Re: CHAT National toponyms (was: OT Caution!! IRA funding)

Tim May wrote:

>Joe wrote at 2004-09-16 20:01:13 (+0100)
> > Mark J. Reed wrote:
> >
> > >
> > >Still, I feel the name England should be reserved to refer only to
> > >the .  . . what is it, technically, a state? . . . of England,
> > >which is located on the island of Great Britain (why the
> > >adjective, btw?  Is or was there a Not-so-great Britain?), which
> > >is part of the nation called the United Kingdom (of Great Britain
> > >and Northern Ireland).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Generally we call the individual parts of the UK 'countries', but
> > in legislation, I think they're usually 'parts'.  And the
> > 'not-so-great-Britain' is Brittany.
>
>England and Scotland are kingdoms, I think.  Certainly they were
>kingdoms before the Act of Union...  Wales is a principality, and
>Northern Ireland is a province.  I'm not sure that there _is_ a
>general term, unless Joe's right about 'part'.
>
>

Well, England and Scotland aren't Kingdoms.  The Act of Union dealt with
that.  Northern Ireland is all that remains of the ex-Kingdom of
Ireland, though that was also stripped of its Kingdomhood in 1801.
Wales mgith be a Principality, but Prince Charles has no actual power in
Wales.  So I'm not sure it can actually be called that.

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