[HarHarVeryFunny]

[Great] Britain is an island

England is a country (part of Britain, together with Wales & Scotland)

The United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern Ireland], is an alliance of countries.

I'd hope that most citizens of the UK wouldn't regard these as interchangeable, and just because an Englishman waxes poetic about England doesn't mean he's unaware that it's part of the UK, etc.

[meiraleal]

> The United Kingdom [of Great Britain and Northern Ireland], is an alliance of countries.

No, it is not. The UK is ONE sovereign state/country, the rest are states/provinces/whatever, even tho some people living in this country might disagree and wish to separate themselves to become a full sovereign state.

[HarHarVeryFunny]

You're right, of course about the UK. It seems that maybe the most accurate (and/or historically appropriate) label for England, Wales, Scotland, and I suppose Northern Ireland, are "non-sovereign countries", or more sloppily I guess the UK and England can both be called countries ("a country within a country") with the distinction implied.