To the west and off the European Continent (欧洲大陆), there are several thousands of islands on the Continent shelf. They are generally called Great Britain. For the convenience’s sake, it is often shortened to Britain. Still to the west of Great Britain is the second largest island known as Ireland. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) is made up of Great Britain, Northern Ireland, and a number of smaller islands around them. The total area of the country is some 240 000 square kilometers with a population of about 56 million.