Reading and thinking to read the text and answer the questions. What's in a name? The united kingdom? Great britain? Britain, england? Many people are confused by what these different names mean. So what is the difference between them, if any, getting to know a little bit about british history will help you solve this puzzle. In the sixteenth century, the nearby country of whales was joined to the kingdom of england. Later in the eighteen th century, the country's scotland was joined to create the kingdom of great britain. In the sixth century, the kingdom of ireland was added to create the united kingdom of great britain and ireland. Finally, in the twenty eighth century, the southern part of ireland broke away from the U. K, which resulted in the full name we have today the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. Most people just use the shortened name, the united kingdom or the U. K. People from the U. K. Are called british, which means the U. K is also often referred to as britain or great britain. The four countries that belong to the united kingdom work together. In some areas, they use the same flag known as the union jack, as well as share the same currency and military defense. However, they also have some differences. For example, england whales, scotland and northern ireland all have different education systems and legal systems. They also have their own traditions, like their own national days and national dishes, and they even have their own football teams for competitions like the world cup. The united kingdom has a long and interesting history. ExpLoring IT can help you understand much more about the country and its traditions. Almost everywhere you go in the U. K. You will be surrounded by evidence of four different groups of people who took over at different times throughout history. The first group, the romans, came in the first century. They built the first towns and good roads. Next, the english actions arrived in the fifth century. They introduced the beginnings of the english language and change the way people build houses. The vikings came in the eighth century and left behind lots of new vocabulary, as well as the names of many locations across the U. K. The last group were the Normans. They conquered england after the well known battle of hastings in the eleven century. They had castles built all around england and made changes to the legal system. The romans were french. So many french words slowly entered into the english language. There is so much more to learn about the interesting history and culture of the united kingdom. Studying the history of the country will make your visit much more enjoyable. The capital city, london, is a great place to start, as IT is an ancient port city that has a history dating all the way back to times. There are countless historic sites to explore and lots of museums with ancient relux from all over the U. K. The U. K. Is a fascinating mix of history and modern culture with both new and old traditions. If you keep your eyes open, you will be surprised to find that you can see both its past and its present.