Great Britain

GRAN BRETAGNA. – This name is often applied, improperly by transference, to designate both the United Kingdom of G. B. and Northern Ireland (« United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland »), which is a European state, and the « British Commonwealth », which is the complex of political units, distributed throughout the world, dependent upon and revolving around the former. Properly speaking, G. B. is instead the largest island of the British Archipelago, which comprises, in turn, Scotland (Scotland) and England (England), a toponym likewise used, in a general sense, as a synonym for G. B. The subject will therefore be treated under the entry INGHILTERRA. Cf. also IRLANDA; SCOZIA.