Great Britain is an island off the northwest coast of the mainland of Europe. It is separated from the mainland by the English Channel to the south and the North Sea to the east. Great Britain is the largest island in Europe and the ninth largest island in the world. It covers 80,823 square miles (209,331 square kilometers). The landscape of Great Britain varies from mountainous terrain in Wales and northern Scotland to gently rolling hills and plains in central and southeastern England. Much of the island’s coast is rocky and has deep bays and other inlets.
Politically, the island of Great Britain consists of three of the four political divisions of the country of the United Kingdom. The divisions are England, which covers most of the southern two-thirds of the island; Scotland, which covers the northern third; and Wales, a small division in the southwest. The fourth political division of the United Kingdom—Northern Ireland—lies just west of Great Britain, in the northeast corner of the island of Ireland.
The name Great Britain is also sometimes used to mean the country of the United Kingdom. For location and detailed information on the country and the island, see United Kingdom.
