Why is Great Britain so Great?

[PorkChop47]

Seriously why is Great Britiain so Great?

Also is it United Kingdom, or is it Great Britain. What is the corrct name for the British Isles?

I am yet to find something great about the place.

[Dragwyr]

This link has info on the origin of the nomenclature of Great Britain.

[matt_mcl]

For the record, the political entity is the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Northern Ireland).

The large island is Great Britain (as distinct from Britanny in France, a.k.a. Britannia minor.)

Great Britain + Ireland are the British Isles.

[PorkChop47]

thanks for the information. Still I don’t see it’s greatness. It may have been great once apon a time.

[lieu]

Did you not bother to read Dragwyr’s link?

There are in fact two Britains: the island of Britain in the British Isles and the land of Britain in France. In French these are known as Grande Bretagne and Bretagne, in English as Great Britain and Brittany. The word “Great” in this context has its old meaning of “big” as in “she was great with child” or “Greater London”.

[Tuco]

@PorkChop47

thanks for the information. Still I don’t see it’s greatness. It may have been great once apon a time.

It’s Great meaning ‘big’, not Great meaning ‘good’, it’s to seperate Great Britain from Brittany in Northern France.
For example, near to where I live there are villagesa called Great Ryburgh, Little Ryburgh, Great Walsingham, Little Walsingham, etc. They’re called Great _____ because they’re bigger (or were when they were named) than Little _____.

[GorillaMan]

@matt_mcl

Great Britain + Ireland

…+ the Isle of Man + the Channel Islands + Rockall (arguably)

are the British Isles.

[Cerowyn]

@PorkChop47

thanks for the information. Still I don’t see it’s greatness. It may have been great once apon a time.

And thus do we see the continuing need for the SD’s crusade.

[Mangetout]

@PorkChop47

thanks for the information. Still I don’t see it’s greatness. It may have been great once apon a time.

Just out of interest, and quite aside from your obvious confusion about the name, do you live in the UK? If not, how many times have you visited?

[PorkChop47]

@Mangetout

Just out of interest, and quite aside from your obvious confusion about the name, do you live in the UK? If not, how many times have you visited?

I currently reside in Saint Paul, MN, United States

I lived in the United Kingdom for 6 years. I lived in greater London, just outside the M-25 in Harrow. I was in school in the UK and I worked at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 3.

I have a fair ammount of knowledge about the UK. Which is why I ask the question “Why is Britain so Great?”. I don’t see it’s present day greatness in 21st Century. I mean they won 1 gold medal in the olympics. They’re yesterdays jive if you ask me. Each to their own I suppose.

[Mangetout]

OK, thanks; now that your question about the origin of the name has been answered, did you want this thread to turn into a ‘what do people like about the UK?’ sort of thing?

[SentientMeat]

I lived in greater London

Greater then what?

[garius]

@SentientMeat

Greater then what?

Cardiff

[hybrid_dogfish]

@GorillaMan

…+ the Isle of Man + the Channel Islands + Rockall (arguably)

Rockall is definately part of the British Isles. The Rockall Times even made a policy announcement on it here*
*And yes, for the humour impaired, that site is satirical

[Kymodoce]

@PorkChop47

I currently reside in Saint Paul, MN, United States

I lived in the United Kingdom for 6 years. I lived in greater London, just outside the M-25 in Harrow. I was in school in the UK and I worked at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 3.

I have a fair ammount of knowledge about the UK. Which is why I ask the question “Why is Britain so Great?”. I don’t see it’s present day greatness in 21st Century. I mean they won 1 gold medal in the olympics. They’re yesterdays jive if you ask me. Each to their own I suppose.

Bolding mine.

Just a minor nitpick… I think you are out of date. At the last Olympics in Sydney Britain won 11 golds, 10 silvers and 7 bronzes.

And this is an interesting table

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_oly_med_syd_200_cap

listing the medal performance on a per capita basis… note the UK is at 34th… now, where was the US again…

[TwistofFate]

Rockall is Irish.

[yojimbo]

and it will never fall

[jjimm]

@TwistofFate

Rockall is Irish.

And Ireland’s part of the British Isles. QED.

[TwistofFate]

Just you wait, it’s be the Irish Arcapelago soon enough

[jastu]

@Kymodoce

Just a minor nitpick… I think you are out of date. At the last Olympics in Sydney Britain won 11 golds, 10 silvers and 7 bronzes.

And this is an interesting table

http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/spo_oly_med_syd_200_cap

listing the medal performance on a per capita basis… note the UK is at 34th… now, where was the US again…

Interesting link, thanks Kymodose. Some very surprising results there.