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England is acountry that is part of theUnited Kingdom. It is located on the island ofGreat Britain, of which it covers about 62%, andmore than 100 smaller adjacent islands. England sharesa land border withScotland to the north andanother land border withWales to the west, and is otherwise surrounded by theNorth Sea to the east, theEnglish Channel to the south, theCeltic Sea to the south-west, and theIrish Sea to the west.Continental Europe lies to the south-east, andIreland to the west. At the2021 census, the population was 56,490,048.London is boththe largest city and thecapital.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during theUpper Paleolithic. It takes its name from theAngles, aGermanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensivecultural and legal impact on the wider world since theAge of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. TheKingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separatesovereign state on 1 May 1707, when theActs of Union brought into effect a political union with theKingdom of Scotland that created theKingdom of Great Britain.
England is the origin of theEnglish language, theEnglish legal system (which served as the basis for thecommon law systems of many other countries),association football, and theAnglican branch of Christianity;its parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. TheIndustrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England is home to the twooldest universities in the English-speaking world: theUniversity of Oxford, founded in 1096, and theUniversity of Cambridge, founded in 1209. Both universities are ranked amongst the most prestigious in the world.
England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills andplains, especially in thecentre andsouth. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in thenorth and west, includingDartmoor, theLake District, thePennines, and theShropshire Hills. TheLondon metropolitan area has a population of over 15 million as of 2025, representing the United Kingdom's largest metropolitan area. England's population of 56.3 million comprises 84% of the population of the United Kingdom, largely concentrated around London, theSouth East, and conurbations in theMidlands, theNorth West, theNorth East, andYorkshire, which each developed as major industrial regions during the 19th century. (Full article...)
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John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) wasKing of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost theDuchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to KingPhilip II of France, resulting in the collapse of theAngevin Empire and contributing to the subsequent growth in power of the FrenchCapetian dynasty during the 13th century. Thebaronial revolt at the end of John's reign led to the sealing ofMagna Carta, a document considered a foundational milestone in English and later Britishconstitutional history.
John was the youngest son of KingHenry II of England and DuchessEleanor of Aquitaine. He was nicknamedJohn Lackland (Norman:Jean sans Terre,lit. 'John without land') because, as a younger son, he was not expected to inherit significant lands. He became Henry's favourite child following the failedrevolt of 1173–1174 by his brothersHenry the Young King,Richard, andGeoffrey against their father. John was appointedLord of Ireland in 1177 and given lands in England and on the continent. During the reign of his brother Richard I, he unsuccessfully attempted a rebellion against Richard's royal administrators while the King was participating in theThird Crusade, but he was proclaimed king after Richard died in 1199. He came to an agreement withPhilip II of France to recognise John's possession of the continental Angevin lands at the peacetreaty of Le Goulet in 1200. (Full article...)
Thehistoric counties of England are areas that were established for administration by theNormans, in many cases based on earlierkingdoms andshires created by theAngles,Saxons,Jutes,Celts and theDanes andNorse in the North. They are alternatively known asancient counties,traditional counties,former counties or simply ascounties. In the centuries that followed their establishment, as well as their administrative function, the counties also helped define local culture and identity. This role continued even after the counties ceased to be used for administration after the creation ofadministrative counties in 1889, which were themselves amended by further local government reforms in the years following.
Unlike the partly self-governingboroughs that covered urban areas, the counties of medieval England existed primarily as a means of enforcing central government power, enabling monarchs to exercise control over local areas through their chosen representatives – originallysheriffs and later thelord-lieutenants – and their subordinatejustices of the peace. Counties were used initially for theadministration of justice, collection of taxes and organisation of the military, and later for local government and electing parliamentary representation. They continue to form the basis ofmodern local government areas in many parts of the country away from the main urban areas, although the newly created areas sometimes have considerably altered boundaries from the historic counties on which they are based. (Full article...)
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![Image 18The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork yet found[update]. It consists of almost 4,600 items and metal fragments. (from Culture of England)](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aStaffordshire_hoard_annotated.jpg)
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Led Zeppelin were an Englishrock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalistRobert Plant, guitaristJimmy Page, bassist-keyboardistJohn Paul Jones and drummerJohn Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound and drawing from influences includingblues andfolk music, Led Zeppelin are cited as a progenitor ofhard rock andheavy metal. Among thebest-selling music artists of all time, they influenced the music industry, particularly in the development ofalbum-oriented rock andstadium rock.
Led Zeppelin evolved from a previous band,the Yardbirds, and were originally named "the New Yardbirds". They signed a deal withAtlantic Records that gave them considerable artistic freedom. Initially unpopular with critics, they achieved all-but-unmatched commercial success with eight studio albums over ten years. Their 1969 debut,Led Zeppelin, was a top-ten album in several countries and features such tracks as "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown".Led Zeppelin II (1969), their first number-one album, includes "Whole Lotta Love" and "Ramble On". In 1970, they releasedLed Zeppelin III which opens with "Immigrant Song". Their untitled fourth album, commonly known asLed Zeppelin IV (1971), is one of thebest-selling albums in history, with 37 million copies sold. It includes "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven", with the latter being among the most popular and influential works in rock.Houses of the Holy (1973) includes "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rain Song".Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album, features "Trampled Under Foot" and "Kashmir". (Full article...)
| “ | Do not be misled by memories of your youth when, on the Continent, wanting to describe someone as exceptionally dull, you remarked: 'He is the type who would discuss the weather with you.' In England this is an ever-interesting, even thrilling topic, and you must be good at discussing the weather. | ” |
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| East Midlands | London | North East | North West | South East | South West | West Midlands | Yorkshire and the Humber |
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| Ireland | Northern Ireland | Scotland | United Kingdom | Wales |
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