Britain outside of Britain(?)

Intro - The British Empire

As I'm sure most of you already know, the British Empire was the largest non-contiguous Empire in history. Many modern day countries were previously part of the British Empire such as Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, and Jamaica to name but a few.

While the British Empire no longer exists, the extent of "places that are British" expands way beyond the island of Great Britain. This article is simply to inform people about these places, not to give my opinion on the political status of these places. I also won't be going into too much detail regarding the history of these places as there's a lot to uncover, so I'd suggest you do your own research.

"Offshore" Islands

These are islands that are geographically disconnected from Great Britain, but are still part of the UK's constituent countries. Examples include the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly (part of England), the Isle of Anglesey (part of Wales), and the MANY islands of Scotland.

Some of these islands are massive, have many towns, and are only accessible by plane/ferry (e.g., Lewis and Harris), while others are basically just rocks you can walk or drive to during low tide (such as St Michael's Mount and Lindisfarne). Although these islands are interesting, they are still just as much a part of the UK as anywhere else.

Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, and it is the only one not located on the island of Great Britain. This explains why the UK's full name is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". After WW1, Ireland fought a war of independence against the British after centuries of colonial rule, but six historically unionist counties remained part of the UK. As you can imagine, not everyone was happy about this, and 30 years of sectarian violence known as The Troubles erupted in NI between Republicans and Unionists. The violence (offically) ended in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.

Northern Ireland exists in a bit of a limbo state. While it is part of the UK (as they're subject to UK laws and vote in UK elections), locals have the freedom to choose between having either British or Irish citizenship (or both). And due to the free travel agreement between the UK and Ireland, there are no border controls between them, despite neither the UK or Ireland being in the Schengen Area. There have been many talks about Irish reunification, but for now, Northern Ireland remains part of the UK.

Unlike England, Scotland, and Wales, Northern Ireland doesn't have an official flag, but in other ways, Northern Ireland does have its own identity. For example, it has a distinct accent that sounds very different to other Irish accents. They also have their own slang, which includes typical Irish slang like "craic" (fun) with Scottish slang like "aye" (yes) and "wee" (small/a bit).

Crown Dependencies

The Crown Dependencies are a series of islands owned by the British Crown, but unlike the Isle of Wight or Northern Ireland, they're not part of the UK and instead govern themselves (though they still rely on the UK for things like defence and international relations). There are three Crown Dependencies:

Having been to Jersey and Guernsey myself, these places certainly feel like you're in the UK. However, not being part of the UK means the locals can't vote in UK elections and things like taxes and vehicle registration are handled by the local governments. However, this autonomy means they can make laws that contradict UK laws (e.g., you have to be 18 to get a tattoo in the UK, but you only need to be 16 to get a tattoo in Jersey).

These places also have their own passports, flags, distinct wildlife (such as the Manx Cat and the Jersey Cow), and their own historic languages (Manx in the Isle of Man, Jerriais in Jersey, and Guernesiais in Guernsey). Nowadays, English is the lingua franca.

British Overseas Territories

The British Overseas Territories are not part of the UK, nor owned by the British Crown, but are still under British jurisdiction. Unlike the Crown Dependencies which are located in the British Isles, the British Overseas Territories are scattered all around the world.

The amount of autonomy they have varies, but most of these places are small islands with just a few hundred or few thousand people. Some of the most notorious OTs include:

Territorial Controversies

Some of the British Overseas Territories are quite controversial, but the most controversial are the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar.

When Argentina gained its independence, it inherented claim to the Falklands from the Spanish colonial area, though in practice the islands were under British jurisdiction. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, prompting the UK's (then) Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to send the British Military to defend the islands. After 10 weeks of fighting, Argentina eventually surrendered, but it still claims the islands despite the overwhelming majority of Falklanders (>99%) wanting to remain under British rule. It's a very contentious issue in Argentina.

While not as controversial, Gibraltar has caused tensions between the UK and Spain, particularly with Brexit where most Gibraltarians voted Remain, but was forced to leave the EU because the UK ultimately voted to leave. Spain does not recognise Gibraltar and wants Britain to give it back, but the people of Gibraltar have expressed that they want to remain British. Many people living in Southern Spain also work in Gibraltar, so some argue that Gibraltar just being another part of Spain will put their jobs at risk.

For more information on how Gibraltar became British, click here.