Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ======Great Britain====== =====Location Information===== * **Type:** Island, Country (in the [[Muggle]] world), Magical Territory * **Location:** An island in the North Atlantic Ocean, located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. * **Owner/Residents:** Home to a significant wizarding population co-existing secretly alongside the non-magical population. The wizarding community is governed by the [[Ministry of Magic]]. Notable residents include [[Harry Potter]], [[Albus Dumbledore]], [[Lord Voldemort]], the [[Weasley family]], and [[Hermione Granger]]. The non-magical population ([[Muggles]]) is governed by the [[Muggle Prime Minister]] and their government. * **Key Features:** Features a dual society hidden by the [[International Statute of Secrecy]]. It is the location of preeminent magical institutions such as [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] and the [[Ministry of Magic]]. Its geography includes exclusively magical settlements like [[Hogsmeade]] and hidden magical districts like [[Diagon Alley]]. =====Description and History===== Great Britain is the primary setting for the entire //Harry Potter// saga. The island, which in the non-magical world comprises England, Scotland, and Wales, serves as the home and main theatre of operations for most characters in the series. The British wizarding community is a well-established, albeit clandestine, society that is deeply integrated into the island's geography, with magical locations often hidden in plain sight from [[Muggles]]. The history of magical Great Britain predates the [[International Statute of Secrecy]]. Around 993 A.D., the four greatest wizards of the age, [[Godric Gryffindor]], [[Helga Hufflepuff]], [[Rowena Ravenclaw]], and [[Salazar Slytherin]], founded [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]] in the Scottish Highlands to educate the country's magical youth. For centuries, witches and wizards lived more openly, though not always peacefully, alongside their [[Muggle]] counterparts. The implementation of the [[International Statute of Secrecy]] in 1692 marked a pivotal moment, forcing the wizarding community into hiding and establishing the modern framework of magical governance under the [[Ministry of Magic]]. The Ministry, located deep beneath [[London]], became responsible for upholding this secrecy and managing all aspects of wizarding life. In the late 20th century, Great Britain was the primary battlefield for two devastating conflicts: the [[First Wizarding War]] and the [[Second Wizarding War]], both instigated by the dark wizard [[Lord Voldemort]] and his followers, the [[Death Eaters]], who sought to overthrow the [[Ministry of Magic]] and establish pure-blood supremacy. =====Role in the Story===== Great Britain is the narrative and geographical heart of the series. It is the homeland of the protagonist, [[Harry Potter]], and the antagonist, [[Lord Voldemort]], making their conflict deeply rooted in the nation's magical history and locations. The story's key institutions are all British. [[Hogwarts]] is the central location for the first six books, serving as the site of [[Harry]]'s education and his initial confrontations with [[Voldemort]]'s power. The [[Ministry of Magic]] in [[London]] represents the political dimension of the wizarding world, whose corruption and eventual fall are central to the plot of the later books. Nearly every significant event in the series occurs within Great Britain's borders, from the discovery of the [[Philosopher's Stone]] at [[Hogwarts]] to the hunt for [[Horcruxes]] across the country, and culminating in the final [[Battle of Hogwarts]]. The dynamic between the magical and [[Muggle]] governments is explored through the relationship between the [[Minister for Magic]] and the [[Muggle Prime Minister]], highlighting the constant, fragile secrecy that defines the wizarding world. =====Known Areas Within===== Great Britain contains numerous significant magical locations, spread across England, Scotland, and Wales. * **Scotland:** * [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]: Located in the remote Scottish Highlands. * [[Hogsmeade]]: The only all-wizarding village in Great Britain, situated near [[Hogwarts]]. * The campsite for the 1994 [[Quidditch World Cup]] was located on a moor, presumably in Scotland. * **England:** * **London:** * [[Ministry of Magic]]: The headquarters of the British wizarding government, located underground. * [[Diagon Alley]]: A hidden, cobbled street of magical shops accessible through the [[Leaky Cauldron]]. * [[Knockturn Alley]]: A dark and dangerous alley devoted to the [[Dark Arts]], adjoining [[Diagon Alley]]. * [[King's Cross Station]]: The location of [[Platform Nine and Three-Quarters]], the entrance to the [[Hogwarts Express]]. * [[St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries]]: The primary hospital for wizards in Great Britain. * [[Number 12, Grimmauld Place]]: The ancestral home of the [[Black family]] and headquarters of the [[Order of the Phoenix]]. * **South West England:** * [[Godric's Hollow]], West Country: Birthplace of [[Harry Potter]] and [[Albus Dumbledore]], and the site of the [[Potter family]]'s murder. * [[Ottery St Catchpole]], Devon: A [[Muggle]] village home to the [[Weasley family]]'s home, the [[Burrow]], and the [[Lovegood family]]. * [[Shell Cottage]], Cornwall: The home of [[Bill Weasley]] and [[Fleur Delacour]]. * [[Malfoy Manor]], Wiltshire: The residence of the [[Malfoy family]] and a headquarters for [[Lord Voldemort]]. * **Home Counties:** * [[Little Whinging]], Surrey: The [[Muggle]] town where [[Harry Potter]] was raised by the [[Dursley family]] at [[Number 4, Privet Drive]]. * **Other Regions:** * [[Little Hangleton]]: A [[Muggle]] village and ancestral home of [[Lord Voldemort]]'s maternal family, the [[Gaunts]]. * [[Azkaban]]: The wizarding prison, located on an island in the middle of the North Sea. * **Wales:** * The mountains of Wales are home to a [[dragon]] reservation for the [[Welsh Green]] breed ([[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them]]). =====Behind the Scenes===== * J.K. Rowling, being British herself, chose her home country as the setting, which allowed her to ground the fantastical elements of the wizarding world in a real, familiar landscape. * The films made extensive use of real British locations to create the world of the books. For instance, London's Leadenhall Market was used as the entrance to [[Diagon Alley]], and Alnwick Castle and Glenfinnan Viaduct were among several locations used for [[Hogwarts]] and its surroundings (film). * While the books refer to the [[Ministry of Magic]] as the governing body for Great Britain, [[Hogwarts]] is stated to accept students from both Great Britain and Ireland. The specific political relationship between the Irish wizarding community and the British [[Ministry of Magic]] is not detailed in the novels.
