The British Isles

international
boundary

built-up area
capital city

The name Britain is also incorrectly used to

refer to the political state, officially called
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland. This is abbreviated to the
United Kingdom or the UK.

over 1 million
inhabitants
town or city
major airport

Fair Isle

river

The British Isles is a group of islands that

includes Britain and Ireland, and a number
of smaller islands. The Republic of Ireland
(also the Irish Republic; formerly Eire) is an
independent state occupying the southern part
of the island of Ireland.

Rona

Orkney
Islands

50

100 km

ds

nc

lan

Mi

gh

Hi
st

Gr

am

Mull

Jura

Islay

Lough
Foyle
Londonderry

Loch
Lomond

ins

Ta y

The
Lowlands
For th

Clyde

Dundee
Perth

Stirling

Glasgow

Aberdeen

Dee

St.Andrews

Fir th

r th
of Fo

Edinburgh

n
pla

ds

ot
evi
Ch

So

yF

ir th

Ty n e

Carlisle

Lake

a
olw

Berwick-uponTweed

s
Hill

Dumfries

n
Ede

Lough

nta

East Kilbride
Kilmarnock yde
Arran
n
Glasgow
er
Ayr Prestwick u t h

F ir t h o f

Antrim
Mountains

u
Mo

Cl

Giants
Causeway

s
ngorm
Cair

Ben Nevis
1344m

pi

Tiree

NORTHERN
IRELAND

M Don
ou eg
nt al
ain
s

Inverness

Spey

Fort
William

SCOTLAND

th

The
Highlands

Loch
Ness

No

rth

Hebr
ide
s

Skye

Coll

Inner

Barra

we

Benbecula

South
Uist

y Fir

ra
Mo

Tw
ee
d

Harris

Th

e
i

Stornoway

North
Uist

O u t
e r

There are special adjectives and nouns to

describe people from some cities, for example a
person from London is a Londoner, from Dublin
a Dubliner, from Glasgow a Glaswegian, from
Aberdeen an Aberdonian, from Manchester a
Mancunian and from Liverpool a Liverpudlian.
A Londoner who speaks with the local accent is
also called a Cockney. There are also informal
names for people from some cities: Brummie
(from Birmingham); Scouse or Scouser (from
Liverpool); and Geordie (from Tyneside, which
stretches from Newcastle to the coast).

John oGroats

Lewis

Newcastle
upon Tyne
Sunderland
Durham

metres
5000
3000
2000
1000
500
300
200
100
sea level
peak or
highest point

lake

To refer to the nationality of the people of

Britain or the United Kingdom, you use the
adjective British. English describes people from
England, and should not be used to describe
people from Ireland, Scotland or Wales, who
are Irish, Scottish and Welsh. There is further
information in the notes at the entries for
British and Scottish.

Atlantic
Ocean

internal
boundary

Shetland
Islands

Britain or Great Britain (GB) is a geographical

area consisting of England, Scotland and Wales
(but not Ireland).

V60

Musical
The instruments
British Isles

Nor th
Sea

UNITED

F ir t h o f

Arran

Irish Sea

North
York Moors

The
NorthWest

York

Ou

The
NorthKingston
East
upon Hull
s

ENGLAND

Trent

unta
ins

Avon

an

nn

el

Mo

WALES

br i

am

Ch
ilte
rn

Exe

Taunton

The
West Country

Salisbury

Southampton South Downs Brighton

Bournemouth
Poole

Exeter

Portsmouth

Truro

Isles of
Scilly

Hastings

Isle of
Wight

Dartmoor
Plymouth

Lands
End

Eastbourne

of
D

Exmoor

ove
r

Avo
n

REPUBLIC
OF IRELAND

S tr
ai t

Cork

Blackpool
Preston

Middlesbrough

UNITED
KINGDOM

1041m
Carrauntoohill

Douglas

852m
Slieve
Donard

Tees

978m
Scafell Pike

e rn
Sev

Blackwater

Bay

Newry

ISLE OF
MAN

Lake
District

Wy

Dingle

Belfast

ha

Limerick

ir th

Barrow

a
Sh
Lough
Derg

yF

Newcastle
upon Tyne
Sunderland
Durham
Hartlepool

Ty n e

Carlisle

Leeds
e
Bradford
Ai r e
Blackburn
Humb
Huddersfield
er
Bolton
Manchester
Anglesey
y
e
s
r
e
y
Liverpool
M
e
Sheffield
Peak
f
f
Li
Dublin
Holyhead
District
Colwyn
Lincoln
Bay
Chester Stokeon-Trent
Caernarfon
1085m
Wicklow
The
Derby
Snowdon
Mountains
Nottingham
Wash
D ee
We
The
nsu
The
Snowdonia
East Midlands
m
Shrewsbury Midlands
Fens
Great Yarmouth
Norwich
Leicester
Wolverhampton
Anglia
East
Peterborough
Birmingham
Cardigan Bay
use
Great O
Coventry
Suir Waterford
Aberystwyth
Northampton
Worcester
Cambridge
Warwick
Ipswich
C
StratfordHereford
Stansted Stour
s
upon-Avon

Keynes
Milton
e
Colchester
rg
C
Luton
ls
Gloucester
Hil
Us
eo
Brecon
ills
k
Oxford
old
Home
The
H
.t G
w
Luton
Beacons
Milford Haven
ts
Thames
S
Counties
Co Thames
Watford
Estuary
Newport
Swindon
London Southend-on-Sea
Swansea
Bristol
Cardiff
Slough Heathrow
Margate
Salisbury Reading
Canterbury
Bristo
Nor th Downs
Plain
Bath
l Ch a n n e l
Dover
Gatwick

Bo
yn

nno

Galway Bay

Lough Ree

Galway

a
Solw

Sea

s
Hill

ale
Sw

Lough
Corrib

ot
evi
Ch

s
i n e
n n
P e

Ern

Lough
Mask

Mourne
Mountains

Dumfries

Lisburn

Lough
Conn

Up

So

Antrim
Mountains

Lough
Neagh

Donegal Bay

Kilmarnock yde
n
Glasgow
er
Ayr Prestwick u t h

n
Ede

M Don
ou eg
nt al
ain
s

Giants
Causeway

Lough
Foyle
Londonderry

Clyde

IRELAND

Cl

Atlantic
Ocean

Eng

Cha

lish

St. Peter Port

Guernsey

Channel
Islands

nne

Jersey

St. Helier

V61

Musical
The instruments
British Isles