United Kingdom / Great Britain in other languages: flag, four parts
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the state coded GB, GBR and 826; Great Britain is the island of England, Scotland and Wales. The two names are listed here side by side in 84 languages, followed by London, England and Scotland and the four parts with their ISO 3166-2 codes.
Official languagesEnglish (national language); Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Irish recognised as regional or minority languages
Checked
- alpha-2
- GB
- alpha-3
- GBR
- numeric
- 826
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- English
- United KingdomUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Capital
- LondonLondon
ISO 3166-1, checked 28 October 2026
United Kingdom and Great Britain in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639-2 | United Kingdom | Great Britain | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | eng | United Kingdom | Great Britain | same as written |
| Galician, Spanish | glg / spa | Reino Unido | Gran Bretaña | same as written |
| Afrikaans | afr | Verenigde Koninkryk | Groot-Brittanje | same as written |
| Azerbaijani | aze | Birləşmiş Krallıq | Böyük Britaniya | same as written |
| Breton | bre | Rouantelezh-Unanet | Breizh-Veur | same as written |
| Catalan | cat | Regne Unit | Gran Bretanya | same as written |
| Czech | ces | Spojené království | Velká Británie | same as written |
| Cornish | cor | Rywvaneth Unys | Breten Veur | same as written |
| Corsican | cos | Regnu Unitu | Granbrittagna | same as written |
| Welsh | cym | Deyrnas Unedig | Prydain Fawr | same as written |
| Danish | dan | Forenede Kongerige | Storbritannien | same as written |
| German | deu | Vereinigtes Königreich | Großbritannien | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Unuiĝinta Reĝlando | (Grand-)Britujo | same as written |
| Estonian | est | Ühendkuningriik | Suurbritannia | same as written |
| Basque | eus | Erresuma Batua | Bretainia Handiko | same as written |
| Faroese | fao | Sameinda Kongsdømi | Stóra Bretland | same as written |
| Finnish | fin | Yhdistynyt Kuningaskunta | Iso-Britannia | same as written |
| French | fra | Royaume-Uni | Grande-Bretagne | same as written |
| West Frisian | fry | Grut-Brittanje | same as written | |
| Scottish Gaelic | gla | an Rìoghachd Aonaichte | Breatann | same as written |
| Irish | gle | an Ríocht Aontaithe | an Breatain Mhóir | same as written |
| Hawaiian | haw | Pelekania | same as written | |
| Croatian | hrv | Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo | Velika Britanija | same as written |
| Hungarian | hun | Egyesült Királyság | Nagy-Britannia | same as written |
| Indonesian | ind | Inggris Raya | same as written | |
| Icelandic | isl | Sameinaða Konungsríki | Stóra-Bretland | same as written |
| Italian | ita | Regno Unito | Gran Bretagna | same as written |
| Kurdish | kur | Mîrnişîna Yekbûyî | Brîtanya Mezin | same as written |
| Latin | lat | Regnum Unitum | Magna Britannia, Britanniae regnum | same as written |
| Latvian | lav | Apvienotā Karaliste | Lielbritānija | same as written |
| Lithuanian | lit | Jungtinė Karalystė | Didžioji Britanija | same as written |
| Luxembourgish | ltz | Groussbritannien | same as written | |
| Maltese | mlt | Renju Unit | Gran Brettanja | same as written |
| Maori | mri | Piritene | same as written | |
| Malay | msa | Britain | same as written | |
| Dutch | nld | Verenigd Koninkrijk | Groot-Brittannië | same as written |
| Norwegian | nor | Sameinte Kongeriket | Storbritannia | same as written |
| Polish | pol | Zjednoczone Królestwo | Wielka Brytania | same as written |
| Portuguese | por | Reino Unido | Grã-Bretanha | same as written |
| Romansh | roh | Reginavel unì | Gronda Bretagna | same as written |
| Romanian | ron | Regatul Unit | Marea Britanie | same as written |
| Slovak | slk | Spojené kráľovstvo | Veľká Británia | same as written |
| Slovenian | slv | Združeno kraljestvo | Velika Britanija | same as written |
| Sami | smi | Stuorra Británnia | same as written | |
| Samoan | smo | Peretania Tele | same as written | |
| Albanian | sqi | Mbretëria e Bashkuar | Britania e Madhe | same as written |
| Sardinian | srd | Rennu-Uniu | same as written | |
| Swedish | swe | Förenade Konungariket | Storbritannien | same as written |
| Tahitian | tah | Peretane | same as written | |
| Tagalog | tgl | Dakilang Britanya | same as written | |
| Tokelauan | tkl | Peletania | same as written | |
| Tongan | ton | Pilitania | same as written | |
| Turkmen | tuk | Beýik Britaniýa | same as written | |
| Turkish | tur | Birleşik Krallığı | Büyük Britanya | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Buyuk Britaniya | same as written | |
| Vietnamese | vie | Liên hiệp Vương quốc | same as written | |
| Bashkir | bak | Бойок Британия | Bojok Britanija | |
| Belarusian | bel | Злучаны Каралеўства | Вялікабрытанія | Zlučany Karaleŭstva · Vjalikabrytanija |
| Bulgarian | bul | Обединеното Кралство | Великобритания | Obedinenoto Kralstvo · Velikobritanija |
| Kazakh | kaz | Ұлыбритания | Ūlybritanija | |
| Kyrgyz | kir | Улуу Британия | Uluu Britanija | |
| Macedonian | mkd | Обединетото Кралство | Велика Британија | Obedinetoto Kralstvo · Velika Britanija |
| Mongolian | mon | Их Британи | Iẖ Britani | |
| Russian | rus | Объединённое Королевство | Великобритания | Obʿedinjonnoje Korolevstvo · Velikobritanija |
| Serbian | srp | Уједињено Краљевство | Велика Британија | Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo · Velika Britanija |
| Tajik | tgk | Британияи Кабир | Britanijai Kabir | |
| Ukrainian | ukr | Сполучене Королівство | Великобританія | Spolučene Korolivstvo · Velykobrytanija |
| Arabic | ara | المملكة المتحدة | البريطانيا العظمى | al-Mamlaka al-Muttaḥida · al-Birīṭāniyā al-ʿAẓamā |
| Dari | dar | بریتانیا | Barītāniyā | |
| Persian | fas | بریطانیای کبیر | Berīṭāniyā-ye Kabīr | |
| Urdu | urd | برطانیہ, بریٹن | Barṭāniya, Barīṫan | |
| Amharic | amh | ታላቋ ብሪታንያ | Tāllāqwā Britānyā | |
| Hebrew | heb | הממלכה המאוחדת | בריטניה הגדולה | ha-Mamlaka ha-Ma'ūḫdat · Brīṭania ha-Gedōla |
| Yiddish | yid | גרױסבריטאַניע | Groysbritanye | |
| Greek | ell | Ηνωμένο Βασίλειο | Μεγάλη Βρετανία | Ēnōméno Vasíleio · Megálē Vretanía |
| Armenian | hye | Մեծ Բրիտանիա | Mec Britania | |
| Georgian | kat | დიდი ბრიტანეთი | Didi Britaneṭi | |
| Hindi | hin | युनाइटेड किंडम | ब्रिटन | Yunāiṭeḍ Kĩḍam · Briṭan |
| Tamil | tam | பிரிடிஷ் கூட்டரசு | பிரிட்டன் | Piriṭiṣ Kūṭṭaraču · Piriṭṭaṉ |
| Chinese | zho | 聯合王国 | Lianhe Wangguo | |
| Japanese | jpn | 連合王国 | ||
| Korean | kor | 연합왕국 | Yeonhabwangguk | |
| Burmese | mya | ဘုရင့်နိုင်ငံပြည်ထောင်စု | Bʰúẏĩnaĩṅã Pẏitʰoũsú | |
| Thai | tha | สหราชอาณาจักร | Shrāch Ānāchakra |
An empty cell means no form is recorded for that name. Where both names are in a non-Latin script, the romanisation of the United Kingdom form comes first, separated by a dot from the Great Britain form.
Is the United Kingdom the same as Great Britain?
No. Great Britain is the island and, in political use, England, Scotland and Wales taken together. The United Kingdom is Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. The Acts of Union 1707 joined the kingdoms of England and Scotland "into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain"; the Acts of Union 1800 added Ireland, and after the Irish Free State left in 1922 the state took its present name in 1927.
Most languages in the table keep the two names apart, and they build them in two different ways. The United Kingdom is usually translated word for word: Vereinigtes Königreich, Royaume-Uni, Zjednoczone Królestwo, المملكة المتحدة (al-Mamlaka al-Muttaḥida). Great Britain keeps the Latin Britannia and adds a local word for great: Großbritannien, Wielka Brytania, Μεγάλη Βρετανία, Persian بریطانیای کبیر with kabīr.
Several languages fold the adjective into one word. Danish and Swedish write Storbritannien, Estonian Suurbritannia, Russian and Bulgarian Великобритания. For Hawaiian Pelekania, Tongan Pilitania and several others only the Great Britain form is recorded, and the empty cells in the first column mark them.
Inside the islands the Celtic languages have names of their own. Welsh calls the state Deyrnas Unedig and Great Britain Prydain Fawr; Scottish Gaelic says an Rìoghachd Aonaichte and Breatann, Irish an Ríocht Aontaithe and an Breatain Mhóir.
London in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639-2 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, German | eng / deu | London | same as written |
| Catalan, French, Portuguese, Spanish | cat / fra / por / spa | Londres | same as written |
| Italian, Maltese, Romansh, Turkish | ita / mlt / roh / tur | Londra | same as written |
| Czech, Slovak | ces / slk | Londýn | same as written |
| Welsh | cym | Llundain | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Londono | same as written |
| Finnish | fin | Lontoo | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Londain | same as written |
| Icelandic | isl | Lundúnir | same as written |
| Latvian | lav | Londona | same as written |
| Lithuanian | lit | Londonas | same as written |
| Dutch | nld | Londen | same as written |
| Polish | pol | Londyn | same as written |
| Russian, Ukrainian | rus / ukr | Лондон | London |
| Belarusian | bel | Лондан | Londan |
| Arabic, Urdu | ara / urd | لندن | Landan |
| Sindhi | snd | لنڊن | Lanḋan |
| Greek | ell | Λονδίνο | Londíno |
| Chinese | zho | 倫敦 | Lundun |
| Japanese | jpn | ロンドン | Rondon |
| Korean | kor | 런던 | Leondeon |
| Burmese | mya | လန်ဒန် | Lãdã |
| Thai | tha | ลอนดอน |
England in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639-2 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English, German | eng / deu | England | same as written |
| Hungarian, Polish | hun / pol | Anglia | same as written |
| Kinyarwanda, Rundi | kin / run | Ubwongereza | same as written |
| Portuguese, Spanish | por / spa | Inglaterra | same as written |
| Azerbaijani | aze | Ingiltərə | same as written |
| Bislama | bis | Inglan | same as written |
| Breton | bre | Bro-Saoz | same as written |
| Catalan | cat | Anglaterra | same as written |
| Czech | ces | Anglie | same as written |
| Welsh | cym | Lloegr | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Anglujo | same as written |
| Estonian | est | Inglismaa | same as written |
| Faroese | fao | Ongland | same as written |
| Finnish | fin | Englanti | same as written |
| French | fra | Angleterre | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Sasana | same as written |
| Croatian | hrv | Engelska | same as written |
| Indonesian | ind | Inggris | same as written |
| Italian | ita | Inghilterra | same as written |
| Lithuanian | lit | Anglija | same as written |
| Maltese | mlt | Ingilterra | same as written |
| Dutch | nld | Engeland | same as written |
| Slovak | slk | Anglicko | same as written |
| Swahili | swa | Uingereza | same as written |
| Turkish | tur | İngiltere | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Angliya | same as written |
| Vietnamese | vie | Anh | same as written |
| Zulu | zul | iNgilandi | same as written |
| Bulgarian, Karakalpak, Kyrgyz, Komi, Russian | bul / kaa / kir / kom / rus | Англия | Anglija |
| Belarusian, Ukrainian | bel / ukr | Англія | Anhlija |
| Chechen | che | Англи, Ингалспачхьалкх | Angli, Ingalspačḥalq |
| Chuvash | chv | Англи | Angli |
| Kabardian | kbd | Инджлыз, Англие | Indžləz, Anglie |
| Ossetian | oss | Англис | Anglis |
| Serbian | srp | Енгелска | Engelska |
| Tajik | tgk | Ангилтира, Англия | Angiltira, Anglija |
| Arabic | ara | انكلتيرا, انجلتيرا | Inkiltīrā, Inǧiltīrā |
| Persian | fas | انگلستان | Englestān |
| Sindhi | snd | انگلنڊ | Inglanḋ |
| Uyghur | uig | ئهنگلىيه | Ängliyä |
| Urdu | urd | انگلینڈ, انگلستان | Ingleinḋ, Inglistān |
| Dhivehi | div | އިންގިރޭސިވިލާތް | Ingirēsivilāth |
| Amharic | amh | እንግሊዝ | Əngliz |
| Greek | ell | Αγγλία | Agglía |
| Hindi | hin | इंगलैंड | Ĩglaĩnḍ |
| Chinese | zho | 英国 | Yingguo |
| Japanese | jpn | 英国 | Eikoku |
| Korean | kor | 영국 | Yeongguk |
| Burmese | mya | အင်ဂလန် | Ĩgálã |
| Thai | tha | ประเทศอังกฤษ |
Scotland in other languages
| Languages | ISO 639-2 | Name | Romanised |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | eng | Scotland | same as written |
| Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Norwegian | dan / fao / isl / nor | Skotland | same as written |
| Breton | bre | Bro-Skoss | same as written |
| Czech | ces | Skotsko | same as written |
| Welsh | cym | yr Alban | same as written |
| German | deu | Schottland | same as written |
| Esperanto | epo | Skotlando | same as written |
| Finnish | fin | Skotlanti | same as written |
| French | fra | Écosse | same as written |
| Scottish Gaelic | gla | Alba | same as written |
| Irish | gle | Alba, Albain | same as written |
| Hungarian | hun | Skócia | same as written |
| Italian | ita | Scozia | same as written |
| Maltese | mlt | Skozja | same as written |
| Dutch | nld | Schotland | same as written |
| Polish | pol | Szkocja | same as written |
| Portuguese | por | Escócia | same as written |
| Slovak | slk | Škótsko | same as written |
| Slovenian | slv | Škotska | same as written |
| Spanish | spa | Escocia | same as written |
| Swedish | swe | Skottland | same as written |
| Turkish | tur | İskoçya | same as written |
| Uzbek | uzb | Shotlandiya | same as written |
| Bulgarian, Russian, Tajik | bul / rus / tgk | Шотландия | Šotlandija |
| Belarusian | bel | Шатландыя | Šatlandyja |
| Ukrainian | ukr | Шотландія | Šotlandija |
| Arabic | ara | اسكتلندا, اسكوتلندا, سكوتلندا, اسكوتلندة | Iskutlandā, Iskūtlandā, Sikūtlandā, Iskūtlanda |
| Greek | ell | Σκοτία | Skotía |
| Chinese | zho | 蘇格蘭 | Sugelan |
| Japanese | jpn | スコットランド | Sukŏtorando |
| Korean | kor | 스코틀랜드 | Seukoteullandeu |
| Thai | tha | ประเทศสก๊อตแลนด์ |
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland with ISO 3166-2 codes
ISO 3166-2:GB counts three countries and one province at the first level. Below them it lists the councils of each part: two-tier counties, metropolitan districts, unitary authorities and London boroughs in England, 32 council areas in Scotland, 22 unitary authorities in Wales and 11 districts in Northern Ireland.
| ISO 3166-2 | Name in ISO 3166-2 | English | Administrative centre | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries and province4 | ||||
| GB-ENG | England | England | LondonLondon | 2021 Listed with the category country and set as parent of its councils |
| GB-NIR | Northern Ireland | Northern Ireland | BelfastBelfast | 2015 Its 26 district council areas replaced by 11 districts |
| GB-SCT | Scotland | Scotland | EdinburghEdinburgh | 2021 Listed with the category country and set as parent of its council areas |
| GB-WLS | Wales [Cymru GB-CYM] | Wales | CardiffCardiff | 2011 Described as a country instead of a principality |
Codes and names: ISO 3166-2:GB as published on the ISO Online Browsing Platform, read from the Wikipedia table that reproduces it with its change history, checked 28 October 2026. That table notes that the English second level still shows the councils in place before 1 April 2023, when Cumbria was split into Cumberland and Westmorland and Furness and North Yorkshire and Somerset became unitary authorities.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Crown dependencies in their own languages
| Territory | Language | Name | Capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | Scottish Gaelic | Alba | Dùn Èideann (Edinburgh) |
| Wales | Welsh | Cymru | Caerdydd (Cardiff) |
| Northern Ireland | Irish | Tuaisceart Éireann | Béal Feirste (Belfast) |
| Guernsey (Crown dependency, ISO 3166-1 GG) | Guernésiais | Dgèrnésy | Saint Pièrre Port (Saint Peter Port) |
| Isle of Man (Crown dependency, ISO 3166-1 IM) | Manx | Ellan Vannin | Doolish (Douglas) |
| Jersey (Crown dependency, ISO 3166-1 JE) | Jèrriais | Jèrri | Saint Hélyi (Saint Helier) |
Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are Crown dependencies, not parts of the United Kingdom. ISO removed them from ISO 3166-2:GB in Newsletter I-8 of 17 April 2007; each has its own ISO 3166-1 code.
The 22 principal areas of Wales in English and Welsh
| English | Welsh | ISO 3166-2 | Welsh code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blaenau Gwent | same in Welsh | GB-BGW | |
| Bridgend | Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | GB-BGE | GB-POG |
| Caerphilly | Caerffili | GB-CAY | GB-CAF |
| Cardiff | Caerdydd | GB-CRF | GB-CRD |
| Carmarthenshire | Sir Gaerfyrddin | GB-CMN | GB-GFY |
| Ceredigion | Sir Ceredigion | GB-CGN | |
| Conwy | same in Welsh | GB-CWY | |
| Denbighshire | Sir Ddinbych | GB-DEN | GB-DDB |
| Flintshire | Sir y Fflint | GB-FLN | GB-FFL |
| Gwynedd | same in Welsh | GB-GWN | |
| Isle of Anglesey | Sir Ynys Môn | GB-AGY | GB-YNM |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Merthyr Tudful | GB-MTY | GB-MTU |
| Monmouthshire | Sir Fynwy | GB-MON | GB-FYN |
| Neath Port Talbot | Castell-nedd Port Talbot | GB-NTL | GB-CTL |
| Newport | Casnewydd | GB-NWP | GB-CNW |
| Pembrokeshire | Sir Benfro | GB-PEM | GB-BNF |
| Powys | same in Welsh | GB-POW | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | Rhondda Cynon Taf | GB-RCT | |
| Swansea | Abertawe | GB-SWA | GB-ATA |
| Torfaen | Tor-faen | GB-TOF | |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Bro Morgannwg | GB-VGL | GB-BMG |
| Wrexham | Wrecsam | GB-WRX | GB-WRC |
ISO 3166-2 gives one code per unit; the Welsh code elements come from the British Standard BS 6879 and stand in the ISO list for information only. Ceredigion, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Torfaen have Welsh forms but no second code.
Four parts, several languages and one flag
English is the national language, and the Council of Europe charter for regional or minority languages covers six more: Scots, Ulster Scots, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Irish. Welsh is the one that reaches the ISO list. BS 6879, the British standard behind the codes, gives Welsh name forms for many Welsh unitary authorities, so Cardiff appears with Caerdydd and the extra code GB-CRD, Swansea with Abertawe and GB-ATA.
The present councils of Wales date from 1 April 1996, when 22 unitary authorities replaced eight counties and 37 districts. Northern Ireland changed in 2015: its 26 district councils, in place since 1973, were merged into 11, and ISO followed on 27 November 2015 by deleting the old codes and adding the new districts such as Mid and East Antrim and Newry, Mourne and Down.
The Union Flag is drawn here in the proportion 1:2. A red cross edged in white lies over a white saltire and a narrower red saltire, all on a dark blue field; the red saltire is set off-centre, so the flag has a right way up.
Questions about the United Kingdom and Great Britain
Is the United Kingdom Great Britain?
Not exactly. Great Britain is England, Scotland and Wales; the United Kingdom adds Northern Ireland. The full name, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, has been in use since 1927.
What are the ISO codes of the United Kingdom?
GB (alpha-2), GBR (alpha-3) and 826 (numeric) in ISO 3166-1. The four parts are GB-ENG, GB-SCT, GB-WLS and GB-NIR in ISO 3166-2.
Why is the country code GB and not UK?
ISO assigned GB, after Great Britain. UK is exceptionally reserved for the United Kingdom at its own request; it serves as the .uk internet domain and replaced GB on vehicle plates on 28 September 2021.
What is Wales called in Welsh?
Cymru. ISO 3166-2 prints it next to Wales with the alternative code GB-CYM, for information only.
Are the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey part of the United Kingdom?
No. They are Crown dependencies with their own ISO 3166-1 codes, IM, JE and GG, and ISO took them out of the British subdivision list in 2007.