England
Land of the Angles, birthplace of football and the Industrial Revolution.
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. England shares a land border with Scotland to the north and another land border with Wales to the west, and is surrounded by the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the south-west, and the Irish Sea to the west. Continental Europe lies to the south-east, and Ireland to the west. The population was 56,490,048 according to the 2021 census, with nine million inhabitants in its largest city, London.
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- World Cup, European Championship
Lore & Background
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Paleolithic. It takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in the 10th century and has had extensive cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. The Kingdom of England, which included Wales after 1535, ceased to be a separate sovereign state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union brought into effect a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland, forming the Kingdom of Great Britain.
In Their Own Story
The air inside Wembley in 1968 was thick with anticipation as the Italian squad faced England for the European title. The initial match ended level, leading to a replay where every tackle felt heavier and every pass more critical. As the clock ticked down on a rain-swept pitch, the tension was palpable; one moment of brilliance from an Azzurri defender or a strike by an English forward would define generations. When the final whistle confirmed Italy's triumph, the roar of the Italian fans echoed across London, cementing a victory that would be cherished forever.
Reader's Guide
England's terrain chiefly consists of low hills and plains, especially in the centre and south. Upland and mountainous terrain is mostly found in the north and west, including Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Pennines, and the Shropshire Hills. The London 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, 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.
Did You Know?
- England is the origin of association football.
- The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England.
- England is home to the University of Oxford, founded in 1096, and the University of Cambridge, founded in 1209.
- The name 'England' is derived from the Old English name meaning 'land of the Angles'.
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