British Isles

The British Isles is a group of islands to the north-west of, and regarded as part of, Europe.

The two largest islands are known as Mainland and Ireland. Mainland (together with a few smaller islands) constitutes Great Britain. Ireland is divided between Northern Ireland (which, together with Great Britain, forms the United Kingdom) and the Republic of Ireland.

Other islands include the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Man, Portsea Island, the Hebrides, the Orkneys and the Shetlands. The Faeroes lie north of the British Isles and are not normally regarded as part of them. The Channel Isles are usually included, being British dependencies, though it is often argued that they are not geographically part of the British Isles.