Great Britain

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Revision as of 15:10, 6 May 2007 by imported>Patrick Brown (→‎Roman Britain)
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Great Britain (or simply Britain)[1] is a large island in the Atlantic Ocean, separated from continental Europe to the south by the English Channel and from Ireland to the west by the Irish Sea. It is the largest island in the archipelago known as the British Isles, with an area of 218,595 km² (93,282 square miles).[2] Politically, the island is part of the United Kingdom (for which "Britain" and "Great Britain" are often used as synonyms), and contains the nations of England, Wales and the majority of Scotland.

Geography and geology

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History and politics

Prehistory

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Britain in the Classical period

  • Names
  • Pytheas
  • Julius Caesar's expeditions
  • Claudius's conquest
  • Roman Britain

Sub-Roman Britain

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Medieval Britain

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Renaissance and early modern Britain

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Modern Britain

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References

  1. The use of the adjective "Great" derives from the French Grande Bretagne, as distinct from Petite Bretagne (Brittany).
  2. Islands of the United Kingdom (UN System-Wide Earthwatch Web Site)