Great Britain
Also known as Gt. Brit, GB, Blighty, Albion, Britannia, GBR, mainland Britain, Britain
island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe
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Great Britain is a large island located in the North Atlantic Ocean just off the northwest coast of Europe. It is significant as a major landmass in this region and serves as the geographical foundation for several important nations and territories.
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- Satellite image of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in April 2002.jpg
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- Baron Munchausen
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Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland and Wales. With an area of 209,331 km (80,823 sq mi), it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island, and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is dominated by a maritime climate with narrow temperature differences between seasons. The island of Ireland, with an area 40 per cent that of Great Britain, is to the west. These islands, along with over 1,000 smaller surrounding islands and named substantial rocks, comprise the British Isles archipelago.
Connected to mainland Europe until 9,000 years ago by a land bridge now known as Doggerland, Great Britain has been inhabited by modern humans for around 30,000 years. In 2011, it had a population of about 61 million, making it the world's third-most-populous island after Honshu in Japan and Java in Indonesia, and the most populated island outside of Asia.