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Revision as of 20:44, 17 November 2001 view sourceEob (talk | contribs)498 edits Made less patronizing to Irish people.← Previous edit Revision as of 23:18, 17 November 2001 view source Hank Ramsey (talk | contribs)147 edits re-wordingNext edit →
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The term "British Isles", despite the politically suggestive use of "British", is intended to refer to these islands as a geographical - not a political - unit, although the ] are only included due to their political association. The term "British Isles", despite the politically suggestive use of "British", refers to these islands as a geographical - not a political - unit, although the ] are only included due to their political association.


Politically, the group of islands is divided between the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ]. Politically, the group of islands is divided between the ], the ], the ], the ] and the ].
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Many people in ] dislike the term "British Isles" because it may suggest incorrectly that Ireland is British. In many cases a term such as "]" can be used instead. There are cases however where there is no concise non-offensive alternative when the intent is to refer to the geographical entity that also includes all the smaller islands. Many people in ] dislike the term "British Isles" because it may suggest incorrectly that Ireland is British.

Unfortunately there really is no suitable alternative. The term "]" obviously cannot be used to refer to the island group as a whole because it does not include the other islands. Some writers may choose to avoid referring to the island group as a whole in order to avoid offending Irish sensitivities, although there are of course cases where this cannot be done while preserving the intended meaning.




Revision as of 23:18, 17 November 2001

The British Isles is the term commonly used to identify the group of islands off the northwest coast of Europe consisting of Great Britain, Ireland and the many smaller adjacent islands.


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 dislike the term "British Isles" because it may suggest incorrectly that Ireland is British.

Unfortunately there really is no suitable alternative. The term "Britain and Ireland" obviously cannot be used to refer to the island group as a whole because it does not include the other islands. Some writers may choose to avoid referring to the island group as a whole in order to avoid offending Irish sensitivities, although there are of course cases where this cannot be done while preserving the intended meaning.


These islands are an archipelago off the west coast of Europe (121,674 square miles), consisting of:



and many other smaller islands.