that is part of the United Kingdom.[7][8][9] It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest of England and the Celtic Sea 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. It is the largest country of the British Isles.
England
Flag of England
Flag
Anthem: Various proposed
Predominantly ‘God Save the Queen’
(National anthem of the United Kingdom)
Location of England (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the United Kingdom (green)
Location of England (dark green)
– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the United Kingdom (green)
Status
Country
Capital
and largest city
London
51°30′N 0°7′W
National language
English
Regional languages
Cornish
Ethnic groups (2011)
85.4% White
7.8% Asian
3.5% Black
2.3% Mixed
0.4% Arab
0.6% Other[1]
Religion
Church of England
Demonym(s)
English
Sovereign state
Legal jurisdiction
United Kingdom
England and Wales
Government
Part of a constitutional monarchy, direct government exercised by the government of the United Kingdom[a]
• Monarch
Elizabeth II
Parliament of the United Kingdom
• House of Commons
533 MPs (of 650)
Legislature
UK Parliament[a]
Establishment
• Unification of Angles, Saxons and Danes
12 July 927
• Union with Scotland
1 May 1707
Area
• Land
130,279 km2 (50,301 sq mi)[2]
Population
• 2019 estimate
Increase 56,286,961[3]
• 2011 census
53,012,500[4]
• Density
432/km2 (1,118.9/sq mi)[5]
GVA
2018 estimate
• Total
£1.8 trillion
($2.4T)[6]
• Per capita
£33,000
($44000)
Currency
Pound sterling (GBP; £)
Time zone
UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Date format
dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Driving side
left
Calling code
+44
ISO 3166 code
GB-ENG
^ While England does not have its own legislative assembly, a Legislative grand committee composed of only the 533 MPs representing English constituencies can scrutinise and vote on bills going through parliament which only affect England.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic 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.[10] 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.[11] The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation.[12]
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, prior to Brexit, the European Union.[nb 1] England's population of over 55 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom,[5] 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.[13]
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.[14][15] 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.[16]
Toponymy
History
Governance
Geography
Economy
Healthcare
Demography
Education
Culture
Sport
National symbols
See also
Notes
References
External links
Last edited 2 days ago by Tony Holkham
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