British Islands

A map showing the areas referred to as the British Islands shaded red.

British Islands is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which since 1889 has referred collectively to the following four states:

• the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland;
• the Bailiwick of Jersey;
• the Bailiwick of Guernsey (including Alderney, Herm, and Sark); and
• the Isle of Man.

The latter three territories are Crown dependencies and are not a part of the United Kingdom. The Parliament of the United Kingdom on occasions introduces legislation that is extended to the islands, normally by the use of Orders in Council. For this reason it has been found useful to have a collective term for the combined territories. Dating back to 1889, the current formal definition can be found in the Interpretation Act 1978, an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom:

"British Islands" means the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

– Interpretation Act 1978, ^[1][2][3]

The term United Kingdom and Islands is used in the Immigration Act 1971.^[4]

British passports issued in the UK have the wording "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" on their cover. In the Crown dependencies, this is replaced by "British Islands – Bailiwick of Jersey", "British Islands – Bailiwick of Guernsey" or "British Islands – Isle of Man". These passports are issued to all British citizens resident in the jurisdiction in question.^[3][5]

See also

• Terminology of the British Isles
• British Isles naming dispute

References

External links

• Official text of the Interpretation Act 1978 as amended and in force today within the United Kingdom, from the UK Statute Law Database
• Interpretation Act, 1978 (unofficial text)