Portal:England
The England portal
![]() |
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It 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.
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 has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century. 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. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation.
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 the United Kingdom. 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.
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. 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. (Full article...)
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most famous of these include H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre, The Mikado. The popularity of these works was supported for over a century by year-round performances of them, in Britain and abroad, by the repertory company that Gilbert, Sullivan and their producer Richard D'Oyly Carte founded, the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. These Savoy operas are still frequently performed in the English-speaking world and beyond.
Selected article -
Brown in 2009 |
General images
Canterbury lies on the River Great Stour |
Canterbury (/ˈkæntərb(ə)ri/ (listen), /-bɛri/) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
Did you know?
- ... that the 1643 Westminster Assembly, which was appointed by the Parliament of England to restructure the Church of England, produced the Westminster Confession, the foundation of the Presbyterian Church?
- ... that Declaration of Sports was a 1617 declaration of James I of England listing archery and dancing as permissible on Sundays and that Puritans in Parliament had it publicly burned in 1643?
- ... that Jemmy Button was a Yaghan from Tierra del Fuego who was bought for a mother-of-pearl button in 1830 and taken on HMS Beagle to meet the King and Queen of England?
In the news
- 25 January 2023 – Iran–European Union relations, Iran–United Kingdom relations
- Iran places sanctions on more than 30 UK and EU-affiliated individuals in a tit-for-tat response to a new round of sanctions by the European Union over the Mahsa Amini protests. Sanctioned individuals include UK Attorney General Victoria Prentis, UK Army Chief of Staff Sir Patrick Sanders, and three staff members of Charlie Hebdo. (RFE/RL)
- 16 January 2023 –
- Metropolitan Police Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection officer David Carrick pleads guilty to 49 offences, including 24 rapes, at Southwark Crown Court in London, UK. (BBC News)
- 14 January 2023 – Euston shooting
- Six people are injured by a mass drive-by shooting in London, United Kingdom. (BBC News)
- 13 January 2023 –
- The British government announces a ban on single-use plastic cutlery, plates, polystyrene cups, bowls, and balloon sticks in England beginning in October as part of an effort to reduce plastic pollution. The ban will apply to all retailers, takeaways, and food vendors. (BBC News)
- 9 January 2023 – British space programme
- Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne fails to reach the Low Earth orbit with a payload of several small satellites after the rocket suffered a second-stage engine anomaly on its ascent to space, resulting in the loss of the payload. The mission, which launched from Spaceport Cornwall in South West England, would have been the first rocket launched from United Kingdom territory. (AFP via Hindustan Times)
Selected featured content
Categories
Selected quotes
“ | I have seen much to hate here, much to forgive. But in a world where England is finished and dead, I do not wish to live. | ” |
Related WikiProjects
England • Bedfordshire • Brighton • Cheshire • Cornwall • Derbyshire • Dorset • Greater Manchester • Hampshire • Lincolnshire • London • Merseyside • Northamptonshire • North East England • Sheffield • Surrey. Warwickshire • West Midlands • Worcestershire • Yorkshire
Topics
Things you can do
- Please visit the English Wikipedians' notice board and help to write new England-related articles, and expand and improve existing ones.
- Visit Wikipedia:WikiProject England/Assessment, and help out by assessing unrated English articles.
- Add the Project Banner to English articles around Wikipedia.
- Check for announcements and open tasks for ways to improve English related articles.
- Help nominate and select new content for the England portal.
- Requested articles: Charterhouse Lane • Renewable energy in England • Ealing Village
- Expand: Dorothy Boyd • David Troughton
Related Portals
East Midlands | London | North East | North West | South East | South West | West Midlands | Yorkshire and the Humber |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Ireland | Northern Ireland | Scotland | United Kingdom | Wales |
Associated Wikimedia
The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
-
Commons
Free media repository -
Wikibooks
Free textbooks and manuals -
Wikidata
Free knowledge base -
Wikinews
Free-content news -
Wikiquote
Collection of quotations -
Wikisource
Free-content library -
Wikiversity
Free learning tools -
Wikivoyage
Free travel guide -
Wiktionary
Dictionary and thesaurus