History of the British Isles coalition with the Northern Irish unionist party, the DUP in order to have a working majority in the House of Commons. History of the British Isles The British Isles have witnessed intermittent periods of competition and cooperation between the people that occupy the various parts of Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Ireland, the Bailiwick of Guernsey, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the smaller adjacent islands. Today, the British Isles contain two sovereign states: the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. There are also three Crown dependencies: Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man. The United Kingdom comprises England,
Terminology of the British Isles the English term "British Isles". Another translation is "Oileáin Bhreataineacha", which was used in the 1937 translation from English to Irish of a 1931 geography book. Earlier dictionaries give "Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa" as the translation, literally meaning "West European Isles". Today the most common term "Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór" is used, meaning literally as "Ireland and Great Britain", as provided by terminological dictionaries. "Blighty" is a slang word for Britain derived from the Hindustani word "bilāyatī" ("foreign"). Depending on the user, it is meant either affectionately or archly. It was often used by British soldiers abroad in the First