Great Britain and England - is there a difference? What is the difference between England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom

You will learn from this article how England differs from Great Britain, the lords' fees from the House of Commons, and Prince Harry from Princess Beatrice.

Most of us use the words “England” and “Great Britain” as identical concepts, without going particularly into the legal meaning of these concepts. Meanwhile, as they say in Odessa, these are “two big differences,” two completely different territories.

England- a territory on the island of Great Britain, its largest administrative unit. The name “England” goes back to the name of one of the Germanic tribes (the Angles) that once inhabited this historical region.

Scottish man in traditional costume

During the era of medieval fragmentation of Europe, England was an independent kingdom, whose possessions either increased or decreased depending on the military successes of local rulers.

UK ( Great Britain) - that’s the name of the most large island The British archipelago, on which, in addition to England, there are two more independent territories that were previously independent states: Wales and Scotland.

Henry VIII - one of the most famous rulers of medieval England

Country England or Great Britain?

The country that we sometimes call England and Great Britain is officially called the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"(The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland). Therefore, strictly speaking, both names are wrong.

The United Kingdom's possessions include the island of Great Britain, the north of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands and archipelagos around the world, such as Gibraltar, Bermuda, the Falkland Islands and the Cayman Islands.

Tower Bridge is one of the most famous bridges in Great Britain

In Russia, this cumbersome name is often shortened to “Great Britain”. In Europe, the abbreviation UK (from “united kingdom”) is almost always used for abbreviation.

British Royal Guards dress uniform

United Kingdom of Great Britain: general information

What part of the continent is Great Britain located on?

Great Britain, not counting small islands, is located in the British Archipelago, in the North-Western part of Europe. This region is often called Foggy Albion due to the abundance of rain, dampness and endless fog that cyclones bring from the Atlantic.

The warm waters of the Gulf Stream soften the climate a little: there are no very cold winters here (with the exception of the mountainous areas of Scotland and Wales), and in the summer average temperature stays around 20 C heat.

Rain and fog are common in England

Capital of England and Great Britain

London is the capital of Great Britain and is also the capital of the administrative region of England. This is the largest city in the kingdom, its cultural and economic center. London is also one of the global financial centers of the world.

Economic institutions of global scale are concentrated here; the main financial flows of the largest transnational corporations and currency centers of smaller states pass through London.

London is the capital of England and Great Britain

London was founded by the Romans as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia, located on British Isles. The first mention of London is found in the year 117 by the Roman historian Tacitus - at that time the city had existed for more than 50 years.

London has occupied its leading position among other capitals since the Middle Ages. In terms of influence on world politics, few cities in the Old World can compete with the center of the British Empire.

In the 20th century, London also gained fame as one of the world's main centers of fashion and youth subculture. It is to London that we owe the appearance of “dandy” and “casual” styles, rock musicians and the Beatles group.

The Beatles are Britain's most famous rock band

Great Britain on the world map

Today, Great Britain ranks modestly 78th in the world in terms of territory size. It accounts for only 2% of the earth's surface. We can say that Great Britain is just a small spot on the world map. But it wasn't always like this.

At its height, the British Empire literally controlled a quarter of the world. At the beginning of the 20th century, Great Britain was the largest state that has ever existed on the planet (its record has not yet been broken).

Former British colonies on the world map

In addition to the crown territories in the British Isles, Great Britain owned: Canada, Australia, half of the African continent, India, Oman, Iraq, Honduras, Bermuda and Bahamas, Malaysia, Burma, New Zealand, New Guinea, Cyprus and other smaller territories. The USA was also a territory British crown until his War of Independence in 1776.

Contemporaries said that the sun never sets on the British Empire. In fairness, it should be noted that the colonial policy of Great Britain did not promise anything good for the conquered territories. In the history of the British Empire there were many bloody wars and the most severe punitive operations in the territories under its control.

Modern territory of Great Britain on the map of Europe

Map of Great Britain in Russian

Detailed maps of Great Britain, including a map of attractions, road and railways, administrative division and many others you can look at. All maps are available for download.

Political structure of Great Britain

Who is the head of state in Great Britain?

The UK has a rather complex and confusing system of government. In addition to the monarch, there are such bodies governing the country as the House of Lords, the House of Commons, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Prime Minister.

British Parliament House in London

UK House of Commons

The main task of the House of Commons is to represent the interests of all classes of the population when passing laws in the state. Members of the House of Commons are elected by voting in administrative districts UK for a period of 5 years. This is the lowest level of the UK legislature.

UK House of Lords

The House of Lords represents the interests of the highest aristocracy and clergy in Great Britain. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the House of Lords had the right to reject any bill proposed by the House of Commons if it considered that this law infringed on the interests of the nobility.

UK House of Commons

Currently, the Lords can only delay such laws by between one month and a year. The duties of members of the House of Lords also include the consideration of judicial appeals.

A seat in the House of Lords is hereditary (except for representatives of the church, where members of the House of Lords are appointed by the Council of Bishops), and it is one of the most archaic bodies of government in Europe. Members of the House of Lords, unlike the House of Commons, do not receive a permanent salary for attending meetings and are not required to attend every meeting.

UK House of Lords

UK Parliament

The Commons and the House of Lords are collectively known as the Parliament of Great Britain. If necessary, the monarch can dissolve parliament and announce early elections, or, conversely, extend its powers.

Cabinet of Ministers

The Cabinet of Ministers is the highest governing body of the country. Cabinet members head various government structures (departments or ministries). Ministers are appointed from among the representatives of Parliament, their responsibilities include the leadership of ministries, as well as consultations with the monarch on important decisions. The UK Cabinet reports to Parliament.

UK Cabinet Office, 2012

Prime Minister of Great Britain

The Prime Minister of Great Britain is the main official in the country after the monarch. He heads the government and in certain matters can act on behalf of the monarch. The candidacy for the post of prime minister is approved by the king or queen from among the most influential members of Parliament.

Kings and Queens of Great Britain

Great Britain is one of the oldest monarchies in the world. The highest head in the country is the monarch (king or queen), the throne is passed on by majority inheritance (that is, the eldest in the family).

Throne room Buckingham Palace in the UK

Despite the fact that outwardly members of the British royal house perform purely representative and ceremonial functions, the monarch in Great Britain has very real power.

The King or Queen of Great Britain can dissolve the government, grant the title of Lord to non-noble citizens to enter the House of Lords, approve bills, appoint ministers and pardon criminals.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain on the throne

UK Conservative Party

The Conservative Party of Great Britain (Tory Party) is the oldest political party in Europe, which dates back to the 17th century. The party traditionally represents the interests of the nobility, clergy and bourgeoisie.

Historically, it is the most powerful political force in the kingdom, consistently occupying the majority of seats in Parliament. The most prominent prime ministers in modern history Great Britain belonged specifically to the Conservatives: Neville Chamberlain, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher and David Cameron.

The current British Prime Minister Theresa May is also a member of the Conservative Party.

Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during World War II

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is one of the oldest reigning monarchs in the world. She took the throne from her father George VI in 1952 and has been in power for more than 60 years (Elizabeth II turned 90 in 2016). According to most Britons, Elizabeth is an example of an impeccable ruler who has not tarnished her royal title in any way.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain

Despite belonging to the weaker sex, Elizabeth II is famous for her iron character, and will give odds to many men. Some interesting facts from her biography:

At the age of 18, Elizabeth persuaded her father to let her join the active army and in 1944 she took a driver-mechanics course, after which she entered military service in the women's self-defense unit and served for about six months until the end of World War II. She is the only lady in the royal family who took part in military operations.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain as a child

Elizabeth fell in love with her future husband, Prince Philip, as a child. Philip is the heir to the impoverished Greek monarchy, whose representatives were forced to flee their own country after being exiled. Philip's candidacy did not suit Elizabeth's parents and the ruling elite of Great Britain at all, but the princess managed to obtain consent to the marriage. Moreover, she herself offered him her hand and heart, without waiting for reciprocal signs of attention.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain with her future husband Prince Philip

Elizabeth bought the fabric for her wedding dress using discount coupon cards. In 1947, the British economy had not yet recovered from the war, and Elizabeth considered it indecent to spend the kingdom’s treasury on lavish celebrations.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain after her coronation

Even at 90 years old, Elizabeth still personally conducts all the most important meetings in the state and, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, inspects all military installations of the kingdom. She does not trust the heir apparent, Prince Charles, with any of these issues.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain with her son

The queen's steely character does not prevent her from having small human weaknesses.

Elizabeth II is considered a trendsetter and a big fan of hats. She wears bright colors regardless of her age, but never goes beyond the boundaries of strict classics.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and one of her hats

According to protocol, the Queen cannot appear at official events in the same outfit twice. Each of her clothes is entered into a huge catalog, has its own serial number and is accompanied by a record of where, when and under what circumstances she wore it - this allows her to avoid repetition and embarrassment.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and her outfits

The Queen is obliged to be the standard of politeness, but the number of meetings and audiences is so great that it takes too much energy. Elizabeth II has several secret signs by which the courtiers must understand that it is time to end the event. For example, if Elizabeth is spinning a ring on her finger, the conversation must be ended within the next 5 minutes.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain and her handbag

In her busy schedule, Elizabeth II makes sure to set aside time to watch her favorite series and television shows. It is known that she is a fan of the English version of “X-Factor”, as well as several TV series, including “Game of Thrones”.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. Something went wrong.

Once a year, Elizabeth takes a long vacation and retires to a castle in Scotland, where she spends most of her time reading books and walking. There, Elizabeth takes a warm bath for several hours every day, in which, according to the assurances of the courtiers, she cannot do without a small rubber duck, given to her as a child.

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain on vacation

Other representatives of the British royal house

Elizabeth II belongs to the royal branch of the Windsors, of which there are quite a lot of descendants in modern Britain. The British are very sensitive to the institution of the monarchy; among the members of the royal family they have their favorites and scandalous persons, whose name is well known to everyone.

Members of the British Royal Family

Princess Diana

Diana Spencer (or Lady Di) is consistently ranked in the TOP 10 greatest Britons according to national polls. The first wife of Prince Charles (son of Elizabeth II) won the true, sincere love of her subjects and millions of people around the world.

She is often called the “Queen of Hearts” for her many contributions to charity, as well as her boundless personal charm, modesty and simplicity.

Princess Diana with her sons

According to rumors, Elizabeth II very much disliked her daughter-in-law for her popularity among the people (at times she overshadowed the queen herself).

In 1997, Lady Di suddenly died in a car accident, which still causes a lot of rumors and suspicions: there is a version that the accident was staged by members of the ruling family. But even after her death, Princess Diana remains the queen of people's hearts.

Princess Diana (Lady Di)

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Prince William is the grandson of Elizabeth II, the son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. William inherited many traits from his mother (he is also charming, does a lot of charity work), and in terms of the degree of adoration of his loyal subjects, he has recently rapidly overtaken his grandmother. He serves as a helicopter pilot for the English Medical Service and takes part in rescue operations.

Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton

Kate Middleton comes from a simple family. She met her future husband, Prince William, while studying at university. Shy Kate's demeanor very much reminds the British of Diana. They are delighted with her attitude towards children and impeccable manners, but most of all the audience is touched by the romantic story of Kate and William, which is very reminiscent of the fairy tale about Cinderella.

William and Kate with children

Prince Harry

The youngest son of Diana and Prince Charles evokes mixed feelings among the British. On the one hand, he is not distinguished by impeccable behavior, but on the other hand, he is such a sweetheart that British citizens forgive him everything. In addition, his antics are caused more by curiosity and youthful carelessness than by a spoiled disposition.

Prince Harry

The most notorious “exploits” of Prince Harry: boundless amorousness (photos of Harry with cute young ladies regularly appear in the press), hussar antics and cheerful parties. But there are also serious achievements: Prince Harry took part in combat operations in Afghanistan as an ordinary pilot, and put his life in danger along with others without any concessions.

Prince Harry with his partner while serving in Afghanistan

Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Sisters Beatrice and Eugenie are granddaughters of Queen Elizabeth II, daughters of her second son, Prince Andrew. Unlike William and Harry, girls cannot boast of an ideal reputation in the eyes of others, or at least relative charm.

Princess Beatrice

The eldest Beatrice is often criticized by residents of Great Britain for her too extravagant outfits, which do not always comply with the protocol. She also gets punishment for being too curvaceous and having an idle lifestyle (in the UK, she belongs to royal house does not at all mean the right to idleness). Otherwise, Beatrice manages to stay within the bounds of decency.

Princess Eugenie

The youngest Evgenia is a real headache for her family. The girl regularly excites the British public with her antics and the next batch of paparazzi photographs: drunken dancing, cigarettes and indecent antics - this is the main thing that Evgenia is famous for.

Video. Interesting facts about Great Britain

Let's figure out how England works - the birthplace of Jack the Ripper, Winston Churchill and Francis Drake. We must understand when to write “Great Britain”, when “England”, and when “British Isles” or, say, “United Kingdom”.

Geography first. As you can see from the map at the beginning of this post, the British Isles are made up of two large islands (the islands of Great Britain and the islands of Ireland), as well as several groups of smaller entities. It should be noted that the Channel Islands located in the English Channel, although they belong to the British, are still located off the coast of France. Therefore, they are sometimes included and sometimes not included in the British Isles.

Now a little history with etymology. In the north-west of France is the historical region of Brittany, which owes its name to the people of the Britons. Driven out of their native Britain, the Britons settled Brittany in the late Roman period. After this, two “Britains” were spontaneously formed on the map - the small one (Brittany in France) and the big one (the island of Great Britain).

In French these areas are called "Bretagne" and "Grande Bretagne" - that is, "land of the Britons" and " big land Britons."

The Channel Islands owe their name to another region of France - Normandy. Normandy, in turn, began to be called so after the invasion of the Vikings, who were oppressed by the Vikings local residents called "Nortmanni" or "Normanni" - northern people. If you want to read a beautifully written history of these places, I recommend a good book by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov, A History of England.

The origin of the names of the Orkney and Hebrides islands is lost in the darkness of time. The Shetland Islands are part of Scotland and obviously owe their name to it. The name of the Isle of Man comes from a figure in Celtic mythology called "Manannán mac Lir" by the Irish and "Manawydan" by the Welsh.

Smoothly move on to political structure region.

As you can see on the multi-colored map, a smaller part of the islands is occupied by the Republic of Ireland, and the largest part is occupied by the state of Great Britain. Great Britain, in turn, consists of several parts.

The red part is England, the historical core of the kingdom. Blue - Scotland, a region inhabited by proud highlanders, which the British conquered for a long time and persistently and, in the end, took it into their tenacious hands. From a political point of view, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands are part of Scotland.

The principality of Wales is indicated in yellow, which previously had the name Wallis in Russian, and whose inhabitants are still called Welsh in Russian.

Finally, Northern Ireland is indicated in green - a sore spot for the British. Separatist sentiments are still very strong in Northern Ireland. If suddenly your name is Ira and you are flying to England, do not write your name on your suitcase in English letters. English police react to the acronym IRA - “Irish Republican Army” - very nervously.

Great Britain also includes the so-called “crown lands” - the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

The full name of the state of Great Britain is “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”, sometimes it is shortened to “United Kingdom”. In colloquial speech, it is also acceptable to call this state England or Britain - although bores will make comments to you every time you use these words to name the state.

When translating, you should remember that in English the terminology is slightly different from Russian. The term “Great Britain” means the island of Great Britain (England + Scotland + Wales), and the term “British Islands” means the state of Great Britain along with the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

It remains to mention two important facts.

Firstly, currently under the sovereignty of Great Britain there are 14 small territories evenly distributed in parts of the planet that are important from a military point of view - these are Gibraltar, Bermuda, Saint Helena and so on.

Secondly, the Queen of England is still the official monarch in 16 states of the so-called “Commonwealth”. The Commonwealth Kingdoms include, in particular, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and, of course, Great Britain itself.

Perhaps this is it short excursion you can finish studying the internal structure of the British Isles.

If you are now imbued with the romance of all these old castles, landgraves, free forest robbers and other feudal relics, I once again recommend the wonderful historical game “Kings Crusaders” from Paradoxes.

Many people believe that the terms "England" and "Great Britain" are interchangeable. But that's not true. In fact, England is only one region of a large island state, which is officially called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In colloquial speech, the country is more often called abbreviated as the United Kingdom or simply Great Britain.

Administrative division and features of geographical location

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an archipelago. Foreigners often confuse islands and administrative areas Kingdoms. But everything is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. Great Britain consists of the following islands:

Island of Great Britain. The largest landmass owned by the United Kingdom. There are three large regions here: England itself (the main political, historical and administrative center), Wales and Scotland. The name "Great Britain" is associated with the tribe of Britons who once inhabited the entire island. After the Anglo-Saxon invasion, some of the Britons went north to Scotland, and some crossed the English Channel and settled in northern France, in the area that is today called Brittany.
Part of the island of Ireland. Most of the island is occupied by an independent and independent state - the Republic of Ireland, and on its northern tip there are already possessions of the United Kingdom - an area called Northern Ireland.

In addition to the immediate territory of Great Britain, the crown lands and overseas territories are subordinate to London. Crown territories mean:

Channel Islands;
Isle of Man.

The administration of these lands can pursue independent internal policies, but only London has the right to decide all external issues.

Overseas territories are the fragments of the majestic and vast British Empire. After the collapse of the colonial system, Great Britain managed to retain the most strategically important areas. These include:

Falkland Islands;
Bermuda;
Virgin Islands;
Cayman Islands;
Gibraltar;
British Antarctica and a number of other territories.

Language shades

In English there are concepts:

"Great Britain" (literally - "Great Britain"), which is used in relation to the three main regions - England, Wales and Scotland.
“British Islands” is what the British call their entire kingdom, including the crown lands.
"England" is the name applied to one of the regions located on the island of Great Britain. For a long time, England was an independent kingdom, and in 1707 it was united with the kingdoms of Scotland and Wales.

Thus, residents of the United Kingdom draw a clear line between the name of the island that is part of the British archipelago, the name of their country and the name of a separate administrative unit.

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To determine the difference between the concepts of "Great Britain" and "England" it is necessary to compare the two names. The first one that immediately comes to mind is the one that combines both names English city London is a large center of the economic world and is the capital of the United Kingdom. More precisely, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - official name a state that includes, in addition to Ireland and Britain, a number of large and small islands, such as Bermuda and the Caymans.

This means that both names under consideration can be attributed more to colloquial speech. For example, Europeans often use only the abbreviation UK instead of full name states. Along with other regions, England is part of the UK, occupying more than half of its territory. Climatic features The location of the state in the North-West of the European part of the archipelago is characterized by an abundance of rain, and the summer temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius. Cold winters occur only in the northern and western territories. Small states conduct their financial flows through the economic institutions of the English capital. Having taken a leading position back in the Middle Ages, modern London is a recognized trendsetter in fashion and youth trends.

The main difference between the two concepts is the dominant position of Great Britain over England, which is its constituent part.

Great Britain in the world

The modern state is only a small spot on the world map, occupying 2% of the earth's surface. However, in its brightest times, the state owned a vast part of the world. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the largest on the planet. In addition to those previously listed, Great Britain included the following large territories like Australia, half of Africa, New Zealand, even the USA were part of the British colonies. Today, the country, washed by four seas, ranks 78th in the world in terms of area. Of these, more than 240 square kilometers are land and about 3 are occupied by the country’s internal waters. The southeast British coast is separated from northern France by the English Channel.

Build Great Britain

The UK is an active member of the UN Security Council.
Formally, the state is headed by a monarch.
In addition to the monarchy, the country is governed by a Prime Minister, a Cabinet of Ministers and two Houses of Parliament.
The main responsibility of both Chambers is to protect the rights and interests of:
The House of Lords protects the interests of the church, as well as representatives of the aristocracy. Also considering judicial appeals. Representatives of the House have the right to postpone laws. Places in the governing body are inherited. Only representatives of the church are appointed by the council of bishops.
The House of Commons elects its representatives for a five-year term by a general vote of the British constituencies. Being the initial level of government in the country, members of the House of Commons protect all segments of the population of the state.
The monarch has the right to extend the powers of parliament and the right to dissolve both chambers by announcing early elections.
From among the representatives included in parliament, a Cabinet of Ministers is appointed, heading the most important structures of the country.
After the current monarch, the main official representative The state is the Prime Minister. The Monarch approves his candidacy, giving the Prime Minister the right to independently act on behalf of the Queen in a number of issues.

England

Part of the United Kingdom, England's population accounts for more than 80% of the total population of Britain. Being rather a historical and geographical region of the country, the Region occupies more than half of the territory of Great Britain. The country includes about six of the largest cities in the UK, headed by the advanced and modern capital - London. The country's northern border runs along Scotland, and the west is adjacent to Wales. Occupying about 2/3 of the state, the territory of England is slightly more than 133 square kilometers. The eastern territories are predominantly marshy, the north of the country is more mountainous, but the main landscape is spread out over sloping hills.

Modern England has nine regions and forty-eight counties. Without having their own parliament, the main link in regional governance is the County Councils. In addition to farm development rural areas, the most important sectors of the economy are the development of high technologies. The sports industry and industrial production have also developed well. A striking example of technology is the Channel Tunnel, connecting Britain with the European continent.

Great Britain and England are frequently used names of countries in the media.

These are not two variants of the name of one country, but two different states, between which there is a certain difference.

United Kingdom(Russian name from English. Great Britain) or United Kingdom(United Kingdom, abbreviated UK), full official name - United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland(English T he United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), - island state, located in the northwest of continental Europe.

The political unification of Scotland and England (including Wales) led to the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.

The form of government is a parliamentary monarchy.

The state religion is the Anglican Church, Protestantism.

Form government structure- a unitary state, although Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales (3 historical provinces out of 4) have had rights of limited autonomy since the end of the 20th century.

Capital - London(English) London[ˈlʌndən]) - capital and largest city United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, one of largest cities Europe and one of the largest financial and economic centers in the world.

Official languages: English(actually), in Wales - Welsh.

The state religion is the Anglican Church, Protestantism.

Geographical location

The state is located on the British Isles (the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, as well as a large number of smaller islands and archipelagos, including the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland Islands, Anglesey, Arran, White) in Atlantic Ocean. It is washed by the North, Irish, Celtic and Hebridean seas. The English Channel separates the southeast coast of Great Britain from north coast France.

The area of Great Britain is 243,809 km²(78th in the world), of which land - 240,579 km², inland waters - 3,230 km².

UK government

Great Britain includes several large regions, with England representing the historical core of the Kingdom. State sovereignty extends to 14 territories - Bermuda, Gibraltar, St. Helena, Maine, Orkney, Hybrid, Channel Islands and others. Provinces: Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. Largest cities: Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Edinburgh. Formally, the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. Great Britain is one of the largest European countries. The high status of Great Britain among one of the largest European states is confirmed by the country's permanent membership in the UN Security Council and the presence of nuclear potential. The United Kingdom does not have a single legal system. The UK judiciary is guided in its activities by three judicial systems, in which there are significant differences: English law, Northern Irish law and Scottish law.

General information about England

England (eng. England [ˈɪŋɡlənd]) is a state (kingdom) within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Great Britain). The largest administrative and political part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. England's population makes up 84% of the UK's total population.

England became a unification of once warring kingdoms in 927. The name of the country comes from the name of one of the Germanic tribes that settled there in the 5th and 6th centuries - the Angles. The capital of England is London, the largest city in Great Britain.

England - place of origin English language and the Church of England, and English law forms the basis of the legal systems of many countries; in addition, London was the center of the British Empire, and the country was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. England was the first industrialized country in the world, as well as a parliamentary democracy whose constitutional, governmental and legal innovations were adopted by other nations and countries.

The Kingdom of England, including the Principality of Wales, was a separate state until May 1, 1707, when it united with Scotland to form the Kingdom of Great Britain.

England currently consists of 9 regions and 48 ceremonial counties. Play an important role in the English economy agriculture, industrial production, high-tech industry and sports industry. Form of government - parliamentary monarchy (no constitution, governed by the monarch, parliament and government of Great Britain). The state religion is Anglicanism. The names of the inhabitants are Englishman, Englishwoman, Englishmen.
Currency - pound sterling.
Telephone code - +44
Time zones are Greenwich Mean Time.

Geographical location

England occupies two thirds of the island of Great Britain. Territory - 133,396 km². The landscape of England consists mainly of rolling hills, becoming more mountainous towards the north. Highland and lowland terrain are conventionally divided along a line running between the mouth of the Teess River (Teesside) in the north-east and the mouth of the Exe River (Devon) in the south-west. To the east is low-lying marshland that has been largely drained for agricultural use.

In the north it borders with Scotland, in the west with Wales. The six largest cities in England (in descending order of population): London, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Liverpool and Manchester.

Thus, "Great Britain", or the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, is the name of the state, while England is the dominant region of Great Britain.

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