Hydrographic Office (publisher of Admiralty charts) have all occasionally used the term "British Isles and Ireland" (with Britannica and Oxford contradicting their own definitions of the "British Isles"),^[15][16][17] and some specialist encyclopedias also use that term. ^[18] The BBC style guide's entry on the subject of the British Isles remarks, "Confused already? Keep going. " The Economic History Society style guide suggests that the term should be avoided. ^[19]

Other descriptions for the islands are also used in everyday language, examples are: "Great Britain and Ireland", "UK and Ireland", and "the British Isles and Ireland". Some of these are used by corporate entities and can be seen on the internet, such as in the naming of Yahoo UK & Ireland,^[20] or such as in the 2001 renaming of the British Isles Rugby Union Team to the current name of the "British and Irish Lions". The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or "British Lions" Rugby union side comprises a pick of the best players from

As mentioned above, the term "British Isles" is controversial in relation to Ireland. One map publisher recently decided to abandon using the term in Ireland while continuing to use it in Britain. ^[21][22] The Irish government is opposed to the term "British Isles" and says that it "would discourage its usage". ^[23]

Geography

Main articles: Geography of the United Kingdom, Geography of Ireland, and Geography of the Isle of Man

Also, see the section on the geography of the Channel Islands. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UK, is in Western Europe. The geography of Ireland describes an Island in Northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. The Isle of Man is an Island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland in Western Europe, with a population The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands

Satellite Image of the British Isles (excluding Orkney and Shetland); close to the coast of France

There are more than 6,000 islands in the group, the largest two being Great Britain and Ireland. Orkney (also known as the Orkney Islands or incorrectly the Orkneys) is an Archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles (16 km north Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from etland; Old Norse non Hjaltland; Sealtainn is an Archipelago off the northeast coast of This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world

Great Britain is to the east and covers 216,777 km² (83,698 square miles), over half of the total landmass of the group.

Ireland is to the west and covers 84,406 km² (32,589 square miles).

The largest of the other islands are to be found in the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland to the north, Anglesey and the Isle of Man between Great Britain and Ireland, and the Channel Islands near the coast of France. See also Hebrides (disambiguation The Hebrides (ˈhɛbrɨˌdiːz "HEB-ri-deez" Gaelic: Innse Gall) comprise a widespread and diverse Orkney (also known as the Orkney Islands or incorrectly the Orkneys) is an Archipelago in northern Scotland, situated 10 miles (16 km north Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from etland; Old Norse non Hjaltland; Sealtainn is an Archipelago off the northeast coast of History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics.

Main article: List of islands in the British Isles

See also:

• Great Britain and Ireland
• List of islands of England
• List of islands of Ireland
• List of islands of Isle of Man
• List of islands of Scotland
• List of islands of Wales

The islands are at relatively low altitudes, with central Ireland and southern Great Britain particularly low lying: the lowest point in the islands is the Fens at −4 m (−13 ft). This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data This is a list of the Islands of England, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain, as well as a table of the largest English islands This is a list of the principal Islands of Ireland. It includes both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin is a Crown dependency in the centre of the Irish Sea. This is a list of the Islands of Scotland, the mainland of which is part of the island of Great Britain. This is a list of the Islands of Wales, the mainland of which is part of Great Britain, as well as a table of the largest Welsh islands by area The Fens, also known as the Fenland, is a geographic area in eastern England, in the United Kingdom. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The Scottish Highlands in the northern part of Great Britain are mountainous, with Ben Nevis being the highest point in the British Isles at 1,344 m (4,409 ft). The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous Ben Nevis ( Gaelic: Beinn Nibheis, peˈɲivəʃ is the highest mountain in the British Isles. Other mountainous areas include Wales and parts of the island of Ireland, but only seven peaks in these areas reach above 1,000 m (3,281 ft). Lakes on the islands are generally not large, although Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland is an exception, covering 381 km² (147 square miles); the largest freshwater body in Great Britain is Loch Lomond at 71. Lough Neagh (ˌlɒx ˈneɪ, ɫ̪ɔx ˈn̠ʲahax is a freshwater Lake in Northern Ireland. Loch Lomond (ˈloʊmənd ( Scottish Gaelic Loch Laomainn) is a freshwater Scottish Loch, lying on the Highland Boundary Fault. 1 km² (27. 5 square miles). Neither are rivers particularly long, the rivers Severn at 354 km (219 miles) and Shannon at 386 km (240 miles) being the longest. For other rivers named "Severn" see Severn River. The River Severn ( Welsh: Afon Hafren, Latin The River Shannon ( Sionainn or Sionna in Irish) is at 386 km (240 miles the longest river in Ireland.

The British Isles have a temperate marine climate, the North Atlantic Drift ("Gulf Stream") which flows from the Gulf of Mexico brings with it significant moisture and raises temperatures 11 °C (20 °F) above the global average for the islands' latitudes. An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes The Gulf of Mexico ( Spanish: Golfo de México) is the ninth largest Body of water in the world The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 ^[24] Winters are thus warm and wet, with summers mild and also wet. Most Atlantic depressions pass to the north of the islands, combined with the general westerly circulation and interactions with the landmass, this imposes an east-west variation in climate. A low pressure area, or " low " is a region where the Atmospheric pressure is lower in relation to the surrounding area The Westerlies or the Prevailing Westerlies are the prevailing winds in the Middle latitudes between 30 and 60 degrees Latitude, blowing from ^[25]

Transport

Heathrow is the busiest airport of Europe in terms of passenger traffic and the Dublin-London route is the busiest air route of Europe,^[26] and the second-busiest in the world. Europe's two largest low-cost airlines, Ryanair and easyJet, operate from Ireland and Britain respectively. Ryanair (,) is an Irish Airline with headquarters in Dublin and its biggest operational base at London Stansted Airport in the UK EasyJet Airline Company Limited, styled as easyJet, is a low cost airline based at London Luton Airport.

The English Channel and the southern North Sea are the busiest seaways in the world. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. The car ferry, M/F Ulysses, traveling the Irish Sea is the largest in the world. See also Merchant ship A ferry is a form of transport usually a Boat or Ship, used to carry (or ferry) passengers and The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, The Channel Tunnel, opened 1994, links Great Britain to France and is the second-longest rail tunnel in the world. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The idea of building a tunnel under the Irish Sea has been raised since 1895,^[27] when it was first investigated, but is not considered to be economically viable. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon, Several potential Irish Sea tunnel projects have been proposed, most recently the Tusker Tunnel between the ports of Rosslare and Fishguard proposed by The Institute of Engineers of Ireland in 2004. Fishguard (Abergwaun = "Mouth of the River Gwaun " is a coastal Town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3300 ^[28][29] A different proposed route is between Dublin and Holyhead, proposed in 1997 by a leading British engineering firm, Symonds, for a rail tunnel from Dublin to Holyhead. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Holyhead ( IPA /ˈhɒlihɛd/ Welsh: Caergybi, "the fort of Saint Cybi " is the largest town in the county of Either tunnel, at 80 km, would be by far the longest in the world, and would cost an estimated €20 billion. A proposal in 2007,^[30] estimated the cost of building a bridge from County Antrim in Northern Ireland to Galloway in Scotland at £3. County Antrim ( Contae Aontroma or simply Aontroim in Irish) is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, and one of nine counties Galloway ( Gaelic: Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, əŋ ɡauɫ̪ɣəɫ̪əv or Gallobha, Lowland Scots Gallowa) is an area in southwestern 5bn (€5bn). However, none of these is thought to be economically viable at this time.

Geology

Main articles: Geology of Great Britain, Geography of Ireland, Geology of England, and Geology of Scotland

A data-generated image showing the British Isles sitting on the north-west of the European continental shelf. The Geology of Great Britain is hugely varied and complex and gives rise to the wide variety of landscapes found across the islands The geography of Ireland describes an Island in Northwest Europe in the north Atlantic Ocean. The Geology of England is mainly sedimentary. The youngest rocks are in the south east around London, progressing in age in a north westerly The geology of Scotland is unusually varied for a country of its size with a large number of differing geological features Europe is traditionally reckoned as one of seven Continents Geology justifies this tradition as reasonable because of the difference between the cultures of the traditional The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each Continent and associated Coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such

The British Isles lie at the juncture of several regions with past episodes of tectonic mountain building. This article discusses the geologic usage for the philosophical or architectural usage see Architectonics ' Or see Plate tectonics. These orogenic belts form a complex geology which records a huge and varied span of earth history. Orogeny (Greek for "mountain generating" is the process of natural Mountain building and may be studied as a tectonic structural event as a geographical event and ^[31] Of particular note was the Caledonian Orogeny during the Ordovician Period, ca. The Caledonian orogeny is a mountain building event recorded in the Mountains and Hills of northern Scotland, Ireland, England, The Ordovician is a geologic period and system, the second of six of the Paleozoic era, and covers the time between 488 488–444 Ma and early Silurian period, when the craton Baltica collided with the terrane Avalonia to form the mountains and hills in northern Britain and Ireland. Annum is one form of the Latin noun meaning Year, not a form normally used for derivatives in modern languages the accusative singular The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician period about 443 A craton ( Greek kratos / κρἀτος ( neut. "strength" is an old and stable part of the Continental crust that has survived Baltica redirects here For the Russian beer, see Baltika Breweries Baltica is a name applied by geologists to a late- Proterozoic, A terrane in Geology is a fragment of crustal material formed on or broken off from one Tectonic plate and accreted — " sutured " Avalonia was an ancient Microcontinent or Terrane whose history formed much of the older rocks of Western Europe, Atlantic Canada and parts of the Baltica formed roughly the north western half of Ireland and Scotland. Further collisions caused the Variscan orogeny in the Devonian and Carboniferous periods, forming the hills of Munster, south-west England, and south Wales. The Variscan (or Hercynian) orogeny is a geologic mountain-building event caused by Late Paleozoic Continental collision between Laurasia The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era spanning from to  million years ago. The Carboniferous is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Devonian period about 359 Munster ( Irish: An Mhumhain, ənˈvuːnʲ Cúige Mumhan or Mumha) is the southernmost of the four Provinces of Ireland. Over the last 500 million years the land which forms the islands has drifted northwest from around 30°S, crossing the equator around 370 million years ago to reach its present northern latitude. The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the ^[32]

The islands have been shaped by numerous glaciations during the Quaternary Period, the most recent being the Devensian. Overview The term Quaternary ("fourth" was proposed by Giovanni Arduino in 1759 for alluvial deposits in the Po river valley in northern "Last glacial" redirects here For the period of maximum glacier extent during this time see Last Glacial Maximum The last glacial period As this ended, the central Irish Sea was de-glaciated (whether or not there was a land bridge between Great Britain and Ireland at this time is somewhat disputed, though there was certainly a single ice sheet covering the entire sea) and the English Channel flooded, with sea levels rising to current levels some 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, leaving the British Isles in their current form. The Irish Sea ( Irish: Muir Éireann or Muir Meann; Scottish Gaelic: Muir Eireann Welsh: Môr Iwerddon,

The islands' geology is highly complex, though there are large amounts of limestone and chalk rocks which formed in the Permian and Triassic periods. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 Chalk (ʧɔːk is a soft white porous Sedimentary rock, a form of Limestone composed of the Mineral Calcite. The Permian is a geologic period and system that extends from 299 The Triassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about 251 to 199 Ma (million years ago The west coasts of Ireland and northern Great Britain that directly face the Atlantic Ocean are generally characterized by long peninsulas, and headlands and bays; the internal and eastern coasts are "smoother". A peninsula is a piece of land that is nearly surrounded by Water but connected to Mainland via an Isthmus.

Demographics

Population density per km² of the British Isles. Dublin and London, with respective population densities of 1,288 and 4,761 are shaded blue.

The demographics of the British Isles show dense population in England, which accounts for almost 80% of the total population of the region. In Ireland, Northern Ireland. Scotland, Wales dense populations are limited to areas around, or close to, their respective capitals. Major populations centres (greater than one million people) exist in the following areas:

• Greater London Urban Area (8. The Greater London Urban Area is the Conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, in south east England with an estimated population of 8505000 5 million)
  • London metropolitan area (12—14 million)
• West Midlands conurbation (2. The London commuter belt is the Metropolitan area surrounding London, England from which it is possible to commute to work in the capital The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large Conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of 3 million)
• Greater Manchester Urban Area (2. The Greater Manchester Urban Area is an area of land defined by the Office for National Statistics consisting of the large Conurbation surrounding and including the 2 million)
• West Yorkshire Urban Area (2. The West Yorkshire Urban Area is a term used by the Office for National Statistics (ONS to refer to a conurbation in West Yorkshire, England, based mainly 1 million)
• Greater Glasgow (1. 7 million)
• Greater Dublin Area (1. Introduction The term is described in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (Section 21 and a number of other statutory instruments for the purposes of Planning 6 million)
• Tyne and Wear (1. 1 million)

The population of England has risen steadily throughout its history, while the populations of Scotland and Wales have shown little increase during the twentieth century - the population of Scotland remaining unchanged since 1951. Ireland, which for most of its history comprised a population proportionate to its land area, one third of the total population, has since the Great Famine fallen to less than one tenth of the population of the British Isles. The famine, which caused a century-long population decline, drastically reduced the Irish population and permanently altered the demographic make-up of the British Isles. On a global scale this disaster led to the creation of an Irish diaspora that number fifteen times the current population of the island

Population of Ireland since the Great Famine v Total for British Isles

	Ireland	British Isles	% of total	Graph
1841	8. The Irish diaspora (Diaspóra na nGael consists of Irish Emigrants and their descendants in countries such as Great Britain, the United States 2	26. 7	30. 7%
1851	6. 9	27. 7	24. 8%
1891	4. 7	37. 8	12. 4%
1951	4. 1	53. 2	7. 7%
1991	5. 5	62. 9	8. 7%
2006	6. 0	64. 3	9. 3%

Political co-operation within the islands

Between 1801 and 1922, Great Britain and Ireland together formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 ^[33] In 1922, twenty-six counties of Ireland left the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom following the Irish War of Independence and the Anglo-Irish Treaty; the remaining six counties, mainly in the northeast of the island, became known as Northern Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920. The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla The Anglo-Irish Treaty (An Conradh Angla-Éireannach officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a Treaty Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act 1920, (and sometimes called the Fourth Home Rule Act) was an Act Both states, but not the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, are members of the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

However, despite independence of most of Ireland, political cooperation exists across the islands on some levels:

• Travel. Since Irish partition an informal free-travel area has continued to exist across the entire region; in 1997 it was formally recognised by the European Union, in the Amsterdam Treaty, as the Common Travel Area. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Treaty of Amsterdam amending the Treaty of the European Union the Treaties establishing the European Communities and certain related acts, commonly known as the Amsterdam Treaty The Common Travel Area is a passport-free zone that comprises the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, Jersey There have recently been reports^[34] that the UK Government is planning to end this arrangement, although the details are not yet clear.
• Voting rights. No part of the British Isles considers a citizen of any other part as an 'alien' This pre-dates and goes much further than that required by European Union law, and gives common voting rights to all citizens of the jurisdictions within the archipelago. Exceptions to this are presidential elections and referendums in the Republic of Ireland, for which there is no comparable franchise in the other states. Other EU nationals may only vote in local and European Parliament elections while resident in either the UK or Ireland. A 2008 UK Ministry of Justice report proposed to end this arrangement arguing that, "the right to vote is one of the hallmarks of the political status of citizens; it is not a means of expressing closeness between countries. "^[35]
• Diplomatic. Bilateral agreements allow UK embassies to act as an Irish consulate when Ireland is not represented in a particular country.
• Northern Ireland. Citizens of Northern Ireland are entitled to the choice of Irish or British citizenship or both.
• The British-Irish Council was set up in 1999 following the 1998 Belfast Agreement. The British-Irish Council ( BIC) (Comhairle na Breataine-na hÉireann is a body created by the Belfast Agreement in 1998 and formally established on 2 December 1999 The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement (Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste Belfast Greeance or the Good Friday Agreement (Comhaontú Aoine an This body is made up of all political entities across the islands, both the sovereign governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the devolved governments of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and the dependencies of Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. It has no executive authority but meets biannually to discuss issues of mutual importance, currently restricted to the misuse of drugs, the environment, the knowledge economy, social inclusion, tele-medicine, tourism, transport and national languages of the participants. During the February 2008 meeting of the Council, it was agreed to set-up a standing secretariat that would serve as a permanent 'civil service' for the Council. ^[36]
• The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body (Irish: Comhlact Idir-Pharlaiminteach Na Bretaine agus Na hÉireann) was established in 1990. The British-Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body ( BIIPB) (Comhlacht Idir-Pharlaiminteach na Breataine agus na hÉireann was established in 1990 to bring together 25 members of the Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Originally it comprised 25 members of the Oireachtas, the Irish parliament, and 25 members of the parliament of the United Kingdom, with the purpose of building mutual understanding between members of both legislature. The Oireachtas (ɛrʲaxt̪ˠasˠ is the "national parliament" or Legislature of Ireland, sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories Since then the role and scope of the body has been expanded with the addition of five representatives from the Scottish Parliament, five from the National Assembly for Wales and five from the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved One member is also taken from the States of Jersey, one from the States of Guernsey and one from the High Court of Tynwald (Isle of Man). The States of Jersey ( French: États de Jersey) is the Parliament of Jersey. The States of Guernsey ( French: États de Guernesey) is the Parliament of the Island of Guernsey. Tynwald (Tinvaal or more formally the High Court of Tynwald (Ard-whaiyl Tinvaal is the Bicameral Legislature of the Isle of Man. With no executive powers, it may investigate and collect witness evidence from the public on matters of mutual concern to its members, these have in the past ranged from issues such as the delivery of health services to rural populations, to the Sellafield nuclear facility, to the mutual recognition of penalty points against drivers across the British Isles. Reports on its findings are presented to the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom. Leading on from developments in the British-Irish Council, the chair of the Body, Niall Blaney, has suggested a name-change and that the body should shadow the British-Irish Council's work. Niall Blaney (born 29 January 1974 is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician he was previously a member of Independent Fianna Fáil. ^[37]

History

Main articles: History of the British Isles, History of Ireland, History of the United Kingdom, History of England, History of Wales, History of Scotland, History of the Isle of Man, and Channel_Islands#History

The British Isles have a long and complex shared history. The history of the British Isles has witnessed intermittent periods of competition and cooperation between the people that occupy the various parts of Great Britain, Prehistoric Britain was a period in the human occupation of Great Britain that was the later part of Prehistory, conventionally ending with the Roman invasion In Great Britain, the Bronze Age is considered to have been the period from around 2700 to 700 BC. In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised Archaeology and Geology continue to reveal the secrets of prehistoric Scotland, uncovering a complex and dramatic past before the Romans brought Scotland Prehistoric Wales in terms of human settlements covers the period from about 230000 years ago the date attributed to the earliest human remains found in what is now Wales Prehistory Mesolithic (8000 BC - 4500 BC What little is known of pre- Christian Ireland comes from a few references in Roman writings Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Up to and during the Roman occupation of Britain, the native inhabitants of Roman Britain spoke Brythonic languages (a sub-family of the Celtic languages Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an Archaeologists ' label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental The Early Medieval era in Ireland from 800 to 1166 is characterised by Viking raids then settlement in what had become a stable and wealthy country This period in Ireland's history was marked by the dominance of the so-called Protestant Ascendancy. Great Britain during the Middle Ages (from the 5th century withdrawal of Roman forces from the province of Britannia The Early Middle Ages, a period which corresponds in part with Early Historic Scotland and the Later Iron Age, is that era of Scottish pre-history and The history of Scotland in the High Middle Ages covers Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III The history of Scotland in the Late Middle Ages might be said to be dominated by the twin themes of crisis and transition The Norman invasion of Wales began shortly after the Norman invasion of England. Wales in the Late Middle Ages covers the period from the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd in late 1282 to the incorporation of Wales into England by the Laws in Wales Acts Gaelic Ireland was the political order that existed in Ireland prior to the Norman invasion and that ran in parallel to the subsequent nominal Lordship The later medieval period in Ireland (" Norman Ireland " was dominated by the Cambro-Norman invasion of the country in 1171. Early Modern Britain is the History of the island of Great Britain roughly corresponding to the 16th 17th and 18th centuries Early Modern Ireland saw the first full conquest of Ireland by England and its colonization with Protestant settlers from England and Scotland The history of the United Kingdom — British history — as an unified Sovereign state begins with the legistlative union between the kingdoms of England The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental Northern Ireland was established as a distinct region of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. From 1801 to 1922 the whole island of Ireland formed a constituent part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (UK The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by The country of Wales, or Cymru in Welsh has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29000 years though continuous human habitation The history of England is similar to the history of Britain until the arrival of the Saxons The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental Northern Ireland was established as a distinct region of the United Kingdom on 3 May 1921 under the terms of the Government of Ireland Act 1920. The Republic of Ireland first became an independent state on 6 December 1922 The Isle of Man has been the scene of human occupation since the end of the Last glacial period over 10000 years ago The history of Scotland begins around 10000 years ago when Humans first began to inhabit Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last The country of Wales, or Cymru in Welsh has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29000 years though continuous human habitation The Bailiwick of Guernsey (Bailliage de Guernesey is a British Crown dependency in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy. The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy that held sway in both France and Prehistoric Orkney See also Prehistoric Orkney As with Prehistoric Scotland generally the arrival of Hunter gatherers in Orkney had to The British Isles have a long history of migration from across Europe, starting in the Palaeolithic period The Constitution of the United Kingdom is said to be uncodified. Irish states have existed under a number of different names for nearly a thousand years This is a history of the economy of the United Kingdom and of the countries that joined to form it in 1707 and 1801 To 1800 The first settlers in Ireland were seafarers who survived largely by Fishing, Hunting and gathering. The military history of the United Kingdom covers the period from the birth of the united Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707 with the political union of England and The History of English society demonstrates innumerable changes over many centuries The Maritime history of the United Kingdom involves events including Shipping, Ports Navigation, and seamen, as well as marine The history of the British Isles has witnessed intermittent periods of competition and cooperation between the people that occupy the various parts of Great Britain, The history of Ireland begins with the first known settlement in Ireland around 8000 BC when Hunter-gatherers arrived from Great Britain and continental The history of the United Kingdom — British history — as an unified Sovereign state begins with the legistlative union between the kingdoms of England The history of England is similar to the history of Britain until the arrival of the Saxons The country of Wales, or Cymru in Welsh has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29000 years though continuous human habitation The history of Scotland begins around 10000 years ago when Humans first began to inhabit Scotland after the end of the Devensian glaciation, the last The Isle of Man has been the scene of human occupation since the end of the Last glacial period over 10000 years ago The Channel Islands ( Norman: Îles d'la Manche, French: Îles Anglo-Normandes or Îles de la Manche) are a group of Islands While this tends to be presented in terms of national narratives, many events transcended modern political boundaries. In particular these borders have little relevance to early times and in that context can be misleading, though useful as an indication of location to the modern reader. Also, cultural shifts which historians have previously interpreted as evidence of invaders eliminating or displacing the previous populations are now, in the light of genetic evidence, perceived by a number of archaeologists and historians as being to a considerable extent changes in the culture of the existing population brought by groups of immigrants or invaders who at times became a new ruling élite.

Prehistory

At a time when the islands were still joined to continental Europe, Homo erectus brought Palaeolithic tool use to the south east of the modern British Isles some 750,000 years ago followed (about 500,000 years ago) by the more advanced tool use of Homo heidelbergensis found at Boxgrove. Homo erectus ( Latin: "upright man" is an extinct species of the genus Homo, believed to have been the first hominin The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" Homo heidelbergensis ("Heidelberg Man" is an Extinct Species of the Genus Homo which may be the direct ancestor Boxgrove is a Village and Civil parish in the Chichester District of the English county of West Sussex, about five kilometres (3 It appears that the glaciation of ice ages successively cleared all human life from the area, though human occupation occurred during warmer interglacial periods. "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. An ice age is a period of long-term reduction in the Temperature of the Earth 's surface and atmosphere resulting in an expansion of continental Ice sheets Modern humans appear with the Aurignacian culture about 30,000 years ago, famously with the "Red Lady of Paviland" in modern Wales. Aurignacian is the name of a culture of the Upper Palaeolithic located in Europe and southwest Asia. The Red Lady of Paviland is a fairly complete Upper Paleolithic -era human male skeleton dyed in Red ochre, discovered in 1823 by Rev The last ice age ended around 10,000 years ago, and Mesolithic hunter-gatherers spread to all parts of the islands by around 8,000 years ago, at a time when rising sea levels now cut off the islands from the continent. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild Foraging and Hunting The immigrants came principally from the ice age refuge in what is now the Basque Country, with a smaller immigration from refuges in the modern Ukraine and Moldavia. Ukraine (Україна Ukrayina, /ukrɑˈjinɑ/ is a country in Eastern Europe. Moldavia (Moldova is a geographic and historical region and former Principality in Eastern Europe, corresponding to the territory between Eastern Carpathians Three quarters of the ancestors of people of the British Isles may have arrived in this wave of immigration. ^[38]

Around 6,500 years ago farming practices spread to the area with the Neolithic Revolution and the western seaways quickly brought megalithic culture throughout the islands. The Neolithic Revolution was the first Agricultural revolution &mdashthe transition from hunting and gathering communities and bands to Agriculture and The earliest stone house still standing in northern Europe is at Knap of Howar, in Orkney which also features such monuments as Maes Howe ranking alongside the Callanish stone circle on the Isle of Lewis, Newgrange in Ireland, and Stonehenge in southern England along with thousands of lesser monuments across the isles, often showing affinities with megalithic monuments in France and Spain. At Knap of Howar on the Orkney island of Papa Westray, a Neolithic farmstead has been wonderfully well preserved and is claimed to be the oldest preserved Maeshowe (or Maes Howe) is a Neolithic Chambered cairn and Passage grave situated on mainland Orkney, Scotland. Newgrange (Dún Fhearghusa is one of the Passage tombs of the Brú na Bóinne complex in County Meath, one of the most famous Stonehenge is a Prehistoric Monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury ^[39] Further cultural shifts in the Bronze Age were followed with the building of numerous hill forts in the Iron Age, and increased trade with continental Europe. The term Bronze Age refers to a period in human cultural development when the most advanced Metalworking (at least in systematic and widespread use included techniques for A hill fort is a fortified refuge or defended settlement This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age for the mythological Iron Age see Ages of Man.

Celts, Romans and Anglo-Saxons

Early historical records of the islands, notably descriptions from Pytheas and Ptolemy, portray numerous named tribes while using Priteni or Pretani as an overall collective term, Hiberni for the inhabitants of Ireland and Albiones for those of Great Britain, though it is questionable if these people identified themselves with any grouping larger than the tribe. Dates Pliny says that Timaeus (born about 350 BC believed Pytheas' story of the discovery of Amber. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca ^[40] Later scholars associated these tribal societies with the Celts the Ancient Greeks reported in what is now south-West Germany, and sub-grouped their Celtic languages in the British Isles into the Brythonic languages spoken in most of Great Britain, and Goidelic in Ireland. Celts (ˈkɛlts or /ˈsɛlts/, see Names of the Celts The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect They perceived these languages as arriving in a series of invasions, but modern evidence suggests that these peoples may have migrated from Anatolia around 7000 BC through southern and then Western Europe. Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black ^[41] Genetic evidence indicates that there was not a later large-scale replacement of these early inhabitants^[42] and that the Celtic influence was largely cultural. In the Scottish highlands northwards the people the Romans called Caledonians or Picts spoke a language which is now unknown and extinct. The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Caledonians ( Latin: Caledonii) or Caledonian Confederacy, is a name given by historians to a group of the Indigenous The Picts were a Confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century It is also possible that southern England was settled by Belgic tribes. ^[41]

During the first century the Roman conquest of Britain established Roman Britain which became a province of the Roman Empire named Britannia. This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial It included most of the island of Great Britain but never consolidating control over the highlands of Caledonia, and around 180 drew back to Hadrian's Wall with tribes forming friendly buffer states further north to around the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Caledonia is the Latin name given by the Roman Empire to a northern area of the island of Great Britain. Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman A buffer state is a Country lying between two rival or potentially hostile greater powers, which by its sheer existence is thought to prevent conflict between them The Firth of Clyde forms a large area of coastal water sheltered from the Atlantic ocean by the Kintyre peninsula which encloses the outer Firth in The Firth of Forth ( Scottish Gaelic: Linne Foirthe) is the Estuary or Firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows The interaction of the Romans with Ireland appears to have been limited to some trade. From the 4th century raids on Roman Britain increased and language links have led to speculation that many Britons migrated across the English Channel at this time to found Brittany, but it has been contended that Armorica was already Brythonic speaking due to trade and religious links, and the Romans subsequently called it Brittania. Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into ^[43]

The end of Roman rule around 410 was followed by the formation of numerous kingdoms across most of Britain. Subsequent settlement in Sub-Roman Britain by peoples traditionally called the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes created Anglo-Saxon kingdoms ("the Heptarchy") over much of what is now Eastern England and south-east Scotland. Sub-Roman Britain is a term derived from an Archaeologists ' label for the material culture of Britain in Late Antiquity. The Angles is a modern English word for a Germanic-speaking people who took their name from the cultural ancestral region of Angeln, a modern district located in The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The Jutes, Iuti, or Iutae were a Germanic people who according to Bede were one of the three most powerful Germanic peoples of the time Heptarchy ( Greek: seven + realm) is a collective name applied to the Anglo-Saxon ancient kingdoms of south east and central The Gododdin (goˈdoðin were a Brythonic people of north-eastern Britain (modern north-east England and south-east Scotland) in the sub-Roman Between the 5th and 10th centuries England was divided into areas of British and Anglo-Saxon control, with the latter gradually expanding westward. The Irish raiders known as Scoti attacked many areas of Britain, and that name was also used for Gaels from Dál Riata in north eastern Ireland and later to settlers from Ireland in western Scotland. Scoti or Scotti ( Old Irish Scot, modern Scottish Gaelic Sgaothaich) was the generic name given by the Romans to the Dál Riata (also Dalriada or Dalriata) was a Gaelic overkingdom on the western seaboard of Scotland with some territory on the northern

National formation

The Vikings arrived in the British Isles in the 790's with raids on Lindisfarne, Iona, and the west of Ireland. A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas Lindisfarne () (variant spelling Lindesfarne is a Tidal island off the north-east coast of England. Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility They provided another wave of immigration, settling in Orkney and Shetland and then Western Isles, Caithness, Sutherland, Isle of Man, Galloway, Northumbria, East Anglia and Mercia and founding the cities of Limerick, Waterford, Wexford, Cork, Arklow, and Dublin in Ireland. The Outer Hebrides, ( officially known for local government purposes by the Gaelic name Na h-Eileanan Siar) comprise an island Geography Caithness extends about 40 Miles (64 Kilometres) north-south and about 30 miles (50 km east-west Sutherland (In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas Dùthaich 'Ic Aoidh (NW Asainte (Assynt and Cataibh (East The Isle of Man (Ellan Vannin ˈɛlʲən ˈvanɪn or Mann (Mannin) is a self-governing Crown dependency, located in the Irish Sea at the geographical Galloway ( Gaelic: Gall-Ghaidhealaibh, əŋ ɡauɫ̪ɣəɫ̪əv or Gallobha, Lowland Scots Gallowa) is an area in southwestern East Anglia is often used as a shorthand for the Kingdom of the East Angles. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. Limerick (pronounced /ˈlɪmrɪk/ Luimneach in Irish) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the Province of Munster Waterford ( or Windy fjord;) is a city in Ireland. It is the primary city of the South East region and the fifth largest in the country Wexford (derived from Old Norse Veisafjǫrðr (in some sources spelled "Waes Fiord" – veisa meaning "mudflat stagnant pool" Cork (Corcaigh is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland 's third most populous city after Dublin and Belfast Arklow ( is a historic town located in County Wicklow on the east coast of Ireland. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. Wessex prevented the further expansion of the Vikings in England, and achieved a united Kingdom of England in 927, which was then ruled by both English and Viking kings until 1066. West Saxon redirects here For other meanings of Wessex or West Saxon see Wessex (disambiguation. The Kingdom of England was a State (927-1707 located in Western Europe dating from the ninth or tenth century to the early eighteenth century when it was legally The Battle of Stamford Bridge took place at the village of Stamford Bridge East Riding of Yorkshire in England on 25 September 1066 shortly after an invading In 900 A. D. Donald II was the first king of Alba rather than king of the Picts. Domnall mac Causantín ( Modern Gaelic: Dòmhnall mac Chòiseim), anglicised as Donald II (d The Kingdom of Alba ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba) pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II (Domnall mac Causantin His successors amalgamated all the kingdoms north of the English border into the Kingdom of Alba, later known as the Kingdom of Scotland, and fixed its southern border on the Tweed in 1018 , approximating the current England-Scotland border. The Kingdom of Alba ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba) pertains to the Kingdom of Scotland between the deaths of Donald II (Domnall mac Causantin The Kingdom of Scotland ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba, Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a State in northwest Europe There are other rivers with this name see Tweed River The River Tweed ( Uisge Thuaidh in Gaelic (156 kilometres or long flows primarily through the Wales, still divided following the Roman withdrawal, was divided into a number of Brythonic kingdoms, with the exception from one short period of unification, and also suffered from Viking raids in the tenth century.

Ireland, having like England and Scotland been divided among around eighty to a hundred petty kingdoms, began to slowly amalgamate into eight to ten provincial kingdoms by the tenth century. The Early Medieval era in Ireland from 800 to 1166 is characterised by Viking raids then settlement in what had become a stable and wealthy country Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Nominally these were governed by a single High King, with the title floating between an ever fewer number of noble dynasties with increasing national authority. A High King of Ireland ( Ard Rí na hÉireann) is a historical or legendary figure who claimed lordship over the whole of Ireland. Viking influence in Irish affairs was crushed in the 980 Battle of Tara. The Battle of Tara took place in medieval Ireland in 980. On one side there was a Norse army from Dublin supported by troops from the Hebrides Following the 1014 Battle of Clontarf, they turned their attention to Scotland and especially England, conquered by the Viking Canute the Great the following year. The Battle of Clontarf (Cath Chluana Tarbh took place on Good Friday in 1014 (23 April between the forces of Brian Boru and the forces led by the King of } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian The same battle, however, resulted in the death Brian Boru, who had effectively united Ireland, causing a power vacuum and a series of bloody factional wars. Brian mac Cennétig, called Brian Bóruma, ( c 941&ndash23 April 1014 (Brian Boru Brian Bóraimhe was an Irish king who ended the centuries-long domination

Norman immigration

The Norman Conquest of 1066 first brought England under Norman rule. The Normans would later extend their influence, in different ways, into Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. The Normans were centralisers and expansionists. Their lands within the British Isles were part of extensive holdings across north-Western Europe held within a feudal framework. Wales was brought under their control by the end of the 11th century, but not successfully held until 1283. The country of Wales, or Cymru in Welsh has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29000 years though continuous human habitation In 1072 the Normans forced the Scottish king to submit to their feudal overlordship, something they would regularly assert during the mediaeval period. The Normans did not supplant the Scottish political structure, but had great influence over it, eventually supplying the kings of the Scots from 1150 and then asserting independence of the Scottish Crown from that of England. The history of Scotland in the High Middle Ages covers Scotland in the era between the death of Domnall II in 900 AD and the death of king Alexander III The Wars of Scottish Independence were a series of military campaigns fought between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England in the late 13th The Scottish Crown gradually gained control of Norse areas, annexing the Kingdom of Mann and the Isles in 1266, and Orkney and Shetland from Norway in 1472. The Kingdom of Mann and the Isles was a Norse kingdom that existed in the British Isles between 1079 and 1266. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional In 1169, the Normans were invited to Ireland to aid a provincial king whose lands had been confiscated by the High King. The Norman invasion of Ireland was a Norman military expedition to Ireland that took place on 1 May 1169 at the behest of Dermot MacMurrough Papal permission was granted, by the only English head of the Catholic Church to sit in Rome, Pope Adrian IV, for the annexation of the country, to be a feudal possession of the English crown, as the Lordship of Ireland. Pope Adrian IV (or Hadrian IV – c 1100&ndash 1 September, 1159) born Nicholas Breakspear or Breakspeare, was Pope The Lordship of Ireland ( 1171 - 1541) was the nominally all-island Irish state created in the wake of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169-71 Although immediately transferred to the king's second son, this reverted to the English crown with John's unexpected accession to the throne of his father. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death

During the Middle Ages, the Normans slowly intermarried with the previous populations and adopted their language and customs. In England, the Anglicisation of the Norman elite was driven by the slow erosion of their lands elsewhere, but it was 1362 before Anglo-Norman gave way to Middle English to become the language of the law courts. The Anglo-Norman language is a term traditionally used to refer to the variety of French used in England and to some extent elsewhere in the British Isles following the Middle English is the name given by Historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of In Ireland, a Gaelic resurgence at the close of the 13th century led the Norman to famously become "more Irish than the Irish themselves", adopting Gaelic customs, laws and language, intermarrying with the native nobility and rebelling against the English crown. " More Irish than the Irish themselves " ( Níos Gaelaí ná na Gaeil iad féin, Hiberniores Hibernis ipsis) was a phrase used in the Middle Ages The 1360 Statutes of Kilkenny were intended to stem this tide by legislating the death penalty for any Englishman (as the Normans were then known) who consorted with the Irish in this way. The Statutes of Kilkenny were a series of thirty-five acts passed at Kilkenny in 1366, aimed at curbing the decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship However, little could be done, save an expensive re-conquest, to bring Ireland back under English law and by the 15th century only a fortified twenty-mile (32 km) radius around Dublin, known as the Pale, was loyal to the English crown. Dublin (ˈdʌblɨn/ /ˈdʊblɨn or /ˈdʊbəlɪn/, bˠalʲə aːha klʲiəh or cliə(ɸ is both the largest city and capital of Ireland. The Pale ( An Pháil in Irish) or the English Pale ( An Pháil Sasanach) was the English-controlled part of Ireland that had reduced by the late

Protestant reformation and civil wars

The feudal system decayed and by the end of the sixteenth century was replaced by a system of centralised states. The English throne had come under the Welsh Tudors, who centralised government in England, Ireland, and Wales. The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was an English royal Dynasty that lasted 118 years from 1485 to 1603 a period known as the Tudor period The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. The Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 (Y Deddfau Uno 1535 a 1542 were a series of parliamentary measures by which the legal system of Wales was annexed to England and In 1603 James VI of Scotland brought England and Scotland into personal union and promoted the existence of a modern British identity. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James The Union of the Crowns was the Accession of James VI, King of Scots, to the throne of England in March 1603 thus uniting Scotland and England

These changes happened at the same time as the Protestant reformation where the Roman Catholic church had been replaced by national churches to which all people were expected to adhere to. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time Failure to do so resulted in prosecution for recusancy and heavy fines, and recusants laid themselves open to accusations of treason and loss of land. In the History of England, recusancy was a term used to describe the statutory offence of not complying with and conforming to the Established church or By 1600 there was a wide range of religious belief within the islands from Presbyterian Calvinists (who were the majority in much of Scotland) and Independents to episcopal Calvinists (in the Church of Ireland and parts of Scotland) to Protestant Episcopalians that retained formal liturgy (especially the Church of England) to Roman Catholicism (which retained a large majority in Ireland). Presbyterianism is a family of Christian denominations within the Reformed branch of Protestant Western Christianity Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently The Church of Ireland (Eaglais na hÉireann is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion, operating across the island of Ireland. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican

James, and his son, Charles I, favoured political and religious centralisation and uniformity throughout the British Isles. Charles I, (19 November 1600 &ndash 30 January 1649 was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution. They favoured episcopal, Armininian churches with a formal liturgy, which antagonised many Protestants. Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch In addition, James, although he followed a policy of relative religious toleration, worsened the position of Irish Catholics by expanding the policy of plantation in Ireland, most notably in the Plantation of Ulster where forfeited lands from Catholics were settled by Scottish and English Protestants and by barring Catholics from serving in public office. Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were established throughout the country by the confiscation of lands occupied by Gaelic clans and Hiberno-Norman dynasties The Plantation of Ulster (Irish Plandáil Uladh) was a planned process of Colonisation which took place in the northern Irish province of Ulster Charles tried to force central, personal government. He attempted to bypass institutions he could not control and impose a uniform non-Calvinistic settlement throughout the islands.

The result was the First Bishops War in Scotland in 1639, when the Scottish Presbyterians rebelled against Charles' religious policies. The crisis rapidly spread to Ireland, in the form of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and then to England, where Parliament refused to raise an army for Charles to fight in Scotland or Ireland, fearing that it would next be used against them. The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted Coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry but developed into inter communal violence between native The English Civil War broke out in 1642. The English Civil War (1642-1651 was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists. Collectively, these conflicts are known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a shifting series of conflicts and alliances within Britain and Ireland. The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Nations) formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, The King's supporters were known as the Royalists and had forces in England, Scotland (mostly episcopalian and Catholic highlanders), and Ireland. The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous The English Parliamentary forces (mostly presbyterian and independents) fought against them, but were defeated in England by 1645. The Scottish presbyterians (the Covenanters) were allied to the English Parliament, while the Irish Catholic Confederates were loosely allied with the Royalists. The Covenanters formed an important movement in the religion and politics of Scotland in the 17th century Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649

By 1649 Parliamentary forces ruled England and executed Charles and the Covenanters had secured Scotland. An alliance between the Catholic Confederates and the Royalists in Ireland resulted in the parliamentary conquest of Ireland, followed by a brutal guerrilla campaign which officially ended in 1653. The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649-53 refers to the re-conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell Charles II repudiated the Irish alliance in 1650 in order to enter one with the Covenanters instead and invaded England. Charles II (Charles Stuart 29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685 was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland. He was defeated in 1651 and the result was that the entire British Isles were brought under the English parliamentary army. There was religious toleration of Protestant denominations (though no episcopalian church), but Catholics were strongly repressed. In Ireland they were disenfranchised and dispossessed with Catholic land ownership dropping from 60% to 8% and their land was confiscated to pay off the Parliament's debts. Some of the land was given to another wave of Protestant immigrants, especially former soldiers, but these were not sufficient to replace the existing Irish, so Ireland became a land largely owned by Protestant landlords with Catholic tenants.

The return of the Stuarts

The restoration of Charles II in 1660 reversed many of the Commonwealth measures: the three kingdoms were separated again, the episcopalian Churches of England and Ireland re-established, a Presbyterian Church of Scotland established, and Protestant nonconformism repressed. The Commonwealth of England was the Republican government which ruled first England (including Wales) and then Ireland and Scotland Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws A small proportion of the confiscated lands in Ireland were restored, bringing Catholic ownership up to 20%. 1685 brought Charles' brother, James II, a Catholic, to the thrones. James II of England and Ireland James VII of Scotland (14 October 1633 &ndash 16 September 1701 was King of England, King of Scots, Later that same year James James suspended the laws discriminating against those not adhering to the national churches; but he attempted personal rule with a large standing army and heavy-handedly attempted to replace Anglicans with Catholics. The Declaration of Indulgence (or the Declaration for the Liberty of Conscience) was made by King James II of England, on the April 4, 1687. This alienated the English establishment who invited the Dutch William, Prince of Orange to depose James in favour of his daughter, Mary. William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" Mary II (30 April 1662 &ndash 28 December 1694 reigned as Queen of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1689 until her death On William's landing, James fled first to France and then to Ireland where the government remained loyal to him. Here he was defeated, and the position of the Protestant Ascendancy cemented with the imposition of Penal Laws there that effectively denied nearly all Catholics (75% of the population) any sort of power or substantial property. The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great The Penal Laws in Ireland (Na Péindlíthe refers to a series of laws imposed under British rule that sought to discriminate against Roman Catholics and Protestant dissenters in favour

James and his descendants attempted to recover the throne several times over the next sixty years, but failed to gain sufficient active support and were consistently defeated. The Jacobite Risings were a series of uprisings rebellions and wars in the kingdoms of England, Kingdom of Scotland (later the United Kingdom of Great Britain

Kingdom of Great Britain and social revolutions

The 1707 Act of Union united England and Scotland in the Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 The next century saw the start of great social changes. Enclosure had been taking place over a long period in England, but the British Agricultural Revolution accelerated the process by which land was privatised, commercialised, and intensively exploited, and caused it to spread throughout the British Isles. Enclosure or inclosure (the latter is used in Legal documents and Place names is the term used in England and Wales The British Agricultural Revolution describes a period of development in Britain between the 18th century and the end of the 19th century which saw a massive increase in agricultural This resulted in the displacement of large numbers of people from the land and widespread hardship, including the Highland Clearances in which many of the residents of the Scottish highlands were systematically removed to make the land available for sheep farming. The Highland Clearances ( Scottish Gaelic: Fuadaich nan Gàidheal the expulsion of the Gael were Forced displacements of the population of the Scottish ^[44] In addition, the industrial revolution saw the displacement of cottage industries by large-scale factories and the rapid growth of industrial towns and cities. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the The British Empire grew substantially, stoking the growth in industrial production, bringing in wealth, giving rise to large-scale emigration, and making London the largest city in Europe. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Social unrest and repressive government accompanied these upheavals. The ideals of the French Revolution were widely supported and led to a full-scale rebellion in Ireland. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the A result of the rebellion was the start of the end of Ascendancy hegemony in Ireland and its political unification with Great Britain in 1801. The Protestant Ascendancy is a convenient phrase used when referring to the political economic and social domination of the former Kingdom of Ireland by a minority of great The phrase Act of Union 1800 (or sometimes Act of Union 1801) (Acht an Aontais 1800 is used to describe two complementary Acts whose official United Kingdom titles are Unrest throughout the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland continued well into the 19th century, but was increasingly legitimised and able to find an outlet in Parliament from the Great Reform Act of 1832 onwards. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom from 1 January 1801 until 12 April 1927 The Representation of the People Act 1832, commonly known as the Reform Act 1832, was an Act of Parliament that introduced wide-ranging changes to the electoral system The role of religion in determining political markedly decreased from the Catholic Relief Act in 1829 onwards. The Catholic Relief Act 1829 (10 Geo IV c7 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 24 March 1829, and received the Royal Assent The social upheavals continued with widespread migration from the countryside to towns and cities and abroad. Ireland suffered a famine from 1845 until 1849 which resulted in its population dropping by a third through death and migration. This included large-scale movements to Great Britain, especially to the north west of England and western Scotland. Emigration from the whole of the British Isles overseas continued, especially to the English-speaking parts of the British Empire, the United States, and other countries such as Argentina. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics.

The twentieth century

Prosperity increased in England through the nineteenth and into the twentieth century and politics became increasingly popular and democratic. The suspension of the Home Rule Act 1914, the subsequent Easter Rising, and the Anglo-Irish War led to the formation of the Irish Free State in 1922, which subsequently survived the Irish Civil War. The Home Rule Act of 1914, also known as the ( Irish) Third Home Rule Act (or Bill) and formally known as the Government of Ireland Act 1914 The Easter Rising (Éirí Amach na Cásca was a rebellion staged in Ireland in Easter Week, 1916 The Irish War of Independence (or Tan War, or Anglo-Irish War, Irish: Cogadh na Saoirse) from January 1919 to July 1921 was a guerrilla The Irish Free State (Saorstát Éireann (1922&ndash1937 was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by The Irish Civil War ( June 28 1922 &ndash May 24 1923) pitted supporters of the Anglo-Irish Treaty against its opponents The Irish Free State existed until a new constitution in 1937. The Irish state held dominion status until 1949, when it became a republic. A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities under sovereign authority within the British Empire and Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. During World War II, the Irish Free State stayed officially neutral under a state of emergency. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Emergency (Ré na Práinne was an official Euphemism used by the Irish Government during the 1940s to refer to its position during World War II.

Six counties in the north-east were politically separated from the rest of Ireland under the Government of Ireland Act, 1920, forming Northern Ireland. An Act to Provide for the Better Government of Ireland, more usually the Government of Ireland Act 1920, (and sometimes called the Fourth Home Rule Act) was an Act Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of They remained part of the United Kingdom with a devolved government until 1972 [11], when direct rule was imposed from London following the failure of a power-sharing assembly. There have been extensive periods of unrest in Northern Ireland which has seen several periods of direct rule in the subsequent decades as the parties within Northern Ireland failed to reach practical agreement on power sharing.

Within the United Kingdom there are devolved governments in Wales and Scotland, and in Northern Ireland although each has different powers. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Scottish Parliament ( Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scottish Pairlament) is the devlolved national unicameral The Northern Ireland Assembly ( Irish: Tionól Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann Semmlie) is the devolved

Attempts at long-needed economic reforms by the UK government in the wake of the Great Irish Famine (1845-1849) resulted in mass migration from Ireland to Great Britain. Despite attempts by the Irish governments, north and south, to stem the tide, the pattern continued following independence, with notable post-independence spikes in the 1950s and 1980s. Since the mid-1990s Ireland has grown more prosperous and the Irish Gross Domestic Product per capita now exceeds that of the United Kingdom. Both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland joined the European Economic Community (now the European Union) in 1973. The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

The end of the British Empire in the latter half of the twentieth century saw the end of large-scale emigration from Great Britain; instead, there was new non-Irish imigration to Great Britain, especially from the West Indies and the Indian sub-continent. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Recently, with the accession of Poland and other former communist states to the European Union, there has been significant migration to both Britain and Ireland from eastern Europe.

Names of the islands through the ages

Main article: Terminology of the British Isles

A 1490 Italian reconstruction of Ptolemy's Geography based on surviving latitude and longitude descriptions, showing Ibernia Britannica Insula ("Hibernia, Island of Britannia", Ireland), Albion Insula Britannica ("Albion, Island of Britannia", Great Britain) and Mona Insula (Isle of Man) separated from the European mainland by Oceanus Germanicus ("Germanic Ocean", North Sea) to the east and Oceanus Britannicus ("Britannic Ocean", English Channel) to the south. The various terms used to describe the different (and sometimes overlapping geographical and political areas of the Islands of Great Britain Ireland and surrounding islands are often

In classical times, several Greek and Roman Geographers used derivatives of the Celtic Languages term "Pretani", like "Brit-" or "Prit-" with various endings to describe the islands to the north west of the European mainland, although several included islands not currently viewed as part of the "British Isles", e. g. Thule. Later in the Roman era the term Britannia came to mean more specifically the Roman province of Britain.

Other early classical geographers and also later native sources in the post-Roman period used the general term "oceani insulae", simply meaning "islands of the ocean". Great Britain was called "Britannia" and Ireland was called "Hibernia" and also, between about the fifth and eleventh centuries, "Scotia". The Orkneys ("Orcades") and Isle of Man were typically also mentioned in descriptions of the islands. No specific collective term for the islands was used other than "islands of the ocean".

The term "British Isles" entered the English language in the seventeenth century as the description of Great Britain, Ireland and the surrounding islands, but was not in common use until at least the second half of the seventeenth century^[45] and, in general, the modern notion of "Britishness" only started to become common after the 1707 Act of Union. ^[46] While it is probably the most common term used to describe the islands, use of this term is is not universally accepted and is sometimes rejected in Ireland. ^[47]

Other descriptions are also used, including "Great Britain and Ireland", "The British Isles and Ireland", "Britain and Ireland", and the deliberately vague "these isles", as well as other less common designations like "IONA" (Islands of the North Atlantic), "The Anglo-Celtic Isles", etc.

Pretanic Islands and Britanniae

The earliest known names for the islands come from copies of ancient Greek writings. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca These include the Massaliote Periplus, a merchants' handbook from around 500 BC that describes searoutes,^[48][49] and the travel writings of the Greek Pytheas from around 320 BC. The Massaliote Periplus or Massaliot Periplus is the name of a now-lost merchants' handbook possibly dating to as early as the sixth century BC describing Dates Pliny says that Timaeus (born about 350 BC believed Pytheas' story of the discovery of Amber. Although the earliest texts have been lost, excerpts were quoted or paraphrased by later authors. The main islands were called Ierne, equating to the term Ériu for Ireland,^[50] and Albion for modern-day Great Britain. In Irish mythology, Ériu (/ˈeːrʲu/ daughter of Ernmas of the Tuatha Dé Danann, was the eponymous matron Goddess of Ireland Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Albion (Ἀλβιών in Greek) is the oldest known name of the island of Great Britain. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands These early writers referred to the inhabitants as the Ρρεττανοι, Priteni or Pretani, probably from a Celtic languages term meaning "people of the forms". The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. ^[51] , and Pretannia as a place-name was Diodorus's rendering in Greek of this self-description. It is often taken as a reference to the practice by the inhabitants of painting or tattooing their skin, though as it is unusual for an ethnonym or self-description to describe appearance, this name may have been used by Armoricans. A tattoo is a permanent marking made by inserting ink into the layers of Skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons An ethnonym ( Gk έθνος ethnos, 'tribe' + όνομα onoma, 'name' is the name applied to a given Ethnic group. ^[52] There is considerable confusion about early use of these terms and the extent to which similar terms were used as self-description by the inhabitants. ^[53] From this name a collective term for the islands was used, appearing as αι Πρετανικαι νησοι (Pretanic Islands)^[54] and αι Βρεττανιαι (Brittanic Isles). ^[55] Cognates of all these terms are still used. ^[56]

In 55 and 54 BC Caesar's invasions of Britain brought first hand knowledge, and in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico he introduced the term Britannia. During his Gallic Wars, Julius Caesar invaded' Britain twice in 55 and 54 BC. Commentarii de Bello Gallico is Julius Caesar 's third-person account of his nine years of war in Gaul. Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. ^[57]

Around AD 70 Pliny the Elder in Book 4 of his Naturalis Historia describes the islands he considers to be Britanniae as including Great Britain, Ireland, The Orkneys, smaller islands such as the Hebrides, Isle of Man, Anglesey, possibly one of the Friesan Islands, and islands that have been identified as Ushant and Sian. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Naturalis Historia ( Latin for "Natural History" is an Encyclopedia written Circa AD 77 by Pliny the Elder. He refers to Great Britain as the island called Britannia, while noting that its former name was Albion. The list also includes the island of Thule, most often identified as Iceland, although some express the view that it may have been the Faroe Islands, the coast of Norway or Denmark or possibly Shetland. The Faroe Islands or Faeroe Islands or simply Faroe(s or Faeroes (Føroyar meaning " Sheep Islands" Færøerne Old Norse Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from etland; Old Norse non Hjaltland; Sealtainn is an Archipelago off the northeast coast of ^[58]

Ptolemy included essentially the same main islands in the Britannias. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca He was writing around AD 150, though he used the now lost work of Marinus of Tyre from around fifty years earlier. Marinus of Tyre, (ca 70 - 130 AD Greek Μαρίνος ο Τύριος also rendered as Marinos of Tyre) was a Phoenician {Fact|date=April ^[59] His first description is of Ireland, which he called Hibernia. Second was the island of Great Britain, which he called Albion. Book II, Chapters 1 and 2 of his Geography are respectively titled as Hibernia, Island of Britannia and Albion, Island of Britannia. ^[60] Ptolemy included Thule in the chapter on Albion, although the coordinates he gives have been mapped to the area around modern Kristiansund in western Norway. ^[61]

Following the conquest of AD 43 the Roman province of Britannia was established,^[62] and Roman Britain expanded to cover much of the island of Great Britain. This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 An invasion of Ireland was considered, but this was taken no further and Ireland remained outside the Roman Empire. ^[63] The Romans failed to consolidate their hold on the Scottish Highlands, and the northern extent of the area under their control, which at times was defined by the Antonine Wall across central Scotland, stabilised at Hadrian's Wall across the north of England by about AD 210. The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous The Antonine Wall is a stone and turf Fortification, built by the Romans across what is now the Central belt of Scotland Hadrian's Wall ( Latin: perhaps Vallum Aelium, "the Aelian wall" is a stone and turf Fortification built by the Roman ^[64] Inhabitants of the province continued to describe themselves as Brittannus or Britto, and gave their patria (homeland) as Britannia or as their tribe. ^[65] The vernacular term Priteni came to be used for the barbarians north of the Antonine Wall, with the Romans using the tribal name Caledonii more generally for these peoples who after AD 300 they called Picts. The Caledonians ( Latin: Caledonii) or Caledonian Confederacy, is a name given by historians to a group of the Indigenous The Picts were a Confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century ^[66]

The post-Roman era saw Brythonic kingdoms established in all areas of Britain except the Scottish Highlands, but coming under increasing attacks from Picts, Scotti and Anglo Saxons. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Scottish Highlands ( Scottish Gaelic: A' Ghàidhealtachd, Scots: Hielans) include the rugged and Mountainous The Picts were a Confederation of tribes in what was later to become eastern and northern Scotland from Roman times until the 10th century Scoti or Scotti ( Old Irish Scot, modern Scottish Gaelic Sgaothaich) was the generic name given by the Romans to the For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south At this time Ireland was dominated by the Gaels or Scotti, who subsequently gave their name to Ireland and then to Scotland, where it still applies.

Oceani insulae

In classical geography. the world of the Mediterranean was thought to be surrounded by a fast flowing river, personified as the Titan Oceanus. In Greek mythology, the Titans ( Greek: Tītā́n; plural Tītânes) were a race of powerful Deities that ruled during the legendary Ocean (Ὠκεανός was believed to be the world-ocean in Classical antiquity, which the ancient Romans and Greeks considered to be As a result, islands off the north and west shores of continental Europe were termed (in Latin) the Oceani Insulae or Islands of the Ocean. For example, in AD 43 various islands, including Britain, Ireland and Thule, were described as "Septemtrionalis Oceani Insulae", meaning Islands of the Northern Ocean, by Pomponius Mela, one of the earliest Roman geographers. Pomponius Mela, who wrote around AD 43, was the earliest Roman Geographer. ^[67]

This description was also used in indigenous sources of the post-Roman period, which also used the term "Oceani Insulae" or "Islands of the Ocean" as a term for the islands in the Atlantic and elsewhere. One such example is the Life of Saint Columba, a hagiography recording the missionary activities of the sixth century Irish monk Saint Columba among the peoples of modern-day Scotland. Hagiography ( is the study of Saints. A hagiography, from Greek (hağios (ἅγιος "holy" or "saint" and graphē (γραφή A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. Saint Columba may refer to Columba of Scotland Saint Columba (the Virgin, also known as Saint Columba of Cornwall It was written in the late seventh century by Adomnán of Iona, an Irish monk living on the Inner Hebridean island. Saint Adomnán of Iona (627/8 &ndash 704 was Abbot of Iona (679-704 Hagiographer, statesman and clerical lawyer he was the author of the most Iona is a small island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland that has an important place in the history of Christianity in Scotland and is renowned for its tranquility The Inner Hebrides ( Scottish Gaelic: Na h-Eileanan a-staigh - the inner isles is an Archipelago off the west coast of Scotland, to the south ^[68] No Priteni-derived collective reference is made. Jordanes writing in Getica (AD 551) also describes the various islands, particularly in the western Ocean as "islands of the ocean", naming various islands in the North Atlantic, and believing Scandinavia to be one of them. Jordanes (also Jordanis or even Iornandes) was a 6th century Roman Bureaucrat, who turned his hand to History later in life De origine actibusque Getarum (lit The Origin and Deeds of the Getae but referring to the Goths whom Jordanes considered Getae or the Getica ^[69] Jordanes subsequently gives a description of Britain, but does not mention Ireland.

Another native source to use the term is the Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum of Bede written in the early eighth century. The Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum (in English: Ecclesiastical History of the English People) is a work in Latin by the Bede (ˈbiːd (also Saint Bede, the Venerable Bede, or (from Latin Beda (beda (c Bede's work does not give a collective term for the archipelago, referring to Brittania solely as the island "formerly called Albion" and treating Ireland separately. As with Jordanes and Columba, he refers to Britain as being Oceani insula or "island of the ocean". ^[70]

Isidore of Seville's Etymology, written in the early seventh century and one of the most used textbooks in Europe throughout the Middle Ages,^[71] similarly lists Britain (Britannia), Ireland (called Scotia or Hibernia), Thule, and many other islands simply as "islands" or "islands of the Ocean" and uses no collective term. Saint Isidore of Seville ( Spanish: es ''San Isidro'' or es ''San Isidoro de Sevilla'' Latin: latin ''Isidorus Hispalensis'' (c

In the seventeenth century, Peter Heylyn in Microcosmus described the Classical conception of the Ocean and so included in the Iles of the Ocean consisted of all the classically known offshore islands, that is Zeeland, Denmark, the British Isles, and those in the Northerne Sea. Zeeland ( also called Zealand in English and Zeelandic, is a province of the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe ^[72]

British Isles

The term British Isles came into use in English at the same time as the term British Empire. This map shows the British Isles (red) at the centre of the empire (pink) at its height in 1897 where England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are referred to as the Home Nations. "Home nation" (common noun redirects here home nation is also used to refer to the host country of Multi-sport events (eg

In his Historia Regum Britanniae of around 1136, Geoffrey of Monmouth responded to the slights of English historians with a theme of the sovereignty of Britain which exalted Welsh national history, portraying a once unified Britannia, founded by Brutus of Troy, defended against Anglo-Saxon invasion by King Arthur of the Britons who was now sleeping, one day to return to the rescue. The Historia Regum Britanniae ( English: The History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudohistorical account of British history Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. Brutus ( Brut, Brute, Welsh Bryttys) a legendary descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas, was known in medieval British legend For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the By the end of the century, this adaptation of myths common to Wales, Cornwall and Brittany had been adopted in the service of England, with Henry II of England enthusiastically taking up Arthurian legend, and Edward I of England putting on pageantry to show the Welsh that he was Arthur's heir. Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost The Welsh and the Scots Edward Bruce used the legends to find common cause as one "kin and nation" in driving the English out of Britain. Edward Bruce ( medieval Gaelic: Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: Eideard Bruis / Iomhair Bruis) (c ^[73] Both Welsh rebels and English monarchs continued such claims, particularly Henry Tudor who had Welsh ancestry and claims of descent from Arthur. His son Henry VIII incorporated Wales into England, but also laid claim to be an heir of Arthur as did his successor Elizabeth I of England. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 &ndash 28 January 1547 was King of England and Lord of Ireland, later King of Ireland and claimant to the Kingdom of ^[74]

The rediscovery of Ptolemy's Geographia by Maximus Planudes in 1300 brought new insight, and circulation of copies widened when it was translated into Latin in 1409. The Geographia or Geography is Ptolemy 's main work besides the Almagest. Maximus Planudes (c 1260 &ndash 1330 was a Byzantine Greek Grammarian and theologian who lived and worked during the reigns of Michael VIII Palaeologus ^[75][76] This spread Ptolemy's naming of Hibernia and Albion as Island[s] of Britannia. ^[77] The Latin equivalents of terms equating to "British Isles" started to be used by mapmakers from the mid sixteenth century onwards, for example Sebastian Münster in Geographia Universalis, a 1550 re-issue of Ptolemy's Geography, uses the heading De insulis Britannicis, Albione, quæ est Anglia, & Hibernia, & de cuiutatibus carum in genere. Sebastian Münster ( 20 January 1488 – 26 May 1552) was a German Cartographer, Cosmographer, and a ^[78] Gerardus Mercator produced much more accurate maps, including the British Isles in 1564. A separate article is about the mathematician Nicholas Mercator. ^[78][79] Ortelius, in his atlas of 1570, uses the title "Angliae, Scotiae et Hiberniae, sive Britannicar. Abraham Ortelius ( Abraham Ortels) ( April 2, 1527 – June 28, 1598) was a Belgian Cartographer and insularum descriptio". This translates as "A Representation of England, Scotland and Ireland, or Britannica's islands". ^[80]

The geographer and occultist John Dee, of Welsh family background,^[81] was an adviser to Queen Elizabeth I of England, and also prepared maps for several explorers. John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609 was a noted English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist He helped to develop legal justifications for colonisation by Protestant England, breaking the duopoly the Pope had granted to the Spanish and Portuguese Empires. The English Reformation was the series of events in 16th century England by which the Church of England first broke away from the authority of the Pope A true duopoly is a specific type of Oligopoly where only two producers exist in one Market. Inter caetera ("Among other " was a Papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on 4 May 1493, which granted to Spain The Spanish Empire (Imperio Español was one of the largest Empires in history and one of the first Global empires In the 15th and 16th centuries The Portuguese Empire was the earliest and longest lived of the modern European colonial empires spanning almost six centuries from the capture of Ceuta Dee coined the term British Empire and built his case in part on the claim of a British Ocean including Britain and Ireland as well as Iceland, Greenland and possibly extending to North America, using alleged Saxon precedent to claim territorial and trading rights. The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. ^[82] Current scholarly opinion is generally that "his imperial vision was simply propaganda and antiquarianism, without much practical value and of limited interest to the English crown and state. "^[82] The Lordship of Ireland had come under tighter English control as the Kingdom of Ireland, and diplomatic efforts interspersed with warfare tried to also bring Scotland under the English monarch. The Lordship of Ireland ( 1171 - 1541) was the nominally all-island Irish state created in the wake of the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169-71 The Kingdom of Ireland (Ríocht na hÉireann was the name given to the Irish state from 1541 by the Crown of Ireland Act 1542 of the Parliament of Ireland. The Rough Wooing was a term coined by Sir Walter Scott and H E Apparently Dee used the term Brytish Iles in his writings of 1577 which developed his arguments claiming these territories. ^[83] This appears to be the first use of a recognisable version of the modern term.

Elizabeth was succeeded by her cousin king James VI of Scotland, who brought the English throne under his personal rule as king James I of England, and proclaimed himself as 'King of Great Brittaine, France and Ireland'. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James ^[84] However, the states remained separate until the monarchy was overthrown in the civil wars of the Three Kingdoms and the Commonwealth of England briefly ruled all before the restoration of the monarchy restored separate states. The Wars of the Three Kingdoms (sometimes known as the Wars of the Three Nations) formed an intertwined series of conflicts that took place in Scotland, The Commonwealth of England was the Republican government which ruled first England (including Wales) and then Ireland and Scotland The English Restoration, or simply The Restoration began in 1660 when the English monarchy, Scottish monarchy and Irish monarchy were restored

The Oxford English Dictionary states that the first published use in English of "British Isles" was in 1621 (before the civil wars) by Peter Heylin (or Heylyn) in his Microcosmus: a little description of the great world,^[85] a collection of his lectures on historical geography. The Oxford English Dictionary ( OED) published by the Oxford University Press (OUP is a comprehensive Dictionary of the English Peter Heylin or Heylyn ( 29 Nov 1599 &ndash 1662) was an English ecclesiastic and author of many polemical historical political Writing from his English political perspective, he grouped Ireland with Great Britain and the minor islands by three asserting points:^[86]

• The inhabitants of Ireland must have come from Britain as it was the nearest land.
• He notes that ancient writers, such as Ptolemy, called Ireland a "Brttiʃh Iland".
• He cites the observation of the first century Roman writer Tacitus that the habits and disposition of the people in Ireland were not much unlike the "Brittaines",^[87]

Modern scholarly opinion^[88][89] is that Heylyn "politicized his geographical books Microcosmus . Publius (or Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (ca 56 &ndash ca 117 was a senator and a Historian of the Roman Empire. . . and, still more, Cosmographie" in the context of what geography meant at that time. Rather, Heylyn's geographical work must be seen as political expressions concerned with proving or disproving constitutional matters and "demonstrated their authors' specific political identities by the languages and arguments they deployed. " In an era when "politics referred to discussions of dynastic legitimacy, of representation, and of the Constitution . . . [Heylyn's] geography was not to be conceived separately from politics. "

Following the Acts of Union of 1707 the Kingdom of Great Britain and conflict with France brought a new popular enthusiasm for Britishness, mostly in Britain itself,^[90] and the term British Isles came into common use despite the persistent stirrings of Irish nationalism. The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed during 1706 and 1707 by the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland to put into The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Irish nationalism (Náisiúnachas Éireannach refers to political and sociological movements and sentiment that embodies a love for Irish ancestry, culture and language and A desire for some form of Irish independence had been active throughout the centuries, with Poyning's Law a common focus of resentment. Poynings' Law is a parliamentary act initiated by Sir Edward Poynings in the Irish Parliament at Drogheda in 1494. After the hugely turbulent sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, a sort of nationalism surfaced among the Irish Protestant population and eventually lead to the legislative independence of the Irish Parliament under Grattan's Parliament - followed after the Act of Union in 1800 by renewed assertiveness of the Irish Catholics, who first agitated for Catholic Emancipation and later for Repeal of the Union under Daniel O'Connell. Catholic Emancipation (Fuascailt na gCaitliceach or Catholic Relief, was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th Daniel O'Connell ( 6 August 1775 &ndash 15 May 1847) ( Dónal Ó Conaill) known as The Liberator, or The Emancipator

Subsequently the Great Irish Famine, the Land War, the failure of William Gladstone and Charles Stuart Parnell to get partial independence or a Bill for Home Rule through the Westminster Parliament lead to the events of and the eventual total secession/independence of most of Ireland from the United Kingdom and the end of British rule in most of Ireland. The Land War in Irish History was a period of Agrarian agitation in rural Ireland in the 1870s 1880s and 1890s Charles Stewart Parnell ( 27 June 1846 &ndash 6 October 1891) was an Irish Protestant landowner nationalist The Irish Home Rule bills were bills introduced in the British House of Commons during the late 19th and early 20th centuries intended to grant self-government and The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords

Languages

     Language branches     Modern languages     Typical spoken locations

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A combined Venn diagram showing language branches, major languages and typically where they are spoken for modern languages in the British Isles. Venn diagrams or set diagrams are Diagrams that show all hypothetically possible Logical relations between a finite collection of sets (groups A modern language is any Human Language that is currently in use

The ethno-linguistic heritage of the British Isles is very rich in comparison to other areas of similar size, with twelve languages from six groups across four branches of the Indo-European family. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Insular Celtic languages of the Goidelic sub-group (Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic) and the Brythonic sub-group (Cornish, Welsh and Breton, spoken in north-western France) are the only remaining Celtic languages - their continental relations becoming extinct during the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries. The term Insular Celtic refers to those Celtic languages which originated in the British Isles, in contrast to the Continental Celtic languages of The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect Irish (ga ''Gaeilge'' is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish. Manx ( Gaelg or Gailck, ɡilk or) also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language once spoken on the Isle Scottish Gaelic ( Gàidhlig) is a member of the Goidelic branch of Celtic languages. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being For the Cornish-English dialect see West Country dialects and List of Cornish dialect words. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The Breton language ( Brezhoneg) formerly often called Armoric or Armorican, is a Celtic language spoken by some of the inhabitants of Brittany Brittany (Breizh bʁejs Bretagne; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a former independent Celtic kingdom and Duchy, now incorporated into The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. The Continental Celtic languages is a modern name for the Celtic languages, now all extinct that originated and were spoken on the continent of Europe (as opposed to the The Norman languages of Guernésiais, Jèrriais and Sarkese are spoken in the Channel Islands, as is French. Norman is a Romance language and one of the Oïl languages. The northern Norman can be classified in the septentrional Oil languages with Picard and Guernésiais, also known as Dgèrnésiais, Guernsey French, Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of Norman language spoken in Guernsey Jèrriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. roa Sercquiais also known as Sarkese or Sark-French ( roa Lé Sèrtchais) is the Norman dialect of the Channel Island of Sark French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people A cant, called Shelta, is a language spoken by Irish Travellers, often as a means to conceal meaning from those outside the group. Cant is an example of an Argot or cryptolect a characteristic or secret language used only by members of a group often used to conceal the meaning from those outside the group Shelta (also known as Gammen, Sheldru, Pavee, Caintíotar or simply " The Cant " is a Language spoken by the However, English, sometimes in the form of Scots, is the dominant language, with few monoglots remaining in the other languages of the region. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Scots ( The Scots leid) refers to Anglic varieties derived from early northern Middle English spoken in parts of Scotland and Northern Monoglottism ( Greek monos, "alone solitary" + glotta, "tongue language" or more commonly monolingualism or unilingualism The Norn language appears to have become extinct in the 18th/19th century. Norn is an extinct North Germanic language that was spoken on Shetland and Orkney, off the north coast of mainland Scotland, and in

Until perhaps 1950 the use of languages other than English roughly coincided with the major ethno-cultural regions in the British Isles. As such, many of them, especially the Celtic languages, became intertwined with national movements in these areas, seeking either greater independence from the parliament of the United Kingdom, seated in England, or complete secession. The common history of these languages was one of sharp decline in the mid-19th century, prompted by centuries of economic deprivation and official policy to discourage their use in favour of English. However, since the mid-twentieth century there has been somewhat of a revival of interest in maintaining and using them. Language revitalization is the attempt by interested parties including individuals cultural or community groups governments or political authorities to recover the spoken use of a Celtic-language medium schools are available throughout Ireland, Scotland and Wales to such an extent that it is now possible to receive all formal education, up to and including third-level education, through a Celtic language. Medium of instruction is the Language that is used in teaching Instruction in Irish and Welsh is compulsory in all schools in the Republic of Ireland and Wales respectively. In the Isle of Man, Manx in taught in all schools, although it is not compulsory, and there is one Manx-medium school. The respective languages are official languages of state in Ireland, the Isle of Man, Scotland and Wales, with equal status with respect to English. In the Channel Islands French is a legislative and administrative language (see Jersey Legal French). Jersey Legal French, also known as Jersey French, is the official dialect of French used administratively in Jersey. Since 2007, Irish is a working language of the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in

Number able to speak indigenous languages as a percentage of appropriate population area in the British Isles. Note: Figure for English is for whole of the British Isles and includes native speakers only.

During the last 60 years there has been a great deal of immigration into Great Britain (less into Ireland). As a result a number of languages not formerly found in the British Isles are in regular use. Polish, Punjabi, and Hindustani (inc Urdu & Hindi), are each probably the first language of over 1 million residents, and a number of other languages are regularly spoken by substantial numbers of persons. Polish ( język polski, polszczyzna) is the Official language of Poland. Punjabi may refer to The Punjabi language of Pakistan and India Punjabi grammar List of Punjabi Hindustani ( Hindi: हिन्दुस्तानी is an adjectival form of Hindustan which originally meant people from the whole geographical region of Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Even in provincial areas it has become common for local government to publish information to residents in ten or so languages,^[91] and in the largest city, London, the first language of about 20% of the population is neither English nor an indigenous Celtic language. ^[92] Cornish and the Norman languages of Guernésiais, Jèrriais and Sarkese are far less supported. In Jersey, a language office (L'Office du Jèrriais) is funded to provide education services for Jèrriais in schools and other language services, while Guernésiais is taught in some schools on a volunteer basis. Of the four, only Cornish is recognised officially under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, and it is taught in some schools as an optional modern language. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ( ECRML) is a European Treaty (CETS 148 adopted in 1992 under the auspices of the Council of Europe Guernésiais and Jèrriais are recognised as regional languages by the British and Irish governments within the framework of the British-Irish Council. Scots, as either a dialect of or a closely related language to English, is similarly recognised by the European Charter, the British-Irish Council, and as "part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland" under the Good Friday Agreement. However, it is without official status as a language of state in Scotland, where English is used in its place.

Shelta, spoken by the ethnic minority Irish Travellers, is thought to be spoken by 6,000–25,000 people, according to varying sources. Shelta (also known as Gammen, Sheldru, Pavee, Caintíotar or simply " The Cant " is a Language spoken by the Although evidence suggests that it existed as far back as the 13th century, as a secret language, it was only discovered at the end of the 19th century. A language game (also called secret language or ludling) is a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to the untrained ear It is without any official status, despite being thought to have 86,000 speakers worldwide, mostly in the USA.

Sport and culture

See Sport in Ireland, Sport in the United Kingdom, Culture of Ireland and Culture of the United Kingdom. Sport on the island of Ireland is popular and widespread Levels of participation and spectating are high but as in other western regions participation Sport in the United Kingdom plays an important role in British culture, and many people make an emotional investment in their favourite spectator sports The culture of the people living on the island of Ireland is far from monolithic The culture of the United Kingdom &mdash British culture &mdashrefers to the patterns of human activity and Symbolism associated with the British people and

A number of sports are popular throughout the British Isles, the most prominent of which is association football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered While this is organised separately in different national associations, leagues and national teams, even within the UK, it is a common passion in all parts of the islands.

There are several sports popular in Ireland but not in Great Britain, and vice versa. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Cricket, hurling and Gaelic football are probably the best examples of this. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Cricket, while being very popular in England and Wales, is rare in Scotland and Ireland. Similarly, hurling and Gaelic football, although hugely popular across the island of Ireland and capable of regularly filling the 82,500-capacity Croke Park, the 4th largest stadium in Europe, are almost unknown in Great Britain. Croke Park (Páirc an Chrócaigh in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports Stadium in Ireland (fifth largest in Europe) and the principal stadium

Some sporting events do operate across Great Britain and Ireland as a whole.

The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that undertakes tours of the southern hemisphere rugby playing nations every few years. The British and Irish Lions (until 2001 known as the British Isles Rugby Union Team or "British Lions" Rugby union side comprises a pick of the best players from Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The England national rugby union team represents England in Rugby union. The Ireland rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in Rugby union, which is a popular sport throughout both the Republic of Ireland and The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international Rugby union. The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' This team was formerly known as The British Isles or colloquially as "The British Lions", but was renamed as "The British and Irish Lions" in 2001. In rugby one united team represents both Northern Ireland and the Republic. The Ireland rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in Rugby union, which is a popular sport throughout both the Republic of Ireland and The four national rugby teams from Great Britain and Ireland play each other each year for the Triple Crown. In Rugby union, the Triple Crown is an honour contested annually by the national teams of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales as

Since 2001 the professional club teams of Ireland, Scotland and Wales compete together in the Celtic League. Clubs in the English Guinness Premiership do not participate in the Celtic League. The English Premiership (known as the Guinness Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Guinness) is a professional league competition for Rugby

Between 1927 and 1971 the Ryder Cup in golf was played between a United States team and a Great Britain team, although, in practice, a team representing Great Britain and Ireland. The Ryder Cup is a Golf trophy donated by Samuel Ryder, which is awarded Biennially in an event called the "Ryder Cup Matches" between teams from In 1973, the team was renamed so that United States faced an official Great Britain and Ireland team. From 1979 onwards this was expanded to include the whole of Europe. Bowls is also an example of a sport that continues to have a British Isles championship. Bowls (also known as Lawn Bowls or Lawn Bowling) is a precision Sport in which the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical Balls

The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland have separate television and radio networks, although UK television is widely available and watched in Ireland,^[93] giving people in Ireland a high level of familiarity with cultural matters in Great Britain. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic Radio is the transmission of signals by Modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible Light. People in Ireland also can vote on many British shows such as X-Factor, telephone numbers for the Rep. of Ireland are also available to enter competitions and contribute to comment lines. Irish television is not widely watched in Great Britain. British newspapers and magazines are widely available in Ireland and in recent decades have started to produce specific Ireland-orientated editorial copy. Again, as with television, the reverse is not true and Irish newspapers are not widely available in Great Britain.

Pubs and beer are an important part of social life in all parts of the British Isles. Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed Alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea

A few cultural events are organised for the island group as a whole. For example, the Costa Book Awards are awarded to authors resident in the UK or Ireland. The Costa Book Awards are among the United Kingdom 's most prestigious literary awards The Man Booker Prize is awarded to authors from the Commonwealth of Nations or the Republic of Ireland. The Man Booker Prize for Fiction, also known in short as the Booker Prize, is a literary prize awarded each year for the best original full-length Novel The Mercury Music Prize is handed out every year to the best album from a British or Irish musician or group, though other musical awards are considered on a national basis. The Mercury Prize, formerly the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Nationwide Mercury Prize for Sponsorship reasons is an annual music prize It is not unusual for British organisations to include Irish people in lists of "Great Britons" or to include Irish authors in collections of "British" literature. Seamus Heaney made an objection to his inclusion in a 1982 anthology of British poetry by remarking: 'Don’t be surprised If I demur, for, be advised My passport’s green. No glass of ours was ever raised To toast the Queen. (Open Letter, Field day Pamphlet no. 2 1983)".

Many other bodies are organised throughout the islands as a whole; for example the Samaritans which is deliberately organised without regard to national boundaries on the basis that a service which is not political or religious should not recognise sectarian or political divisions. ^[94] The RNLI is also organised throughout the islands as a whole, and describes itself as covering the UK and Republic of Ireland. The founder Sir William Hillary Sir William Hillary came to live on the Isle of Man in 1808 ^[95]

Footnotes

References

• Cunliffe, Barry (2002), The extraordinary voyage of Pytheas the Greek (revised ed. Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe CBE (b) known as Barry Cunliffe, was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 ), New York: Walker & Co, ISBN also in Penguin ISBN 
• Ó Corráin, Donnchadh (1989), “Chapter 1: Prehistoric and Early Christian Ireland”, in Foster, R. F. , The Oxford History of Ireland (reissue ed. ), Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1 November 2001, ISBN-X . Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar.
• O'Rahilly, T. F. (1946), Early Irish History and Mythology (reprinted 1964, 1971, 1984 ed. Thomas Francis O'Rahilly, Irish name Tomás Proinsias Ó Rathaile (1883–1953 was an influential scholar of the Celtic languages, particularly in the ), Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, ISBN 0-901282-29-4 
• Snyder, Christopher A. (2003), [www. blackwellpublishing. com The Britons], Blackwell Publishing, ISBN -X, <www. blackwellpublishing. com> 

Further reading

• A History of Britain: At the Edge of the World, 3500 BC - 1603 AD by Simon Schama, BBC/Miramax, 2000 ISBN
• A History of Britain — The Complete Collection on DVD by Simon Schama, BBC 2002
• The Isles, A History by Norman Davies, Oxford University Press, 1999, ISBN
• Shortened History of England by G. M. Trevelyan Penguin Books ISBN

See also

• Botanical Society of the British Isles
• Great Britain and Ireland
• List of the British Isles by area
• List of the British Isles by population

External links

• An interactive geological map of the British Isles. There have been many books called A History of Britain. Currently the best known is Simon Schama's A History of Britain, a three volume work written by Simon Simon Michael Schama, CBE (born 13 February 1945 is a British professor of history and art history at Columbia University. Simon Michael Schama, CBE (born 13 February 1945 is a British professor of history and art history at Columbia University. Ivor Norman Richard Davies Fellow of the British Academy (born 8 June 1939 to Richard and Elizabeth Davies George Macaulay Trevelyan CBE OM ( February 16, 1876 Welcombe House, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire The Botanical Society of the British Isles ( BSBI) is a scientific society for the study of flora, plant distribution and taxonomy relating to Great Britain This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data This page is a list of the larger islands that comprise the British Isles, listing area and population data
• Geograph British Isles — Creative Commons-licensed, geo-located photographs of the British Isles.
• Britannicarum Insularum Typus, Ortelius 1624