Great Britain

Great Britain is an <a href="/facts/Island/46Apq1bJ">island</a> in the North <a href="/facts/Atlantic_Ocean/EI4uChIb">Atlantic Ocean</a> off the north-west coast of <a href="/facts/Continental_Europe/EXR4F23f">continental Europe</a>, consisting of the countries <a href="/facts/England/U9mE5bGL">England</a>, <a href="/facts/Scotland/VGwbbxB2">Scotland</a>, and <a href="/facts/Wales/xa3W6PHH">Wales</a>. With an area of 209,331 km2 (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the <a href="/facts/British_Isles/4fBquvMU">British Isles</a>, the <a href="/facts/List_of_European_islands_by_area/4EACkUBh">largest European island</a>, and the <a href="/facts/List_of_islands_by_area/UxgRkKGB">ninth-largest island in the world</a>. It is dominated by a <a href="/facts/Maritime_climate/xUD1y78o">maritime climate</a> with narrow temperature differences between seasons. The island of <a href="/facts/Ireland/35vYxXdP">Ireland</a>, with an area 40 per cent that of Great Britain, is to the west – these islands, along with over <a href="/facts/List_of_islands_of_the_British_Isles/1fvm9PpU">1,000 smaller surrounding islands and named substantial rocks</a>, comprise the British Isles <a href="/facts/Archipelago/50BeC9tl">archipelago</a>.
Connected to mainland Europe until 9,000 years ago by a <a href="/facts/Land_bridge/WT3Jzmgu">land bridge</a> now known as <a href="/facts/Doggerland/X49uDaxd">Doggerland</a>, Great Britain has been inhabited by modern humans for around 30,000 years. In 2011, it had a population of about 61 million, making it the world's <a href="/facts/List_of_islands_by_population/xPMPDjlM">third-most-populous island</a> after <a href="/facts/Honshu/Rp7Ew35d">Honshu</a> in <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a> and <a href="/facts/Java/2MNA2rLm">Java</a> in <a href="/facts/Indonesia/vQnWU3IW">Indonesia</a>, and the most populated island outside of <a href="/facts/Asia/4IToYrrQ">Asia</a>.
The term "Great Britain" can also refer to the political territory of <a href="/facts/England/U9mE5bGL">England</a>, <a href="/facts/Scotland/VGwbbxB2">Scotland</a>, and <a href="/facts/Wales/xa3W6PHH">Wales</a>, which includes their offshore islands. This territory, together with <a href="/facts/Northern_Ireland/Jmr0NRyl">Northern Ireland</a>, constitutes the <a href="/facts/United_Kingdom/kuPAILt2">United Kingdom</a>.

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Great Britain