British Isles

The British Isles are a group of over 6,000 islands off the west coast of continental Europe. The two largest are Great Britain and Ireland. The northernmost island is Out Stack, a few kilometres north of Unst, Shetland. The southernmost islands are either the Isles of Scilly or the Channel Islands, depending on one's viewpoint.

The term "British Isles" is offensive to many people of Ireland and is generally avoided in official discussions with the United Kingdom.