England is very definitely a country too - but its not a sovereign state - whereas the United Kingdom is a sovereign state made up of four countries (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Great Britain is a geographical feature (the island that is made up of England, Scotland and Wales), as is the British Isles (which is a geographical feature made up the island of Great Britain and the island of Ireland (which is different than Ireland the sovereign state)!!

For football (soccer) fans out there - this multiplicity of countries is why the United Kingdom has four countries in the FIFA World Cup - there is no United Kingdom football, rugby or cricket team!!