British Middle Ages Resource Guide 73
Historical and Outline Maps
British Isles
The British Isles were known of by Greek navigators as far back as 220 B.C., but
they were not explored and settled by the Ancients until the Roman conquest in the first
century A.D. The original inhabitants were Celts, and Gaelic languages were still spoken
in parts of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales up until the 19th century. The Southern portion of
Great Britain, better known as England, was not inhabited by English-speaking settlers
until the 6th century.
Geography Terms
Islands:
Great Britain: Largest British Isle, composed of England, Scotland, and Wales.
Ireland: (Roman Hibernia) Large Island to the west of Great Britain.
Isle of Wright (Roman Vectis) Island off south England, near Portsmouth harbor.
Isle of Mann: Island between Scotland and North Ireland.
Isle of Anglesey: Island off the North coast of Wales.
Regions:
Scotland: Northern region of Great Britain, home to the Celtic Scots, Picts.
England: Southern region of Great Britain, home of the Anglo-Saxon English.
Wales: Western region of Great Britain; home of the Celtic Welsh.
Ireland: Western Island, a.k.a. Erin, Eire, Scotia, Hibernia,
Water Bodies:
English Channel, Strait of Dover, North Sea, Irish Sea
St. Georges Channel, The Wash, Bristol Channel
Maps:
British Isles—Outline Map
British Isles—Physical Map
Norman Conquest, 1070.
