Knowledge is power

Last night was a milestone of sorts, as J and I went to the movies together for the first time (with his parents). We saw Vice and shared popcorn and it was all very, very normal, and I'm now seeing that it may not even be worth mentioning.

It should also be noted that I had a great interview yesterday - a conversation and not an interrogation - and in the spirit of empowerment I shall now teach you something:

England vs Great Britain vs United Kingdom vs British Isles

I, like many of you, I suspect, never understood the difference between the four terms and would use them interchangeably, and therefore, incorrectly. Determined to not be just another ill-informed foreigner taking jobs, rather, just a foreigner taking jobs, I decided to learn the difference between them and create an easy to use guide for my legion of followers. That said, I came out of the experience possibly more confused than I was going into it, and I doubt I've enriched your knowledge much. Also, kudos to my brother who was able to ramble this all off during his regular morning commute call. He didn't cheat because he doesn't even know this blog exists.

England

A country that is a) part of the greater United Kingdom, b) part of Great Britain, and c) part of the British Isles.

Capital: London
Exports: Tea, politeness, and a supposed love of queues (false, in my experience)
Flag: St. George's Cross

United Kingdom

Technically the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Island, the UK is a nation comprised of a political union between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Each of these countries also maintain some level of independence; that said, they would select "UK" in a drop down menu asking for their citizenship. I feel like there may be a comparison here to the 50 states v the U.S., but I'm not sure that's true. Watch this space.

Flag: The Union Jack; comprised of the red St. George's Cross (England), the white St. Andrew's cross (Scotland), and the diagonal red St. Patrick's Cross (N Ireland). Screw Wales and their red dragon, I guess. ("Screw Wales" seems to be a consistent sentiment over here.)

Great Britain

An island (so, refers to just the landmass) comprised of the countries of England, Scotland, and Wales; the largest island in the British Isles (see below). Does not contain N Ireland; therefore, not interchangeable with United Kingdom.

Largest city: London
Flag: None
Confusing fact: Great Britain is a term used for how this collection of people are represented at the Olympics, even though it's just the landmass...yeah, I don't get it, either.

British Isles

An archipelago of islands off of north-west Europe. Think: Great Britain (see above) and then Ireland, and then a bunch of smaller landmasses. So, like Great Britain, it's just used to refer to the collective landmass and has no governmental meaning.

Confusing fact: Those from Northern Ireland are technically British (even though, remember, Great Britain is just a landmass and politically they're part of United Kingdom) but those from Ireland are not, despite also being a part of the British Isles. Ireland uses the Euro (€), the UK uses the pound (£), which is a tangible way of distinguishing them.

Want to be even more confused? Here.