[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: How to address mail to the UK

[Lee Kaiwen]

Goddlefrood:

> Great Britain is not a country, it's an island.

Just to make sure this thread stays completely off-topic, could some one 
of our British/Scottish/Irish/UK-er friends please elucidate the 
distinctions between England (and Scotland/Wales/Southern Ireland, et 
alia), GB and the UK? I've had it explained to me before, but it's all 
just a bit too confusing for my grey matter.

GB is the island, but as I understand it, not everyone living on the 
island appreciates being called British (Scottish folk, for example).

The United Kingdom includes England and northern Ireland (and Wales?), 
but not southern Ireland, yes?

England, Scotland and southern Ireland are autonomous countries? What is 
Wales?

I find the ESL texts I use in my English classes are fond of defining 
the UK as England; wrong, certainly, but I can't explain the difference 
to my students when I can't even explain it to myself :-).

--CJ