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The British Isles are an [[Archipelago]] off the North West European Coast. The largest Islands in the group are the Islands of [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]]. They form the territories of the [[United Kingdom]], the Republic of [[Ireland]], and the Isle of Man.

Controversy surrounds the use of the word 'British' as an adjective to describe the Archipelago, which is found offensive by some, particularly in the Republic of Ireland. In fact, however, the term 'British' predates the formation of the British state by thousands of years, and was a name applied by the Greeks and Romans to the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland alike.

 

The British Isles is an [[Archipelago]] or group of islands off the North West coast of continental Europe. The British Isles are comprised of [[Great Britain]], [[Ireland]] and a number of smaller islands including the [[Scottish]] Islands in the North and some of the [[Channel Islands]] in the South.

 

It is worth noting that the term "British Isles" is somewhat controversial in the [[Republic of Ireland]] and [[Northern Ireland]] for historical reasons and [[Irish]] nationalists may find it offensive.

 

Geographically, the islands stretch from the [[Isles of Scilly]] in the South, to [[Shetland]] in the North and from [[Tearaght Island]] in the West, to [[Lowestoft Ness]] in the East. There are over than 6,000 [[island]]s covering a total land area of 121,674 square miles.

 

Although the British Isles is comprised of over six thousand individual islands, there are but two [[sovereign state]]s located on the islands, the [[United Kingdom]] of [[Great Britain]] (which includes [[Northern Ireland]]) and the [[Republic of Ireland]] (abbreviated to ROI). Also part of the group is the [[Isle of Man]], a [[United Kingdom]] Crown dependency and notable [[tax haven]]. With the exception of the [[Isle of Man]], both states are members of the [[European Union]] (abbreviated to [[EU]]). Prior to 1922 [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]] were part of the ''United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland''. In 1922 (following the [[Irish War of Independence]]), twenty six counties of Ireland left the [[United Kingdom]] to become the [[Republic of Ireland]]. The remaining six counties remained part of [[Great Britain]] and became known as [[Northern Ireland]].