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A constituent country is a country that is part of a larger entity (such as a sovereign state).
Use by International bodies
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is an example of a body that has used the phrase constituent countries, notably in reference to:
European institutions such as the Council of Europe sometimes use the expression in reference to the sovereign member states of the European Union.[2]
United Kingdom
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The countries which together constitute the United Kingdom are:[3]
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are not part of the United Kingdom and are not represented in the United Kingdom Parliament as they are direct dependencies of the British Crown.
Background
The word country does not necessarily connote political independence, so it may, according to context, be used to refer both to the United Kingdom and to England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Thus, for example, the British Prime Minister's website refers to "countries within a country", stating "The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its full name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."[4] This article discusses the use of the phrase 'constituent countries' within that context, but it should be remembered that the phrase necessarily takes its meaning from its surrounding context which may be different.[5]
Although the term 'constituent countries' is sometimes used by official government bodies in the UK, more frequently, they are simply referred to as countries; thus the 2001 British Census asked residents of the UK their "country of birth" with tick box options of: Wales; Scotland; Northern Ireland; England; Republic of Ireland and Elsewhere;[6] and the Office for National Statistics states authoritatively in its glossary that "In the context of the UK, each of the four main subdivisions (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) is referred to as a country".[7]
The British Embassy in the United States uses the word 'countries' on its website, rather than constituent countries: "The United Kingdom is made up of the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland."[8]
Historically, Ireland (between 1801 and 1921) and subsequently for a brief period, Southern Ireland (between 1921 and 1922) were what could be regarded today as constituent countries. However, use of the phrase constituent country is a relatively recent evolution and was not applied to those territories. Use of the term constituent country is sometimes regarded as inappropriate when applied to Northern Ireland because some do not regard it as a country. Instead, some regard it as a province of the UK while others regard it as part of the Province of Ulster in Ireland.
Alternative terms
The phrase 'component countries' was used by an MP in a written question, but the answer given referred to 'countries' rather than 'component countries'.[9] The overlapping, but not identical, term Home Nations is also occasionally used by government bodies, but is almost exclusively used in sporting contexts, particularly rugby union; this term more frequently means England, Scotland, Ireland (as a whole), and Wales.
Sometimes the four countries are described as 'constituent parts'.[10][11]
Citizenship
All citizens, from whichever country of the United Kingdom, are entitled to citizenship of the United Kingdom and citizenship of the European Union. People in Northern Ireland are also entitled to, and often do, hold Irish citizenship instead of, or in addition to, UK citizenship.
References
See also
For the United Kingdom's constituent countries:
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