How large is the island of Britain?

5 comments

1. Maybe the smaller number is just the mainland and all the countries are adding in islands

2. Northern Ireland perhaps? Scottish Islands? Isle of Wight? That island off nw Wales whose name I forget?

   The UK is not just the island of great Britain.

3. There is a mathematical paradox to do with coastlines that means it’s impossible to measure them definitively. Depending on your resolution, you may get wildly different numbers. Google “The coastline paradox”.

   “It is possible, for example, to accurately measure the length of a straight, idealized metal bar by using a measurement device to determine that the length is less than a certain amount and greater than another amount—that is, to measure it within a certain degree of uncertainty. The more accurate the measurement device, the closer results will be to the true length of the edge. When measuring a coastline, however, the closer measurement does not result in an increase in accuracy—the measurement only increases in length; unlike with the metal bar, there is no way to obtain a maximum value for the length of the coastline.”

   Coastlines are effectively fractal.

   “If the coastline of Great Britain is measured using units 100 km (62 mi) long, then the length of the coastline is approximately 2,800 km (1,700 mi). With 50 km (31 mi) units, the total length is approximately 3,400 km (2,100 mi), approximately 600 km (370 mi) longer.”

4. Tides? The country is a bit bigger when the tide goes out.

5. We don’t ask about the missing area. MI5 will be on to you now