Airstrip One

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Airstrip One is the name of Great Britain in George Orwell's futuristic dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984). In the novel, Britain is a province within the superpower Oceania which roughly corresponds to the Americas, Southern Africa and Australia.

The name has a militaristic tone characteristic of the states in Nineteen Eighty-Four. Although it is never explained in the novel, it is possible that Orwell intended the name to relate to the island's geographical location as a distant outpost of Oceania close to the border with Eurasia (since continental Europe is ruled by Eurasia). It implies that Oceania sees Britain as a "natural aircraft carrier" poised to strike Eurasia, perhaps similar to the role Britain played during the Second World War.

The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Not all boundaries are given in detail in the book, so some are speculation.
The world of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Not all boundaries are given in detail in the book, so some are speculation.

Airstrip One's political separation from continental Europe in favour of distant rule by Oceania reflects not only the UK's isolation during the Second World War, but also a perceived subsequent isolation for the United Kingdom from the mainstream of European politics and subordination to the interests of the United States. For this reason, the name is sometimes used satirically today to refer to Britain's perceived submissive relationship to the United States (in a similar fashion to the term "51st state").


Characters Winston Smith | Julia | O'Brien | Big Brother | Emmanuel Goldstein
Places Oceania | Eastasia | Eurasia | Airstrip One | Room 101
Classes Inner Party | Outer Party | Proles
Ministries Ministry of Love | Ministry of Peace | Ministry of Plenty | Ministry of Truth
Concepts Ingsoc | Newspeak (wordlist) | Doublethink | Goodthink | Crimestop
Two plus two make five | Thoughtcrime | Prolefeed | Prolesec
Miscellaneous Thought Police | Telescreen | Memory hole | Goldstein's book
Two Minutes Hate | Hate week
Adaptations 1956 film | 1984 film | 1953 US TV | 1954 BBC programme | Opera
Influence Nineteen Eighty-Four in popular media Parody: Me and the Big Guy
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../a/i/r/Airstrip_One_cd45.html"
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