You’ll often hear people talk about England. It’s the home of William Shakespeare, the Tower of London, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Bridge. Sometimes, you’ll hear people talk about Great Britain or the United Kingdom when they’re actually trying to describe England. So what’s the difference?

Let’s start with England: it’s a country by itself. It’s capital and largest city is London.

England is also one of the four nations that combine to form the United Kingdom. Besides England, the other nations in the United Kingdom are Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is its own country.

Three of the countries in the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, and Wales — happen to be located on the same big island. That island is called Great Britain. So England, Scotland, and Wales are the three countries that, when combined, are called Great Britain.

But what about the 4th country in the United Kingdom? What about Northern Ireland? Well, it’s located on a different island called Ireland. And the island of Ireland is home to two separate countries. One of those countries is called Ireland (Are you confused yet?) and the other country is called Northern Ireland (which, as you now know is part of the United Kingdom).

So, here’s a quick summary: The United Kingdom has four countries (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland); Great Britain has three countries (England, Wales, and Scotland), and Ireland has two countries (Ireland and Northern Ireland). Whew! That was sorta complicated!