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The '''British Isles''' is the term commonly used, although some people prefer the '''Islands of the North Atlantic''', to identify the group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe consisting of ], ] and the many smaller adjacent islands. These islands form an ] off the west coast of Europe, 315,134 km<sup>2</sup> (121,674 square miles), consisting of: The '''British Isles''' is the term commonly used, though not accepted by many people in Ireland, to identify the group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe consisting of ], ] and the many smaller adjacent islands. These islands are an ] off the west coast of Europe, 315,134 km<sup>2</sup> (121,674 square miles), consisting of:


* ] * ]
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* ] * ]
* The ] * The ]
* ]
* The ] * The ]
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The term "British Isles", despite the politically suggestive use of "]", refers to these islands as a geographical--not a political--unit, although the Channel Islands are only included due to their political association. The term "British Isles", despite the politically suggestive use of "]", refers to these islands as a geographical--not a political--unit, although the Channel Islands are only included due to their political association.
Politically, the group of islands is divided between the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ]. The last four of these are not part of the United Kingdom, although the last three are British crown dependencies. Politically, the group of islands is divided between the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ].
The last three of these are British crown dependencies, but not part of the United Kingdom.


Many people in ] and the Irish diaspora dislike the term "British Isles" because they think it may suggest that Ireland is, or should be, part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Many people in ] and the Irish diaspora dislike the term "British Isles" because it may suggest that Ireland is, or should be, part
of the United Kingdom.
In cases where what is being referred to is only the two largest islands, the term "]" can be used. Of course, in those cases, the term "British Isles" would not be appropriate to begin with. In cases where what is being referred to is the two largest islands, the term "Great ]" can be used. Of course, in those cases, the term "British Isles" would not be appropriate to begin with.
⚫ Unfortunately there is no suitably brief term to refer to the island group as a whole; "Great Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands" gets at the basic meaning, but at the cost of conciseness. Some writers may choose to avoid referring to the island group as a whole in order to avoid giving offense, although there are of course cases where this cannot be done while preserving the intended meaning.


In the context of the Northern Ireland peace process the term "]" (IONA) has been used as a neutral term to describe these islands.
⚫ Unfortunately there is no other widely-used suitably brief term to refer to the island group as a whole; "Great Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands" gets at the basic meaning, but at the cost of conciseness. Some writers may choose to avoid referring to the island group as a whole in order to avoid giving offense, although there are of course cases where this cannot be done while preserving the intended meaning.

In the context of the ] the term "Islands of the North Atlantic" (IONA) was suggested by Sir ] as a less contentious alternative to the term "British Isles" to refer to Great Britain, Ireland and the smaller associated islands. It has been used particularly in the context of the ] peace process as a neutral description of those islands.

One feature of this name is that the acronym IONA has the same spelling as the island of ] which is off the coast of Great Britain but with which Irish people have strong cultural associations. It is a name with which people of both main islands might identify. However, to be pedantic it has the problem that ] and ], to name just two, are also islands of the North ].

"British Isles" remains for now the most widely used term to describe the territories listed above, though Irish people to whom it seems anglo-centric may have difficulties with the term; while accurate in describing both the geography and the politics of the islands when Ireland remained part of the ] (1801-1922), it has not changed to reflect ].

It remains to be seen whether the term IONA, will become a widely accepted replacement term for the British Isles, whether another term will evolve over time, or whether the ''status quo'' will prevail.

----

References:

Denis Canavan MSP, British Irish Inter-Parliamentary Body, Summary of the 15th Plenary Session, 9. The Future of the Body

Trevor Sargent TD, "The Good Friday Agreement", ] speech

Mr. Peter Luff MP, ] speech

, Kevin Barry, "Resiliency, Tolerance and Avoidance in Northern Ireland"

] Mr Bertie Ahern TD, "Ireland and Britain A New Relationship for a New Millennium"

Paul Sharp, "When New Meets Old: Irish Diplomacy, Northern Ireland and the Peace Process"

Revision as of 13:52, 13 June 2003


The British Isles is the term commonly used, though not accepted by many people in Ireland, to identify the group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland and the many smaller adjacent islands. These islands are an archipelago off the west coast of Europe, 315,134 km (121,674 square miles), consisting of:

and many other smaller islands surrounding the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.

The term "British Isles", despite the politically suggestive use of "British", refers to these islands as a geographical--not a political--unit, although the Channel Islands are only included due to their political association. Politically, the group of islands is divided between the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The last three of these are British crown dependencies, but not part of the United Kingdom.

Many people in Ireland and the Irish diaspora dislike the term "British Isles" because it may suggest that Ireland is, or should be, part of the United Kingdom. In cases where what is being referred to is the two largest islands, the term "Great Britain and Ireland" can be used. Of course, in those cases, the term "British Isles" would not be appropriate to begin with. Unfortunately there is no suitably brief term to refer to the island group as a whole; "Great Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands" gets at the basic meaning, but at the cost of conciseness. Some writers may choose to avoid referring to the island group as a whole in order to avoid giving offense, although there are of course cases where this cannot be done while preserving the intended meaning.

In the context of the Northern Ireland peace process the term "Islands of the North Atlantic" (IONA) has been used as a neutral term to describe these islands.