England Fact File
Location: England is located on the island known as Great Britain. It is part of the United Kingdom (along with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). The country of England also includes more than 100 smaller islands (such as: The Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly).
Capital: London (also England’s largest city)
Population: 53 million (approx)
Area: 130,395 km sq
Currency: Pound Sterling
Official Language: English
The Flag of England
Known as the St George’s Cross (after the patron saint of England), the design has been used as a naval ensign since the 1500s, but it doesn’t have any official status. The St George’s Cross is incorporated into the design of the Union Flag (the Union Jack), the official flag of the United Kingdom.
Other Facts About England
- The lands of modern-day England have been settled by numerous different groups of people throughout history, such as: The Celts, the Romans, the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes, the Danes (Vikings) and the Normans.
- England is divided into 48 ceremonial counties, and more than 80 counties for the purpose of organising local government.
- At its closest point, England is only 21 miles from the coast of France. England and France are connected by the Channel Tunnel.
- The River Thames is the longest river flowing entirely in the country of England.
- The highest point in England is Scafell Pike in Cumbria. It is 978 metres high.
- Some of the largest cities in England, include: London (the capital), Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Bristol and Brighton.
- The Bank of England was started in 1694 by William Paterson (from Scotland).
- Many of the world’s greatest scientists were born in England, including: Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle and Charles Darwin.
- England was the ‘birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and many inventors and engineers, such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, were English.
- English inventions include: the industrial spinning machine, the first computer, HTML, the World Wide Web, the seat belt and the hovercraft.
- Passenger railways were started in England.
- St George is the patron saint of England and St George’s Day is on 23rd April.
- About one quarter of English people have no religion.
- English food is often described as simple, and traditional meals include: roast meat (beef, lamb, pork or chicken) usually eaten on Sundays, fish and chips, English breakfast (sausages, bacon, fried bread, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs and black pudding) and meat pies.
- Cheddar cheese comes from England.
- William Shakespeare is probably the most well-known English writer, but England has produced many other outstanding authors, such as: Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, Lewis Carroll, George Orwell, Virginia Woolf and J. R. R. Tolkien (to name but a few).
- England has produced some of the most influential and important bands and pop artists, including: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and The Who.
- Sport is very popular in England, and many sports originated in England or were developed by the English, such as: football (soccer), cricket, rugby, tennis, badminton, snooker, boxing, darts and netball.
- The English football team won the World Cup in 1966.
What next? Discover some facts about London (England’s capital city).
