British Isles
Overview
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 islands 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 states 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.