England

England lies to the northwest of Continental Europe. Its capital city is London, which again holds the distinction of being Great Britain’s largest city. It is also the largest city in the European Union. England’s population constitutes more than 85% of the United Kingdom’s total population. England’s mainland territory accounts for most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain. It shares common borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. Its other borders comprise of the North Sea, the Irish Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the English Channel. The map of England is available online.

The name ’England’ derives from the word ’Angleland’, which has its origin in the German Angles tribe that occupied it during the fifth and sixth centuries. In the tenth century, England became a unified state.

On May 1 1707, the Kingdom of England merged with the Kingdom of Scotland and became the Kingdom of Great Britain. Until then, it was a separate state. The English Reformation involved the abolishment of the Roman Catholic Church’s external authority and the establishment of Royal Supremacy. The process, which began during the reign of Henry VIII, vested Supreme Governance in the English monarch.

England has been central to an enormous amount of cultural development, and it is the birthplace of the English language. It also introduced the English legal system, from which the legal systems of many other countries derive. The British Empire spread its considerable influence from England, as did the Industrial Revolution. In fact, England was the first country in the world to see actual industrialization and the world’s first parliamentary democracy. It has served as a model for various constitutional, governmental and legal innovations now actively employed in other countries. England is a favourite holiday destination.