The British Isles are a group of islands off the north-western coast of continental Europe that consist of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. Two sovereign states are located on the islands: Ireland (a republic which covers roughly five-sixths of the island with the same name) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (which includes the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The British Isles also include three dependencies of the British Crown: the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the archipelago.

The British Isles are a group of islands off the north-western coast of continental Europe that consist of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. Two sovereign states are located on the islands: Ireland (a republic which covers roughly five-sixths of the island with the same name) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (which includes the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The British Isles also include three dependencies of the British Crown: the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the archipelago.