Britain
noun /ˈbrɪtn/
/ˈbrɪtn/
[singular]- the island containing England, Scotland and Wales
不列颠（包括英格兰、苏格兰及威尔士） Culture Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain is a geographical area consisting of the large island which is divided into England, Wales and Scotland. It is often called Britain. The name Great Britain was first used in a political sense after the Act of Union of Scotland with England and Wales in 1707.The British Isles describes the geographical area of Great Britain, all of Ireland (including the independent Republic of Ireland), and all the many smaller islands around the coasts, including the Orkney Islands and the Scilly Isles. It has a total area of over 121 000 square miles/about 315000 square kilometres.The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, called for short the United Kingdom or the UK, refers to the political state that includes the countries of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It does not include the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, which are Crown dependencies. The United Kingdom was formed in 1801 when the Irish parliament was joined with the parliament for England, Wales and Scotland in London, and the whole of the British Isles became a single state. In 1922 the south of Ireland became the Irish Free State and, in 1949, a completely independent republic.The Scottish Parliament was established in 1999 and has the power to pass laws for Scotland in many areas including education, health and justice. In 2014 there was a referendum (= an occasion when all the people of a country can vote on an important issue) on whether Scotland should become independent from the UK, but more than 55% of people voted against the change. The National Assembly for Wales (also called the Welsh Assembly) was also established in 1999 and has the power to pass laws for Wales in certain areas including education and health. The names Great Britain and United Kingdom are now often used in informal contexts to mean the same thing. There are older names for parts of the United Kingdom, but these are found mostly in literature. Britannia is the name the Romans gave to their province which covered most of England, Caledonia was their name for Scotland, Cambria for Wales and Hibernia for Ireland.The people of the United Kingdom are British and have British nationality. As a group they are usually referred to as the British, rather than as Britons, though this name is used in the media. Ancient Britons were the people who lived in Britain before the Romans came. Only people who come from England can be called English. People from Ireland are Irish, people from Wales Welsh, and people from Scotland Scots or Scottish, and they do not like being called English. The term the Brits is only used in an informal way, often humorously. Many people from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have stronger feelings of loyalty towards their own country than they do to the United Kingdom. British people whose families have originally come from a country outside the UK may also feel connected to both countries.Culture Britain and the USBritain and the USThe relationship between Britain and the US has always been a close one. Like all close relationships it has had difficult times. The US was first a British colony (= an area of land owned and settled by Britain), but between 1775 and 1783 the US fought a war to become independent. The US fought the British again in the War of 1812.In general, however, the two countries have felt closer to each other than to any other country, and their foreign policies have shown this. During First World War and World War Two, and more recently in the Gulf War and the Iraq War, Britain and the US supported each other. When the US looks for foreign support, Britain is usually the first country to come forward.But the special relationship that developed after 1945 is not explained only by shared political interests.The two countries share the same language and enjoy each other's literature, films and television. Many Americans have British ancestors, or relatives still living in Britain. The US government and political system is based on Britain's, and there are many Anglo-American businesses operating on both sides of the Atlantic. The special relationship was strong in the early 1980s when Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister in Britain and Ronald Reagan was President of the US. Since September 11 the support given by Britain for US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria has led to problems at home and has affected Britain's relationships with other European countries.词源Old English Breoton, from Latin Brittones ‘Britons’, superseded in Middle English by forms from Old French Bretaigne (from Latin Brit(t)annia). It became a largely historical term until revived in the mid 16th cent., as the possible union of England and Scotland became a subject of political concern.