Portal:England
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England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe deriving its name from the Anglia peninsula, who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law – the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world – developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation.
England's terrain is chiefly low hills and plains, especially in central and southern England. However, there is upland and mountainous terrain in the north (for example, the Lake District and Pennines) and in the west (for example, Dartmoor and the Shropshire Hills). The capital is London, which has the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and the European Union. England's population of over 55 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, the South East, and conurbations in the Midlands, the North West, the North East, and Yorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century.
The Kingdom of England – which after 1535 included Wales – ceased being a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in the Treaty of Union the previous year, resulting in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland (through another Act of Union) to become the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Read more...
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The London congestion charge is a fee for some motorists travelling within those parts of London designated as the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ). The main objectives of this charge are to reduce congestion, and to raise funds for investment in London's transport system. The zone came into operation in parts of Central London on 17 February 2003 and it was extended into parts of west London on 19 February 2007.
Although not the first scheme of its kind in the United Kingdom, it was the largest when it was introduced, and it remains one of the largest in the world. Worldwide, several cities have referenced the London scheme when considering their own possible schemes. A payment of £8 is required for each day a chargeable vehicle enters or travels within the zone between 7am and 6pm; a fine of between £60 and £180 is imposed for non-payment. The organisation responsible for the charge is Transport for London (TfL); Capita Group operates the scheme under contract. The system is run on a generally automatic basis using CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition.
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The metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties, colour-coded to show population
Changing of the Queen's Guard at the royal residence, Buckingham Palace
A full English breakfast with fried egg, sausage, white and black pudding, bacon, mushrooms, baked beans, hash browns, toast, and half a tomato
"Pimm's O'Clock implies lazy, happy days sitting in the sun with nothing to do and no need to worry about time." Urban Dictionary
Chatsworth House, a famous example of an English country house surrounded by an English garden
The England rugby union team during their victory parade after winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in London, United Kingdom is the largest Hindu temple in England.
The Metropolitan Railway, now part of the London Underground was the first underground railway in the world
Westminster Abbey is a notable example of English Gothic architecture. The coronation of the British monarch traditionally takes place at the Abbey
Wembley Stadium, home of the England football team, has a 90,000 capacity. It is the biggest stadium in the UK
The Beatles are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in popular music.
The English Restoration restored the monarchy under King Charles II and peace after the English Civil War
Mo Farah is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history, winning the 5000 m and 10,000 m events at two Olympic Games
Sir Isaac Newton is one of the most influential figures in the history of science
Canterbury Cathedral, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury
Clarks was founded in 1825 and has since become a popular shoe brand internationally, seen as specialists in school shoes for children
Somerville College, University of Oxford
Roast beef
William Hogarth's depiction of a scene from Shakespeare's The Tempest is an example of how English literature influenced English painting in the 18th century
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, an NHS hospital, has the largest single floor critical care unit in the world
A red telephone box in front of St Paul's Cathedral, one of the most important buildings of the English Baroque period
First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
Centre Court at Wimbledon. First played in 1877, the Wimbledon Championships is the oldest tennis tournament in the world.
Saltaire, West Yorkshire, is a model mill town from the Industrial Revolution, and a World Heritage Site
Population of England and Wales by administrative areas. Their size is approximately in proportion to their population. Colours by quints (1/5th) of number of districts classified by population density with division of extreme quints
Bodiam Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex
The World Cup Sculpture featuring captain Bobby Moore with the 1966 World Cup trophy, on the shoulders of Geoff Hurst and Ray Wilson, together with Martin Peters
2009 estimates of ethnic groups in England
Alfred Hitchcock is often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker. He was described as "a straightforward middle-class Englishman who just happened to be an artistic genius."
Melton Mowbray Pork Pie
The Bentley Mulsanne. Bentley is a well-known English car company
King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, fought on Saint Crispin's Day and concluded with an English victory against a larger French army in the Hundred Years' War
Edward Elgar is one of England's most celebrated classical composers.
A Punch and Judy booth at Swanage, Dorset. The anarchic Mr. Punch has been an influential figure in British comedy and political cartoons.
Statue of a tripod from The War of the Worlds in Woking, hometown of science fiction author H. G. Wells. The book is a seminal depiction of a conflict between mankind and an extraterrestrial race.
Stonehenge, a Neolithic monument
English-speaking worldMajority native languageOfficial, but not majority languageNote: English is also an official language of the EU
The Proms are held annually at the Royal Albert Hall during the summer
Celebrations at Trafalgar Square after England's 2003 Rugby World Cup victory.
Life expectancy at birth in England and Wales 2012 to 2014. Lighter colours indicate longer life expectancy.
Fish and chips
The Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand, London is the seat of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal
The Cenotaph, Whitehall, is a memorial to members of the British Armed Forces who died during the two World Wars
Astley's Amphitheatre, London circa 1808. Astley performed stunts in a 42 ft diameter ring; the standard size used by circuses ever since.
A Voluptuary under the horrors of Digestion (1792)
David Bowie's mural in his hometown of Brixton features his character Aladdin Sane. It became a shrine to Bowie after his death.
Heathrow Airport has more international passenger traffic than any other airport in the world.
England playing Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground in the 2009 Ashes series
Replica of the 7th-century ceremonial Sutton Hoo helmet from the Kingdom of East Anglia
Westminster Abbey, London, is an example of English Gothic architecture
The Christmas Pantomime 1890, UK. Pantomime plays a prominent role in British culture during the Christmas and New Year season.
The "three lions", the second Great Seal of King Richard the Lionheart (1198)
Geoffrey Chaucer was an English author, poet and philosopher, best remembered for his unfinished frame narrative The Canterbury Tales
The frontage of Warwick School, one of the oldest independent schools in England
Robin Hood illustrated in 1912 wearing Lincoln green
Morris dancing is one of the more visible English folk traditions, with many differing regional variations.
A pint of real ale
Skiddaw massif, seen from Walla Crag in the Lake District
Ridley Scott was among a group of English filmmakers, including Tony Scott, Alan Parker, Hugh Hudson and Adrian Lyne, who emerged from making 1970s UK television commercials.
Terrain of Dartmoor, Devon
Canterbury Cathedral is the seat of the Primate of All England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the most senior bishop of the Church of England (it was the property of the Roman Catholic Church before the English Reformation)
Former Formula One world champion Nigel Mansell driving at Silverstone in 1990. The circuit hosted the first ever Formula One race in 1950
Stinking Bishop cheese
Family-sized meat pie made by Sweeney & Todd of Reading
Boudica led an uprising against the Roman Empire
The Natural History Museum in London
Christopher Lee (as Dracula in 1958) starred in numerous British horror films produced by Hammer. Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960) was the first "slasher" film.
Saint George is the patron saint of England
Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol played a major role in reviving the "spirit" of Christmas and seasonal goodwill
Queen Elizabeth II presenting the World Cup trophy to 1966 World Cup winning England captain Bobby Moore
The City of London is the financial capital of United Kingdom
Countries where English has official status or is widely spoken
The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse in the Pre-Raphaelite style
English Heritage blue plaque commemorating Sir Alfred Hitchcock at 153 Cromwell Road, London
Engraving of the English pirate Blackbeard from the 1724 book A General History of the Pyrates. The book is the prime source for many famous pirates of the Golden Age of Piracy.
The Hay Wain by John Constable is an archetypal English painting.
The Examination and Trial of Father Christmas (1686), published after Christmas was reinstated as a holy day in England
Robin Hood illustrated in 1912 wearing Lincoln green
The Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Tudor rose, England's national floral emblem
Cotton mills in Manchester, the world's "first industrial city", circa 1820.
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Selected biography
His professional playing career as an inside-forward spanned nearly 20 years, during which he played for just three clubs – Fulham, West Bromwich Albion and briefly for the defunct Vancouver Royals. He also made 20 appearances for England, scoring four goals.
He is now better known for his success as both a club and international manager, having won league championships in both the Netherlands and Portugal, earning trophies in England and Spain, and taking England to the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup. He was most recently a mentor to the manager of the Irish national football team.
Robson was created a Knight Bachelor in 2002, is a member of the English Football Hall of Fame and is the honorary president of Ipswich Town. He has, since 1991, had recurrent medical problems with cancer, and in August 2008, he admitted defeat to lung cancer. He stated "My condition is described as static and has not altered since my last bout of chemotherapy...I am going to die sooner rather than later. But then everyone has to go sometime and I have enjoyed every minute".
Did you know?
- ...that the Rev. Arthur Wagner, the first curate of the Church of St. Paul, Brighton, England, commissioned stained glass windows of his mother, father and aunt for the church?
- ...that Scots' Dike was constructed by the English and the Scots in 1552 to mark the division of the Debatable Lands and thereby settle the exact boundary between the kingdoms of Scotland and England?
- ...that the famed message "England expects that every man will do his duty" is misquoted on Nelson's Column in London?
In the news
- 8 January 2019 – List of UAV-related incidents
- Flights from London's Heathrow Airport are temporarily suspended after a report of a drone sighting in the area. (BBC)
- 4 January 2019 –
- Sean Fitzgerald, 31, is shot dead by police officers during a raid on a house in Coventry, England, United Kingdom. Two 26-year-old men were arrested during the same raid, in connection with cannabis production. (The Guardian) (The Independent)
- 20 December 2018 – Gatwick Airport drone incident
- Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, England, is shut down intermittently since Wednesday night, after drones are seen flying over the airfield. Police believe it is "a deliberate act to disrupt the airport". Hundreds of thousands of passengers are affected. (The Argus) (CNN)
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| “ | I have seen much to hate here, much to forgive. But in a world where England is finished and dead, I do not wish to live. | ” |
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England • Bedfordshire • Brighton • Cheshire • Cornwall • Derbyshire • Greater Manchester • Hampshire • Lincolnshire • London • Merseyside • Northamptonshire • North East England • Sheffield • Surrey. Warwickshire • West Midlands • Worcestershire • Yorkshire
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- Requested articles: Charterhouse Lane • Renewable energy in England • Ealing Village
- Expand: Dorothy Boyd • David Troughton
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