So what constitutes the United Kingdom?

[Arch]

I know there are differences between Britain, United Kingdom, Great Britain, British Isles etc. But I think NASA might be a bit confused...

I was looking at a website telling you how and when to see the ISS in the sky. You select your location by choosing a country from a drop down list, and then your region.

Select United Kingdom and you get an interesting range of options when you click the drop down menu for region:

http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/index.cfm?country=United_Kingdom

Are Ascension Island and Grand Cayman part of the UK? Commonwealth, perhaps, but then why not give options for eg Canada, Australia etc....

 

[gaz]

 

[Maz]

You never really know where to find 'your location' when filling forms online with a drop-down list...
Will it be listed as England?
Will it be listed as Great Britain?
Will it be listed as United Kingdom?

It's normally listed as United Kingdom, so we're sandwiched between the USA and Uganda.

 

[green1]

the Republic of Ireland does not recognise the use of the "british isles" when it includes the Republic of Ireland..

for example, simple question
in britain
largest river in the british isles = the shannon (which is in Ireland)
in Ireland
largest river in the british isles = the severn

They'd be wrong then. The name is over 2000 years old, blame the ancient Greeks.

 

[green1]

That diagram is wrong, the Channel Islands aren't part of the British Isles.

 

[Fnaar]

the Republic of Ireland does not recognise the use of the "british isles" when it includes the Republic of Ireland..

for example, simple question
in britain
largest river in the british isles = the shannon (which is in Ireland)
in Ireland
largest river in the british isles = the severn

I've always assumed the British Isles was just a geographical term, (and therefore the Irish 'western islands of yoorp' doesn't clash, they can serve as alternatives), likewise 'great britain' (the bigger of the main islands of the archipelago), whereas the others (UK, rOI, etc) are names of political entities.

 

[Fnaar]

So what constitutes the United Kingdom?

Erm... we don't have a single constitutional document
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_Kingdom

 

[green1]

Ah - yes they are, bizarrely. The Channel Islands are normally considered part of the British Isles even though they're off the coast of France.

That they may be, but geographically they are not, otherwise you'd have to include the Chausey Isles etc.

 

[Fnaar]

That they may be, but geographically they are not, otherwise you'd have to include the Chausey Isles etc.

I'm going to annexe them this afternoon.
Wiki says that the Channel Islands are included 'by tradition'.

 

[Fnaar]

but In October 2006, Irish educational publisher Folens announced that it was removing the term from its popular school atlas effective in January 2007. The decision was made after the issue was raised by a geography teacher. Folens stated that they had a policy of acting proactively, upon the appearance of a "potential problem".This attracted press attention in the UK and Ireland, during which a spokesman for the Irish Embassy in London said, The British Isles' has a dated ring to it, as if we are still part of the Empire.

so the Irish see it as much more than a geographical term....

Fair enough, I can see that (and most of rellies live in Ireland too) but it's just a coincidence of nomenclature, in that the adjective 'British' can mean 'pertaining to the geographical entity of the British Isles', or 'pertaining to the political entity of the UK of Great Britiain and the other disputed bit'.
If Ireland was geographically called 'the one on the left' and Eng/Scot/Wales was called 'the one on the right, then it's be the the United Kingdom of the One On the Right PLuse a Litlle Bit of The One On The Left', and 'The Republic of The One On The Left', and the geographical entity would still be Great Britain. I'm confusing myself now...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I say we keep the Channel Islands and give the French Ilkeston and Swindon.

 

[Arch]

I'm not so interested in the Gt Britain debate, or the Channel Islands - if we get confused about it, what hope do the Americans have? I just wonder whether Ascension, or Grand Cayman is actually part of the UK?

Although talking of the Channel Islands, the drop down list of regions contains Guernsey, but not Jersey et al....

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Although talking of the Channel Islands, the drop down list of regions contains Guernsey, but not Jersey et al....

We need to keep hold of Jersey, think of the butter - I'd be prepared to chuck in Cramlington to clinch the deal.

 

[green1]

I just wonder whether Ascension, or Grand Cayman is actually part of the UK?

No they are not, they are BOT's.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Overseas_Territory

 

[accountantpete]

They have missed Sealand out