Well fuck me pink and call me Rosie. AIBU?

[TooBigForMyBoots]

Do you know that Belfast and NI are in the British Isles? Are you aware that some British people claim they do not know that NI is in the same timezone as the rest of the UK?

YABU = You can't expect British people to know the history and geography of their country.
YANBU = Of course British people know this stuff. Anyone who says otherwise is having you on.

Did you seriously believe Belfast and NI are in different time zones? What was your logic for thinking that?

Not just borders- can you personally name all the counties of the UK and point to them on a map?

Or people can mix all three - Northern Irish, British and Irish - which some do as per the census.

That's why the percentage figures are what I put above as well - "alone or in combination with other identities".

For me, it's very firmly Northern Irish and British, so being Catholic is not an automatic equation with Irish or what people might perceive your political views to be.

We're more complicated than many suppose! Northern Ireland is pretty nuanced in reality away from media headlines.

Do people in the UK learn this in school? Maybe that's why people in Ireland findbitbweird that people in the UK don't even know the countries that make up the UK when here in Ireland you learn every county in Ireland and where they are so it seems bizarre that people in the UK can't name 4 countries. What do kids learn in geography in primary school? Surely this would be up there is lesson 1 or 2?

It doesn’t matter whether you think ‘we’ should know. Some people don’t. Sneering at their harmless lack of knowledge won’t make any difference. If you’re really so fixated on it start a fun and educational YouTube channel like Meekah. Except instead of visiting farms and factories you can walk around different cities with a big clock singing ‘what time is it in Belfast? And what about in Lancaster? The same! The same! We all can share a clock!’

I have to admit, I changed my vote to YANBU.

geography is my worst ever subject, that's no excuse as I live in the UK.
I have dyspraxia, and I honestly never know where I am, even if it's a lane we've driven down a hundred times. I do need to learn all this, and im honestly trying. It's so embarrassing to still not be able to tell my left from right without using my hands and I'm 33 😣😣😣

Being entitled to a free education does not mean everyone has the same educational opportunities. I’m sure you know that.

Thank you! And I would like to reassure anyone who was concerned and shocked about my lack of general knowledge that I do know what time zones are, and that there are different ones. I just didn't know that NI is in the same time zone as England/Scotland/Wales.

If someone asked me, I would have said "I imagine so", but I've never had a reason to learn/find out. I've never been to NI and I don't know anyone who lives there. So I'd have guessed that it was the same, but I wouldn't have wanted to state it as a fact.

Why? Well, the island of Ireland is further west so it wouldn't be unreasonable for it to be -1. In fact, on the map, the majority of the island is actually in the -1 zone even though it is in GMT/BST time zone. So, it might've been that Ireland is 1 hour behind and NI is the same so as to be in step with the rest of the island. Many countries cross multiple time zones, even not huge ones.

Maybe in UK schools you get taught that all 4 nation states of the UK are in the same time zone. I wouldn't know, because I didn't go to school in the UK. I am French, I went to a French school in France, and I learned things like what the main exports are from the midi and which countries were mean to the French and when.

I don't think any of that makes me lacking in basic intelligence, but I'm prepared to accept I'm lacking basic general knowledge if that's the consensus (and it seems to be!).

Not really. Northern Ireland isn't an island itself as shown by the map I attached, but it IS on an island AND is part of British territory, so it counts.

After all, England, Scotland and Wales are not islands, but are included since they're on an island themselves.

It's not that ridiculous. British Islands is a legal definition of British territory. British Isles would have done, but it was felt better not to use that one as it would be unwisely politicising a strictly geographical term.

So, British Islands was the next best, really.

No, I never said I believed that, I said I didn't actually know it as a fact!

You shook my brain there, I'm a little shocked to think people didn't know this.
But not everyone knows everything.

England born, ROI heritage.

I was taught UK Geography but I went to an English prep school whereas my brother who wanted to go to the local state primary at 7 was not taught this information. However, my Dad has a Geography degree so no worries there. I was also taught strange things like idioms and proverbs and we'd have tests on them like Spelling tests. I'm early 40s so I don't know if this was a typical education.

She's talking about counties of the UK!

Not countries of the UK!

Most people will have a hard time naming all 97 counties of the UK.....97.

In contrast, its much easier to remember 26 counties of the Republic of Ireland and 6 counties of Northern Ireland......

That's a great idea (no, seriously!) someone should totally do that.
A fun, makes you want to learn and easy to follow geography and history for beginners!
If it doesn't exist already it needs to 😁

Firstly, it is not "my" country. It's where I live (there are quite a lot of non-UK citizens in the UK, still, and they've been here for varying amounts of time). Secondly, I don't know where I said that I didn't know the UK's country's geographical borders or monetary currency?

I meant counties - as in all the counties that make up the UK, not countries

I’ll get on the phone to Meekah 😂 she owes me, my DS has basically kept her in business to the point I can sing her theme song in my sleep. Then op can jump on here in a few months to sneer ‘why does anyone need Meekah to go round telling people what time it is all across the world? Don’t people know the time zones of everywhere in the world even if they’ve never been?’

Except it IS a TAAT and an advanced search will show that.

you still haven’t answered who thinks this?

Have never actually heard of Meekah, so this is where I now have to run off to go Google ...... 😁

Well yes she is but I am talking about countries, something that lots of people don't know and that there are only 4 of. If they can teach primary school kids here the counties in Ireland and NI(and lots learn them in 2 different languages) and where they are you would think it would be possible to teach UK kids that there are 4 countries and what they are called and where they are. Something which a fair few people in the UK seem to have no knowledge of.

I really cannot stand this self deprecating “aren’t British people stupid, let’s take the piss out of them^. I’m in a minority as I’m not embarrassed nor mortified to be British and I don’t think one random poster not knowing something means “so many people are ignorant”. There’s a sweet irony on the OP’s post really

It is my country @Jourdain11. I do not expect anyone in any other country to know UK geographical facts.

I do expect that UK women know their country. And I'm glad that most Mnetters agree with me.

I thought you did and all!

No-one is gonna be able to name all 97 counties in the UK. Not even British people. Obviously, I'll get all 6 NI ones, most of Scotland and large chunks of England, especially the south west and parts of the north east.

But Wales I'm least familiar with. But I do know whereabouts in Wales Pembrokeshire is! Many will assume it's an English county at first too.

A lot of people don’t know a lot about many things. My sons friend was in London recently, he rang his mother to ask what the time difference was between London and Newcastle.

I can name most of the counties and point on the map to most of them (if you're down South, I can name you but not always place you - am.working on it 😁 )
Only recently started on the counties in Ireland so am a bit more woolly there