England is a country and the largest of the four countries which make up theUnited Kingdom.
Over 57.7 million people live in England (2021 estimate). This is 84% of the population of the United Kingdom.[4] Thecapital city of England isLondon. London is also the biggest city in the country. Other large cities in England areBirmingham,Liverpool,Manchester andLeeds.
The English flag is a red cross on a white background. This cross is the cross ofSaint George, who is thepatron saint of England. Some other symbols used for England are a redrose and the three lions.
Although people had lived in England long before, it was a long time before the land was unified. The earliest known evidence of human presence in the area now known as England was that ofHomo antecessor, about 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones discovered in England date to 500,000 years ago.
TheBeaker culture arrived around 2,500BC. They used drinking and food vessels made from clay, and vessels used as reduction pots to smeltcopperores. Neolithic people of this era built the famousStonehenge monument and many otherstone circles and burial sites across England.
Unification was first done byÆthelstan in 927 andEadred in 953. A wave of Scandinavian attacks occurred from the late 10th century. They ended with the conquest of this united kingdom bySweyn Forkbeard in 1013 and again by his sonCnut in 1016. This turned the country into the centre of a short-lived North Sea Empire which includedDenmark andNorway. However, the native royal dynasty was restored with the accession ofEdward the Confessor in 1042. When King Edward died,Harold Godwinson (the Earl of Wessex) became king.William the Conqueror, Duke ofNormandy (today part of northern France), said that Harold had promised to make William the king. He invaded England and fought King Harold at theBattle of Hastings in 1066. William won, and became king of England.
The period saw changes in trade and legislation, including the signing ofMagna Carta, an English legal charter.Catholic monasticism flourished. Theuniversities ofOxford andCambridge were founded with royalpatronage. ThePrincipality ofWales became a Plantagenetfief during the 13th century and the Lordship ofIreland was given to the English monarchy by thePope.
During the 14th century, thePlantagenets and theHouse of Valois both claimed to own theHouse of Capet and, with it, France. The two powers clashed in theHundred Years' War. TheBlack Deathepidemic hit England: starting in 1348, it killed up to half the population. From 1453 to 1487 civil war occurred between two branches of the royal family– the Yorkists and Lancastrians – known as the Wars of the Roses. Eventually it led to the Yorkists losing the throne entirely to Tudors. Henry Tudor invaded with Welsh and Breton mercenaries, won at theBattle of Bosworth Field where the Yorkist kingRichard III was killed.
For many centuries the religion of England wasRoman Catholicism. The bishops (church leaders) of England and all their churches obeyed the Pope and the church inRome. During theProtestant Reformation many did not agree with this. In the 1530s, the Pope told KingHenry VIII that he could not divorce his wife. Henry VIII made theChurch of England (a "Protestant" church) partly so that he could divorce his wife. He made Protestantism theofficial church in England. For the next 200 years, there was struggle over whether the King (or Queen) of England should beRoman Catholic orProtestant.
QueenElizabeth I was Henry's second daughter. She was a powerful queen who ruled for more than 40 years. Elizabethan England was the best of the EnglishRenaissance and saw the flowering of art, poetry, music and literature. The era is most famous for its drama, theatre and playwrights. Queen Elizabeth I had no children.
James' son,Charles I and the English Parliament fought each other in theEnglish Civil War (Scotland andIreland were involved as well, and the story is complicated!). Oliver Cromwell became leader of the Parliamentary Army (the "Roundheads") and defeated the Royalist Army (the "Cavaliers"). King Charles was beheaded in 1649 andOliver Cromwell becamedictator ("Lord Protector"). When Cromwell died, his son Richard was not strong enough to rule, andCharles II, the son of Charles I, was invited to come to England and be king in 1660.
When King Charles II died, his brother James II was the next king. A lot of people did not like James because he wasRoman Catholic.William of Orange was invited to invade England.[5] He was the ruler of part of theNetherlands and husband of Mary, the daughter of King James. Many people welcomed William because he was aProtestant.
James left the country without a fight and Parliament asked William and Mary to become King and Queen together. WhenMary II of England died, William ruled alone. Queen Mary'ssister Anne became the next queen. While she was queen, England and Scotland were officially joined as one country. This was called theActs of Union 1707. It also merged their separate parliaments. The parliament in London now included ScottishMembers of Parliament ("MPs"), and was called theParliament of Great Britain.
After this, the history of England becomes the history ofGreat Britain andUnited Kingdom. Under the newly formedKingdom of Great Britain, the Royal Society created innovations in science and engineering. The enormous growth in British overseas trade protected by theRoyal Navy paved the way for theBritish Empire. Domestically it drove theIndustrial Revolution, which was a period of profound change in the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in England. Industrialised agriculture, manufacture, engineering and mining became important. New and pioneering road, rail and water networks helped the expansion and development.
The United Kingdom was formed in 1800, when theIrish Parliament merged with the British one. Later on, many in Ireland fought against this merger. The result was the separation of theRepublic of Ireland. This is not the whole of Ireland. The rest of the island,Northern Ireland, is now the only part of Ireland still in the UK. England is the only country of UK not to have its own government, Parliament or Assembly, but is governed by theParliament of the United Kingdom. Seats in Parliament are mostly decided by the number of electors in the various parts of the UK.
London is the largest city and the capital. The longest river in England is theRiver Severn. Other large rivers are theThames (which flows through London), theTrent and theHumber. In geological terms, thePennines, known as the "backbone of England", are the oldest range of mountains in England, originating from the end of the Paleozoic Era around 300 million years ago. Most of England's landscape consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in the north and west of the country.
The English Lowlands are in the central and southern regions of the country, consisting of green rolling chalk hills, including the Cotswold Hills, Chiltern Hills, North and South Downs; where they meet the sea they form white chalk exposures such as the cliffs of Dover. This also includes relatively flat plains such as the Salisbury Plain, Somerset Levels, South Coast Plain. TheFens are the naturalmarshlands once widespread in various parts of England.
England has been central to many aspects of the modern world.Global exploration andtrade, theBritish Empire, modernscience, modernagriculture,railways, theIndustrial Revolution, the development of modern representativedemocracy. In all these developments England was deeply involved. In some of them, such as the Industrial Revolution, England was the place where modern developments first occurred.
The Englishlanguage is aWest Germanic language spoken in manycountries around the world. With around 380 million native speakers, it is the second most spokenlanguage in the world, as a native language. As many as a billion people speak it as a second language. English is an influence on, and has been influenced by, many other languages.
All ofGreat Britain has anoceanic climate. There can be a temperature difference of 5–10°c between the north and the south (the north is generally colder), and there is often snow in the north before there is in the south.
The prevailingwind for most of the year is from theAtlantic, to the west of England. Therefore, there is more rain on the western side of the country. The east is colder and drier than the west. The country usually has a mild climate because theGulf Stream to the western side is warm water. The climate is warmer than it was 200 years ago, and now ice and snow are rare in the southern part of the country. Occasionally, air from theArctic Circle comes down the eastern side of the country and the temperature can drop below 0oC.
As part of the United Kingdom, the basic political system in England is aconstitutional monarchy andparliamentary system. It has amonarch (meaning a king or queen is the head of that country). The head of state isKing Charles III, who is became King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon his Mother's death on 9/8/2022, after her 70-year reign. TheHouse of Commons is the lower house of the British Parliament in thePalace of Westminster. There are 532 Members of Parliament (MPs) for constituencies in England, out of the 650 total.
The English people are represented by members ofParliament, not ruled by monarchs. After theEnglish Civil War,Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector, and the monarchy was disbanded. Although the monarchy was restored after his death, the Crown slowly became the secondary power, and Parliament the first. Members of Parliament (calledMPs) were elected, but until the early twentieth century, only men who owned property could vote. In the nineteenth century, more people were givensuffrage. But in 1928, all men and women got the vote: this is called "universal suffrage". Parliament is inWestminster in London, but it has power over the whole of the United Kingdom.
Almost all members of Parliament belong topolitical parties. The biggest parties are theConservative Party,Labour Party,Liberal Democrats andGreen Party. Members of the same party agree to act and vote more or less together. A party with more than half the seats (a majority) forms the government; the leader of the party becomes thePrime Minister, who then appoints other ministers. Because the government has a majority in Parliament, it can normally control what laws are passed.
England has a mixed market economy. It has adopted many free market principles, yet has an advancedsocial welfare infrastructure. The official currency in England is thepound sterling, which is the oldest currency in use. England is a leader in the chemical andpharmaceutical sectors and in key technical industries, particularly aerospace, the arms industry, and the software industry.
London is home to theLondon Stock Exchange, the United Kingdom's main stock exchange and the largest in Europe. It is England'sfinancial centre, with 100 of Europe's 500 largest corporations being based there. London is the largest financial centre in Europe, and as of 2014 is the second largest in the world. Manchester is the largest financial and professional services sector outside London and is the mid tier private equity capital of Europe as well as one of the growing technology hubs of Europe.
TheGreater London Built-up Area is by far the largest urban area in England and one of the busiest cities in the world. It is considered a global city and has a population larger than any other country in the United Kingdom besides England itself.
Other urban areas of considerable size and influence tend to be in northern England or the English Midlands. There are 52 settlements which have designated city status in England, while the widerUnited Kingdom has 70. City status in England is granted by the monarch to a select group of communities.
Stateprimary schools andsecondary schools exist. These consist of academy schools, community schools, sixth form colleges, further education colleges, grammar schools, foundation schools, faith schools, free schools, studio schools, university technical colleges and city technology colleges. The most common specialist schools are performing arts schools, science schools, maths schools, business schools and technology schools.[6] Independent public or prep schools also exist.Eton College andHarrow School are the best known independent schools.
TheNational Curriculum was introduced in 1988, to give pupils a broad and balanced curriculum. The school curriculum aims to promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. Its purpose is to prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.[5]
Many prominent people who have reached the top in their fields have been products of English higher education. There have been universities in England since theMiddle Ages. Ancient universities started in this time and in theRenaissance. The two oldest and most prestigious universities areOxford University andCambridge University.Imperial College,University College London andManchester University are also highly rated by independent lists. There are now about a hundred universities.
Road traffic in the U.K. drives on the left hand side of the road (unlike the Americas and most of Europe). The driver sits on the right hand side of the vehicle. The road network on the island ofGreat Britain is extensive, with most main roads dating from Roman and medieval times. The system of motorways is more modern.
The system ofrail transport was invented in England, so it has the oldestrailway network in the world. It was built mostly during the Victorian era. The extensive railway network covers the entire country. The system of underground railways in London, known as theTube, has been copied by many other cities around the globe. England is home to the largest airport and is one of the most important internationalhubs in the world. A system ofmotorways for road transport exists between some major cities.
TheBBC broadcasts in the United Kingdom and othercountries ontelevision,radio and theInternet. The BBC also sells its programmes to other broadcasting companies around world. The organisation is run by a group of twelvegovernors who have been given the job bythe King, on the advice ofgovernmentministers. The BBC is established under aroyal charter, which allows the BBC to broadcast.
English culture can be compared withNorthern European countries. Humour, tradition and good manners are characteristics commonly associated with being English.
England has a strong sporting heritage, and during the 19th century codified many sports that are now played around the world. Sports originating in England include association football, cricket, rugby union, rugby league, tennis, boxing, badminton, squash, rounders, hockey, snooker, billiards, darts, table tennis, bowls, netball, thoroughbred horseracing, and greyhound racing. It has helped the development of golf, sailing andFormula One car racing.
Despite having invented the game, The Englishfootball team only won theWorld Cup in 1966. They came close in Italy 1990, losing in the semi-final against West Germany on penalties. The England women's national football team won theUEFA Euro 2022. After winning the2019 Cricket World Cup, England became the first country to win the World Cups in football, rugby union and cricket.[7]
England is divided into 48 ceremonialcounties, which are also known as geographic counties. The counties of England are areas used for different purposes, which include administrative, geographical, cultural and local politics. The original county structure has its origins in the Middle Ages.The historic counties ofYorkshire,Cumberland,Westmorland,Huntingdonshire andMiddlesex are the five defunct ceremonial counties which were historically counties.
Yorkshire is divided into the East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire, Cumberland and Westmorland were combined with a former exclave ofLancashire to formCumbria,Huntingdonshire merged intoCambridgeshire, and most ofMiddlesex became part ofGreater London.
There is no well-established series of official symbols or flags covering all the counties. From 1889 the newly created county councils could apply to the College of Arms for coats of arms. A recent series of flags, with varying levels of official adoption, have been established in many of the counties by competition or public poll. County days are a recent innovation in some areas. There are seventeen first-class county cricket teams that are based on historical English counties.
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