The 3 Countries of GB

Posted by Joseph Allen McCullough Jun 19, 2006

Although people in the United States and possibly elsewhere tend to use the terms Great Britain and England interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Great Britain is the name of the island which holds three distinct, yet unified, countries. The biggest and best known of these is England, which has dominated politics on the island since the coming of the Romans. But the Romans left two parts of the island unconquered, and both were left to form their own unique character.

In the north, a group known as the Picts ruled the highlands until the Scots came and drove them out. Thus, eventually, Scotland was formed. Despite its small-size, it produced a vibrant culture whose emblems such as bagpipes and kilts are recognized the world over.

The third country on the island is the smallest, least well-known, and least talked about. It's called Wales and is home to about 3 million people. It consists of a large chunk of the western part of the island and much of the land is rugged and mountainous. Although not as vocal or flamboyant as their Scottish cousins in the North, the Welsh are still an independent group, proud of their culture and heritage. More than one Welshman has made the statement that they are the only true Brits left, that is they are the only group that culturally existed before the coming of the Romans. The Welsh have their own language, a difficult Celtic language, which is still spoken by a large portion of the population (though more in the north of the country than the south). The Welsh can all speak English as well, although many do so only as a second language.

I wondered a few times as I was writing this week's article about Offa's Dyke, when the first Welshmen saw the Anglo-Saxon's building their great earthwork, if they didn't nod their head and think "finally, something to keep those darn English out."