The official name of the country is "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". It is made up of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The first three together form the island of Great Britain. Northern Ireland sits on the north-eastern corner of the island of Ireland; the rest of that island is the independent Republic of Ireland, which is not part of the UK.
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The Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey) and the Isle of Man are Crown Dependencies. They are linked to the UK through the monarch but are self-governing and are not part of the UK or the European Union. Several British Overseas Territories — including Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands and Bermuda — are administered separately.
The exam often tests this distinction. Expect questions on which countries are part of the UK, where Northern Ireland sits geographically, and whether the Republic of Ireland or the Isle of Man are part of the UK (they are not).
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