And so you've heard: Britain has voted to leave the European Union.

This was after voters voted in favor of Brexit — otherwise known as the British exit from the 28-member European Union.

More than 17 million people voted in the referendum on June 23, 2016, to sever ties with the European Union and about 15.9 million voted to remain.

But here's the thing: Is Britain a country? Many everyday people are confused about the difference between the United Kingdom, Great Britain and England — let alone trying to wrap their heads around the consequences of Brexit.

Because what is Britain? Is it England? Who are the British?

So, to help you out, here is the most succinct explanation to untangle this mess.

The short explanation:

The United Kingdom is made out of four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The people in these four countries can be referred to as British citizens, as the four constituent countries don't have their own passports.

Britain is, therefore, a geographical, rather than a political term.

Within the United Kingdom, the term "Great Britain" is often used to refer to England, Scotland and Wales alone — with the intentional exclusion of Northern Ireland.

Like Great Britain, Ireland is not a country. It is a geographical, not political, term.

However, when people say they are "Irish", they're referring to the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate country from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

Was that helpful? No? So, for a fuller explanation, check out his 2011 explainer video by CGP Grey:

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This is what the video said:

United Kingdom? England? Great Britain? Are these three the same place? Are they different places?

[...]

The area shown in purple is the United Kingdom. Part of the confusion is that the United Kingdom is not a single country, but is, instead, a country of countries.

It contains inside of it four, co-equal and sovereign nations.

The first of these is England, shown here in red. England is often confused with the United Kingdom as a whole, because it's the largest and most populous of the nations, and contains the de facto capital city, London.

To the north is Scotland, shown in blue, and to the west is Wales, shown in white.

And often forgotten even by those who live in the United Kingdom, is Northern Ireland, shown in orange.

Each country has a local term for the population. While you can call them all "British", it's not recommended as the four countries generally don't like each other.

The Northern Irish, Scottish and Welsh regard the English as slave-driving, colonial masters, no matter that all three have their own devolved parliaments and are allowed to vote on English laws, despite the reverse not being true.

And the English generally regard the rest as rural, yokels who spend too much time with their sheep.

However, as the four constituent countries don't have their own passports, they're all British citizens, like it or not.

They are British citizens of the United Kingdom, whose full name, by the way, is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

So, where is Great Britain hiding?

Right here, the area covered in black is Great Britain.

Unlike England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Great Britain is a geographical rather than a political term.

Great Britain is the largest island among the British Isles.

Within the United Kingdom, the term "Great Britain" is often used to refer to England, Scotland and Wales alone -- with the intentional exclusion of Northern Ireland.

This is mostly, but not completely true, as all three constituent countries have islands that are not part of Great Britain, such as the Isle of Wight (part of England), the Welsh Isle of Anglesey, the Scottish Hebrides, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, and the Islands of the Clyde.

The second biggest island on the British Isles is Ireland.

It is worth noting at this point that Ireland is not a country. Like Great Britain, it is a geographical, not political, term.

The Island of Ireland contains, on it, two countries: Northern Ireland, which we have already discussed, and the Republic of Ireland.

When people say they are "Irish", they're referring to the Republic of Ireland, which is a separate country from the United Kingdom.

However, both the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom are members of the European Union, even though England, in particular, likes to pretend it's an island in the mid-Atlantic, rather than 50 kilometres off the coast of France.

[...]

The two largest islands in the British Isles are Ireland and Great Britain.

Ireland has, on it, two countries — the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, while Great Britain, mostly contains three: England, Scotland and Wales.

These last three, when combined with Northern Ireland, form the United Kingdom.

Get it now? Britain is not a country. It is made up of four nations.

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All photos & video via CGP Grey YouTube

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