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Geography | |
---|---|
Location | North-western Europe |
Adjacent to | Atlantic Ocean, North Sea |
Total islands | 6,000+ |
Highest elevation | 1,345 m (4413 ft) |
Highest point | Ben Nevis [ citation needed ] |
Administration | |
Capital and largest settlement | Saint Peter Port |
Area covered | 78 km2 (30 sq mi) |
Capital and largest settlement | Saint Helier |
Area covered | 118 km2 (46 sq mi) |
Capital and largest settlement | Douglas |
Area covered | 572 km2 (221 sq mi) |
Capital and largest city | London |
Area covered | 244,111 km2 (94,252 sq mi) |
Demographics | |
Languages | Auregnais, Cornish, English, French, Guernésiais, Irish, Jèrriais, Manx, Scots, Scottish Gaelic, Sercquiais, Shelta, Ulster-Scots, Welsh |
Additional information | |
Time zone | |
• Summer (DST) | |
Drives on the | left |
The British Islands [1] is a term within the law of the United Kingdom which refers collectively to the following four polities:
The Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Guernsey and Jersey are Crown Dependencies and are not a part of the United Kingdom. The Parliament of the United Kingdom on occasions introduces legislation that is extended to the islands, normally by the use of Orders in Council. For this reason it has been found useful to have a collective term for the combined territories. A statutory definition can be found in Schedule 1 of the Interpretation Act 1978. [3]
The term The United Kingdom and the Islands is used in the Immigration Act 1971. [4]
Section 5 of the Interpretation Act 1978 provides that "in any Act, unless the contrary intention appears" the expression "British Islands" is to be construed according to Schedule 1 of that Act, which contains the following paragraph:
"British Islands" means the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Subject to paragraph 4(2) of Schedule 2, that paragraph of Schedule 1 applies, so far as applicable, to Acts passed after the year 1889. [5]
Paragraph 4(2) provides:
The definition of "British Islands", in its application to Acts passed after the establishment of the Irish Free State but before the commencement of this Act, includes the Republic of Ireland.
The Irish Free State was established on 6 December 1922 and the Interpretation Act 1978 came into force on 1 January 1979.
The Interpretation Act 1978 applies to itself and to any act passed after the commencement of that act and, to the extent specified in part I of schedule 2, to acts passed before the commencement of that act. [6]
This definition of "British Islands" does not include the British Overseas Territories. [7]
The expression "British Islands" was formerly defined by section 18(1) of the Interpretation Act 1889. [8] This definition applied to the Interpretation Act 1889 itself, and to every act passed after the commencement of that act on 1 January 1890. [9]
Section 19 of the Lloyd's Signal Stations Act 1888 contained a definition of "British Islands". [10] The Lloyd's Signal Stations Act 1888 was repealed by the Lloyd's Act 1982.
Colonial statutes
Section 5(2) of the Interpretation Ordinance, 1891 of British Guiana contained a definition of "British Islands". [11]
Section 2 of the Interpretation Ordinance (c 2) (1953) of British Honduras contained a definition of "British Islands". [12]
Section 28(ii) of the Interpretation and Common Form Ordinance, 1903 of the Seychelles contained a definition of "British Islands". [13]
Section 13(3) [14] of the Foreign and Colonial Parcel Post Warrant 1897 (SR&O 1897/721) and section 6(2) [15] of the Foreign and Colonial Post (Insured Boxes) Warrant 1908 (SR&O 1908/1313) refer to "the law of the British Islands".
Section 62(16) [16] of the Inland Post Warrant 1936 (SR&O 1936/618) defined the expression "Inland" in terms of the British Islands.
The definition of "inland bill" in section 4(1) of the Bills of Exchange Act 1882 refers to the British Islands.
Section 26(1)(a) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 states: [17] [18] [19]
Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the defence of the British Islands.
The exclusive fishery limits of the British Islands were defined by section 28 of the Sea Fisheries Act 1883. This definition was repealed by Schedule 2 to the Fishery Limits Act 1964.
The fishery limits of the British Islands were defined by section 1(1) of the Fishery Limits Act 1964. This provision was repealed by the Fishery Limits Act 1976.
Francis Taylor Piggott said the effect of section 37 of the Fugitive Offenders Act 1881 was to make of the British Islands one coherent whole for the purposes of that Act. [20] That Act was repealed by Schedule 2 to the Fugitive Offenders Act 1967.
The expression "British Islands" has been included on the covers of passports of the Isle of Man, passports of Guernsey and passports of Jersey. [21]
The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, consisting of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm and some smaller islands. Historically, they are the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy. Although they are not part of the United Kingdom, the UK is responsible for the defence and international relations of the islands as it is for the other Crown Dependency, the Isle of Man, and the British Overseas Territories. The Crown Dependencies are neither members of the Commonwealth of Nations, nor part of the European Union. They have a total population of about 171,916, and the bailiwicks' capitals, Saint Helier and Saint Peter Port, have populations of 33,500 and 18,207 respectively.
The Crown Dependencies are three offshore island territories in the British Islands that are self-governing possessions of the British Crown: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey, both located in the English Channel and together known as the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.
The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that created a statutory definition of England as including England, Wales and Berwick-upon-Tweed.
The standard scale is a system in Commonwealth law whereby financial criminal penalties (fines) in legislation have maximum levels set against a standard scale. Then, when inflation makes it necessary to increase the levels of the fines the legislators need to modify only the scale rather than every individual piece of legislation.
In law, coming into force or entry into force is the process by which legislation, regulations, treaties and other legal instruments come to have legal force and effect. The term is closely related to the date of this transition. The point at which such instrument comes into effect may be set out in the instrument itself, or after the lapse of a certain period, or upon the happening of a certain event, such as a proclamation or an objective event, such as the birth, marriage, reaching a particular age or death of a certain person. On rare occasions, the effective date of a law may be backdated to a date before the enactment.
The law of Northern Ireland is the legal system of statute and common law operating in Northern Ireland since the partition of Ireland established Northern Ireland as a distinct jurisdiction in 1921. Prior to 1921, Northern Ireland was part of the same legal system as the rest of Ireland.
The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, thereby removing the public interest defence created by that section.
The Isle of Man is not part of the United Kingdom, but to a large extent its relations with other countries are handled by the United Kingdom.
The Interpretation Act 1978 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act makes provision for the interpretation of Acts of Parliament, Measures of the General Synod of the Church of England, Measures of the Church Assembly, subordinate legislation, "deeds and other instruments and documents", Acts of the Scottish Parliament and instruments made thereunder, and Measures and Acts of the National Assembly for Wales and instruments made thereunder. The Act makes provision in relation to: the construction of certain words and phrases, words of enactment, amendment or repeal of Acts in the Session they were passed, judicial notice, commencement, statutory powers and duties, the effect of repeals, and duplicated offences.
The Statute Law Revision Act 1948 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Interpretation Act 1889 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Genocide Act 1969 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gave effect to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1948.
The Statute Law Revision Act 1863 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes.
The Statute Law Revision Act 1887 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Statute Law Revision Act 1908 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It repealed the whole or part of acts, from the Consolidated Fund Act 1887 to the Appropriation Act 1900.
The Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1973 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which implemented recommendations contained in the fourth report on statute law revision, by the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission.
The Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1978 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
The Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Crown dependencies are independently administered jurisdictions which do not form part of either the United Kingdom or the British Overseas Territories. They are self-governing possessions of the Crown. Internationally, the dependencies are considered "territories for which the United Kingdom is responsible", rather than sovereign states.
A British possession is a country or territory other than the United Kingdom which has the British monarch as its head of state.