Europe British Isles 2010-05-16T10:11:46Z A group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and over six thousand smaller islands. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The British Isles also include two dependencies of the United Kingdom: the Isle of Man and, by tradition, the Channel Islands, although the latter are not physically a part of the island group. GAZ GAZ:00281547 michaelashburner