The following table presents references that use the term "Countries of the United Kingdom". For examples of "country", "constituent country" and other terms in use, please refer to the further tables below.
The following table presents references for the terms most commonly-used to describe the countries of the United Kingdom. The references are listed per country, and in some instances are used more than once, when more than one country is referred to in the source. To avoid duplication, individual examples have been found wherever possible. Some of the table is still under completion.
^College of Arms (December 2008). "The College of Arms Newsletter: December 2008"(PDF). college-of-arms.gov.uk. Retrieved 2009-01-01. The design, which was produced in Scotland, makes floral reference to the countries of the United Kingdom covered by the Supreme Court: a leek for Wales, flax for Northern Ireland, a thistle for Scotland, and a Tudor rose for England.
^ abcd"DCA". DCA. Retrieved 2008-06-30. "nationally in this context will be taken to mean within the United Kingdom as a whole or within the constituent country (England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland), or both", at www.dca.gov.uk
^Vickers, Dan; Rees, Phil (2007). "Creating the UK National Statistics 2001 output area classification". Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society). 170 (2): 379(25). doi:10.1111/j.1467-985X.2007.00466.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Bramley, Glen (2007). "The Sudden Rediscovery of Housing Supply as a Key Policy Challenge". Housing Studies. 22 (2): 221(21). doi:10.1080/02673030601132847.
^Haubrich, Dirk; McLean, Iain (2006). "Evaluating the Performance of Local Government". Policy Studies. 27 (4): 271(23). doi:10.1080/01442870601009939.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Dixon, Tim (2006). "Integrating Sustainability into Brownfield Regeneration: Rhetoric or Reality? – An Analysis of the UK Development Industry". Journal of Property Research. 23 (3): 237(31). doi:10.1080/09599910600933889.
^Cole, Stuart (2005). "Devolved Government and Transport—Relationships, Process and Policy". Public Money & Management. 25 (3): 179(7). doi:10.1111/j.1467-9302.2005.00471.x.
^Hartley, Jean. "Innovation in Governance and Public Services: Past and Present". Public Money & Management. 25 (1): 27(8).
^Hodges, Ron; Macniven, Louise; Mellett, Howard (2004). "Annual General Meetings of NHS Trusts: Devolving Power or Ritualising Accountability?". Financial Accountability & Management. 20 (4): 377(23). doi:10.1111/j.1468-0408.2004.00200.x.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ abcd"ISO 3166-2". ISO. Retrieved 2008-06-30. BS ISO 3166-2:2007 (second edition released 2007-12-13) consolidates changes detailed in ISO 3166-2 Newsletter I-9 (pg 11) which uses the terms "country" to describe England and Scotland, "principality" to describe Wales, and "province" to describe Northern Ireland, at www.iso.org
^ abcdthe Office for National Statistics states in its glossary that "In the context of the UK, each of the four main subdivisions (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) is referred to as a country". see statistics.gov.uk
^England Rural Development Programme 2000 – 2006: 5.1 Description of the Current Situation – "5.1.2 England is a country of some 50,351 square miles". Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at www.defra.gov.uk
^British Embassy – What are Britain's national costumes?
England: "Although England is a country rich in folklore and traditions, it has no definitive 'national' costume". British Embassy, Vilnius – Special features at www.britishembassy.gov.uk
^The Official Yearbook of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 2003 – "England is a country of mostly low hills and plains. ". 2003 Yearbook at www.statistics.gov.uk
^Civil Service Policy Hub – Performance pay for teachers (Last Updated: 12/2/2008) – "Many more schemes have appeared in recent years in other countries such as England, Sweden and Singapore". News item at www.nationalschool.gov.uk
^Results for England from the UK 2007 Survey of Public Opinion of Forestry, carried out on behalf of the Forestry Commission, November 2007 – "The same principle is of course also valid for individual countries such as England, where an impractical level of afforestation would be required" PUBLIC OPINION OF FORESTRY 2007 – ENGLAND at www.forestry.gov.uk
^ abThe Oxford English Dictionary, in its 1893 edition, includes under "country" the meaning "3. The territory or land of a nation ; usually an independent state, or a region once independent and still distinct in race, language, institutions, or historical memories, as England, Scotland, and Ireland, in the United Kingdom, etc."
^ abcde"Foreign and International Law". Library of Congress. "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the collective name of four countries, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland."
^ abcdEuropa, the European Untion Portal. "The education system in the United Kingdom". "It must be remembered that the UK is actually four countries and that there are some differences in the education system across these four countries.
^ abcNHS National Library for Health (April 2008). "NHS Structure: the impact of devolution". “Up until this time the NHS policy differences between the four countries had been marginal,”
^ abcSarah Carter, LLRX (2001). "The UK Legal System". “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four countries forming three distinct jurisdictions each having its own court system and legal profession: England & Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.”
^ abcTOEFL. "Four nations in one". “The UK may be relatively small, but it is extremely diverse. It is home to 60 million people and comprises four countries – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – each with a distinct history and culture. “
^ abcPost-News Education.com, The Denver Newspaper Agency (18 March 2007). "A Crucial vote in Northern Ireland". “Northern Ireland is one of four countries that make up what is known as the United Kingdom, or U.K.”
^ abThe Four Countries – Social Care Information Network (27 March 2006). "Leeds Workshop 27 March 2006 Report". “The workshop was designed to be an initial opportunity to bring together leading information specialists and policy makers from the four countries of the UK“
^ abEuropean Union Youth Portal. "Travelling Europe, The United Kingdom". "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales."
^ abBBC World Service Teacher Blog – Anne Bell (12 April 2008). "Union Jack Day".
^ abEuropean Commission Expert Working Group on the social determinants of health inequalities (2–3 March 2006). "Tackling Health Inequalities – The UK Situation".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) "The UK consists of four countries England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."
^Joint statement released on behalf of Helen Liddell MP, (unionist) Secretary of State for Scotland, and Jack McConnell MSP, (unionist) First Minister for Scotland, which states "Scotland is a country with a proud history, with strong traditions and customs". Scotland Office Press Release 2002-11-21 at www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk
^ abcdeBritannica describes Scotland as "the most northerly of the four parts of the United Kingdom" and later as a "country" four times in its introduction to the topic (nation or subdivision is not used).Scotland at www.britannica.com
^Encarta describes Scotland as "one of the four national units that make up the United Kingdom" and later as a "country" two times in its introduction to the topic (nation or subdivision is not used).Scotland at encarta.msn.com
^RURAL DEVELOPMENT REGULATION (EC) NO 1257/1999: PLAN FOR SCOTLAND. "5.2 Scotland is a country of some 30,414 square miles" Chapter 5 at www.scotland.gov.uk
^Jack McConnell MSP, (former) First Minister for Scotland – Scotland is a country with strong traditions and a proud history of achievement. Welcome Message to 'scotlandnow' at www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk
^Helen Liddell MP, (former) Secretary of State for Scotland – Scotland is a country of inventors and entrepreneurs and we have many excellent, dynamic companies. Press Release 2002-07-31 at www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk
^Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland, Report Number E97002, November 1997 – 14. However, since Scotland is a country of great diversity Third Statutory Review of Electoral Arrangements at www.lgbc-scotland.gov.uk
^RENEWABLE ENERGY INQUIRY by ENTERPRISE AND CULTURE COMMITTEE, 2004-01-22. 3.5:"Scotland is a country which sells its scenery, as the basis for its largest single industry, tourism". Evidence from SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE
^Bertie Ahern, (former) Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland. ADDRESS TO THE SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT – WEDNESDAY 20 JUNE 2001 – "Scotland is a country rightly renowned for the distinguished historical contribution of its thinkers and scientists to the development of democracy and technological progress". Scottish Parliament. Parliamentary News Release at www.scottish.parliament.uk
^Response from the Welsh Assembly Government to HM Treasury’s consultation on a merged fund to support UK health related research – "6.1 In 2003 Ernst and Young recommended (on the basis of experience in other countries, including Scotland)" Response at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
^Births and Deaths June 2004 quarter – This pattern has also been observed in other countries, including Scotland. Statistics New Zealand at www2.stats.govt.nz
^Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vo1, No.1 – January–March 1995: An Outbreak of Shigella sommei infection... – "together with reports from other European countries, including Scotland, Sweden and Norway" Dispatches at www.cdc.gov
^Estate agency market in England and Wales – "Comparisons with markets in other countries, including Scotland" 2004 Market Study at www.oft.gov.uk
^HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE IN NORTHERN IRELAND. Neutral Citation no. [2007] NIQB 5826, Ref:GILC5850, Delivered:5/9/07 – The law in other jurisdictions [33] – "I delayed the giving of judgment in this case to afford the parties an opportunity to consider certain research which I had caused to be carried out into similar provisions in other countries including Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada and Australia". Judgment: approved by the Court for handing down at www.courtsni.gov.uk
^The Nicholson Committee: Review of Liquor Licensing Law in Scotland, 2003 – Chapter 5, 5.5 – "we are firmly of the view that in a country such as Scotland the desirability of promoting the licensing principles" CHAPTER 5 LICENSING HOURS at www.scotland.gov.uk
^World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Is housing improvement a potential health improvement strategy? (Updated 23 February 2005) – "In countries such as Scotland, Portugal and Spain, the levels of excess winter deaths are higher than in Scandinavia" Health Evidence Network (HEN) at www.euro.who.int
^Office of the First Minister & Deputy First Minister for Northern Ireland. Policylink Bulletin 12 (June 2006): Migration Trends – "Countries such as Scotland faced with rapid demographic ageing welcome the flow of migrant workers". Policylink 12 at www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk
^UNESCO-1994. The impact of examination systems on curriculum development: an international study. Chapter 1. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION – Geographical Scope: "To give a suitably international context to the study, seven countries were selected and agreed with UNESCO. The seven, namely Colombia, Egypt, France, Japan. Scotland. the United States of America (US) and Zimbabwe were chosen" UNESCO Report at www.unesco.org
^Wynford Vaughan-Thomas, Wynford Vaughan-Thomas's Wales, Mermaid Books 1983, ISBN0 7181 2251 8, p8, ch1 Welcome to Wales: "Who would expect to find a country speaking its own language, and with its own fiercely defended culture and traditions, within seventy miles of the huge English urban complexes of Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester?"
^Gwynfor Evans, Land of My Fathers, Y Lolfa 1992, ISBN0 86243 265 0, pp434/435 ch10 Facing the British: "Arthur Henderson, ... Foreign Secretary ... 1924, believed: 'One could not imagine a country where federal self-government has a better chance of success than Wales...Given self-government Wales could become a modern Utopia.' He stressed that the smallness of the country was a great advantage from the standpoint of good government."
^Peter Berresford Ellis, Celt and Saxon – The Struggle for Britain AD 410 – 937, Constable and Company 1993, ISBN0 09 472160 2, pp241, ch16 Do 'The British' Really Exist?: "Monoglot English clergy had been appointed to livings in Wales as a matter of course. A Dr Bowles had been given the living of Trefdaeth and Llangwyfan where, of 500 parishioners, only five had any knowledge of English. This was in 1768 and the Welsh decided to rebel. They argued that they should have a minister who spoke Welsh. The case took five years to argue. Dr Bowles's counsel was quite clear on the position of Wales: 'Wales is a conquered country, it is proper to introduce the English language, ...' "
^Wales – The Rough Guide, Mike Parker and Paul Whitfield, The Rough Guides 1997, ISBN1-85828-245-4, p. viii/ Introduction, Para 2: "As you cross the border from England, you are, in fact, immediately aware of the different attitudes and cultures of the two countries. ..." ... "WALES AND ITS SHIFTING COUNTY BOUNDARIES. Wales is a small and thinly populated country ..."
^Prys Morgan (Ed), History of Wales 25,000 B.C. – A.D. 2000, Tempus Publishing 2001, ISBN0 7524 1983 8, p78 ch3 Frontier Wales c1063-1282: "Of course, throughout this period Wales remained an overwhelmingly rural country, ..."
^Wales: History of a Nation, David Ross, Gedded & Grosset 2005, ISBN1 84205 018 4, p15 Introduction: "... At its head [a Welsh national army] was the Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndwr. For five years he had resisted the might of England, ranging the strength of all Wales behind him, making treaties with the Kingdoms of France and Scotland, acting as a sovereign in his own country."
^Wales: History of a Nation, David Ross, Gedded & Grosset 2005, ISBN1 84205 018 4, p256: "'A vineyard placed in my care is Wales, my country, To deliver unto my children, And my children's children, Intact: an eternal heritage' Saunders Lewis, Buchedd Garmon, translated by D.M. Lloyd"
^The Wikipedia article Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau says: "
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (Scottish Gaelic pronunciation:[heːnˈwlaːdvəˈn̥adaɨ], usually translated as "Land of My Fathers", (but literally old country of my fathers) is, by tradition, the national anthem of Wales."
^"One specific problem – in both general and particular senses – is to know what to call Northern Ireland itself: in the general sense, it is not a country, or a province, or a state – although some refer to it contemptuously as a statelet: the least controversial word appears to be jurisdiction, but this might change." – S. Dunn and H. Dawson, 2000, An Alphabetical Listing of Word, Name and Place in Northern Ireland and the Living Language of Conflict, Edwin Mellen Press: Lampeter
^"Next – what noun is appropriate to Northern Ireland? 'Province' won't do since one-third of the province is on the wrong side of the border. 'State' implies more self-determination than Northern Ireland has ever had and 'country' or 'nation' are blatantly absurd. 'Colony' has overtones that would be resented by both communities and 'statelet' sounds too patronizing, though outsiders might consider it more precise than anything else; so one is left with the unsatisfactory word 'region'." – D. Murphy, 1979, A Place Apart, Penguin Books: London
^"Although a seat of government, strictly speaking Belfast is not a 'capital' since Northern Ireland is not a 'country', at least not in the same sense that England, Scotland and Wales are 'countries'." – J Morrill, 2004, The promotion of knowledge: lectures to mark the Centenary of the British Academy 1992–2002, Oxford University Press: Oxford
^"Not a country in itself, Northern Ireland consists of six of the thirty-two original counties of Ireland, all part of the section of that island historically known as Ulster." – J V Til, 2008, Breaching Derry's walls: the quest for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, University Press of America
^"Northern Ireland is not a country in itself, but a small fragment torn from the living body of Ireland where now the last act of its long struggle for independence is being played out." – W V Shannon, Northern Ireland and America's Responsibility in K M. Cahill (ed), 1984, The American Irish revival: a decade of the Recorder, 1974–1983, Associated Faculty Press
^"Northern Ireland (though of course not a country) was the only other place where terrorism can be said to have achieved a comparable social impact." – M Crenshaw, 1985, An Organizational Approach to the Analysis of Political Terrorism in Orbis, 29 (3)
^"The study compare attitudes in Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, the UK, Holland, Ireland, Italy and West Germany. It also includes Northern Ireland, which of course is not a country." – P Kurzer, 2001, Markets and moral regulation: cultural change in the European Union, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge
^ ab"As I see it, I'm an Irish Unionist. I'm Irish, that's my race if you like. My identify is British, because that it the way I have been brought up, and I identify with Britain and there are historical bonds, psychological bonds, emotional bonds, all the rest of it you know. ... Bit to talk of independence in Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland is not a country, Northern Ireland is a province of Ireland and it is a province in the UK and I think that the notion of a national identity or group identity or racial identity or cultural identity here is a nonsense." – Michael McGimpsey quoted in F. Cochrane, 2001, Unionist politics and the politics of Unionism since the Anglo-Irish Agreement, Cork University Press: Cork
^"Moreover, Northern Ireland is a province, not a country. Even before direct rule, many of the decisions affecting the economy, labour law, and wage bargaining were in reality taken in London, thereby diminishing the importance of local control." A Aughey, 1996, Duncan Morrow, Northern Ireland Politics, Longmon: London
^"One problem must be adverted to in writing about Northern Ireland. This is the question of what name to give to the various geographical entities. These names can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences. ... some refer to Northern Ireland as a 'province'. That usage can arouse irritation particularly among nationalists, who claim the title 'province' should be properly reserved to the four historic provinces of Ireland-Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht. If I want to a label to apply to Northern Ireland I shall call it a 'region'. Unionists should find that title as acceptable as 'province': Northern Ireland appears as a region in the regional statistics of the United Kingdom published by the British government." – J. Whyte and G. FitzGerald, 1991, Interpreting Northern Ireland, Oxford University Press: Oxford
^The Scottish Parliament. FAQ's – "Is Scotland a country? – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the full name of the country. Scotland is a kingdom within the United Kingdom (UK)" Your Scotland Questions at www.scottish.parliament.uk
^G. K. Chesterton, "Edward VII. and Scotland" – I am quite certain that Scotland is a nation; I am quite certain that nationality is the key of Scotland; I am quite certain that all our success with Scotland has been due to the fact that we have in spirit treated it as a nation.
^David McCrone, Scotland, Small? – Scotland is a nation which has lived quite happily within a loose confederation, a union, and now finds itself within a bigger union – of Europe.
^Heald, Geaughan & Robb, "Financial Arrangements for UK Devolution" in Elcock & Keating Remaking the Union – ... from the recognition that Scotland is a nation within the United Kingdom.
^Davidson, The Origins of Scottish Nationhood – Because Scotland is a nation, and not a region or an urban district, opposition took a form which was impossible in most other parts of Britain.
^Anderson, "Fernand Braudel & National Identity" in Clark, The Annales School – ... Scotland is a nation that is something like a quasi-state, Britain a state that is at least a quasi-nation.
^Von Beyme, "Fischer's move towards a European Constitution" in Joerges, Mény & Weiler, What kind of Constitution for what kind of Polity – In this age of football, one whimsical definition defines the nation by the very existence of a national football team. On this definition Scotland is a nation and Bavaria not.
^Haesly, "Identifying Scotland and Wales" in Nations and Nationalism, vol. 11, no. 2 – As they argue, 'Scotland is a nation; therefore, Scotland should become an independent nation state' ...
^Bultmann, Scottish Rights Vindicated: Identity and Nationalism in Mid-Nineteenth Century Scotland (unpub PhD [?] thesis), quotes one of William Burns' NAVSR tracts of 1854 – so long as Scotland is a nation – by contract merely forming part of the united Empire – so long the Scottish people have a basis upon which, with consistency, they may rest such things as national demands.
^Home Office Police Research Group Crime Prevention Unit Series, December 1993, sourced 2008-06-30, Paper NO.50 – Vehicle Watch in Wales, 1: "Forces in the Principality of Wales have demonstrated a particularly high level of commitment to the Vehicle Watch concept", at www.homeoffice.gov.uk
^"Northern Ireland, a province created by the Government of Ireland Act of 1920, made of the six Ulster counties of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, and Tyrone, and retained within the United Kingdom after the rest achieved dominion status by the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921." Oxford Companion to Irish History, page 420. 2002, ISBN978-0-19-923483-7
^"Northern Ireland. Province of the United Kingdom made up of the six north-eastern counties of the ancient Irish province of ULSTER." Reader's Digest, Encyclopedia of World History, page 462. 1996, ISBN0-276-42287-2
^"One specific problem – in both general and particular senses – is to know what to call Northern Ireland itself: in the general sense, it is not a country, or a province, or a state – although some refer to it contemptuously as a statelet: the least controversial word appears to be jurisdiction, but this might change." – S. Dunn and H. Dawson, 2000, An Alphabetical Listing of Word, Name and Place in Northern Ireland and the Living Language of Conflict, Edwin Mellen Press: Lampeter
^"Next – what noun is appropriate to Northern Ireland? 'Province' won't do since one-third of the province is on the wrong side of the border. 'State' implies more self-determination than Northern Ireland has ever had and country' or 'nation' are blatantly absurd. 'Colony' has overtones that would be resented by both communities and 'statelet' sounds too patronizing, though outsiders might consider it more precise than anything else; so one is left with the unsatisfactory word 'region'." – D. Murphy, 1979, A Place Apart, Penguin Books: London
^One problem must be adverted to in writing about Northern Ireland. This is the question of what name to give to the various geographical entities. These names can be controversial, with the choice often revealing one's political preferences. ... some refer to Northern Ireland as a 'province'. That usage can arouse irritation particularly among nationalists, who claim the title 'province' should be properly reserved to the four historic provinces of Ireland-Ulster, Leinster, Munster, and Connacht. If I want to a label to apply to Northern Ireland I shall call it a 'region'. Unionists should find that title as acceptable as 'province': Northern Ireland appears as a region in the regional statistics of the United Kingdom published by the British government." – J. Whyte and G. FitzGerald, 1991, Interpreting Northern Ireland, Oxford University Press: Oxford