ABOUT ENGLAND
England is 74 times smaller than the USA,
59 times smaller than Australia and
3 times smaller than Japan.
59 times smaller than Australia and
3 times smaller than Japan.
Where is England?
England is in north-west Europe and is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is an island country and also part of the United Kingdom (UK) .
England is the largest country in Great Britain and the UK. It is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK. (Nationality of the British people).
Nearly 84% of the population of the UK lives in England, mainly in the major cities and metropolitan areas.
Why and how does England dominate the UK?
England contains about 84% of the UK population.
Find out more about the UK population.
The capital of the UK is in England
The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in the United Kingdom is London.
London is also is the capital of England.
All of Great Britain has been ruled by the UK government in London since 1707. (In 1999 the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales took place leaving England as the only part of the Great Britain with no devolved assembly or parliament.)
English is the official language of the UK and the first language of the vast majority of the population. Both Wales and Scotland land have their own languages but English is spoken in both countries more.
Find out more about the languages spoken in the UK.
The principle behind British democracy is that the people elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons in London at a general election, held no more than five years apart. Most MPs belong to a political party, and the party with the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons forms the government.
Houses of Parliament
The House of Commons has 659 members who have been elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called MPs (Members of Parliament). Each MP represents one of 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member of a political party, such as New Labour or the Conservative party.
The Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws.
Interesting Fact
No King or Queen has entered the House of Commons since 1642, when Charles l stormed in with his soldiers and tried to arrest five members of Parliament who were there.
Houses of Parliament
(Photograph taken from across the river.)
The Houses of Parliament is also called the Palace of Westminster and was a royal palace. The last monarch to live here,Henry VIII, moved out in 1512. Parliament has met in the Palace of Westminster since around 1550.
Where and what is Great Britain?
Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdomof Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the UK for short.
If you look at the full name of the UK, you will see that the UK includes Great Britain AND Northern Ireland.
The name Britain goes back to Roman times when they called England and Wales "Britannia" (or "Britannia Major", to distinguished from "Britannia Minor", ie Brittany in France). The Roman province of Britannia only covered the areas of modern England and Wales. The area of modern Scotland was never finally conquered.
Origins of the names
United Kingdom (The uniting of kingdoms)
The 'United Kingdom of Great Britain' was formed in 1707 by the Act of Union that created a single kingdom with a single Parliament. (Scotland has always retained its own legal system)
A hundred years later the Act of Union of 1801 joined Ireland to 'Great Britain' and the name "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" was first used. (Since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom and so the name changed).
England is in north-west Europe and is in the southern part of Great Britain. It is an island country and also part of the United Kingdom (UK) .
England is the largest country in Great Britain and the UK. It is sometimes, wrongly, used in reference to the whole United Kingdom, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. This is not only incorrect but can cause offence to people from other parts of the UK. (Nationality of the British people).
Nearly 84% of the population of the UK lives in England, mainly in the major cities and metropolitan areas.
Does England have its own government?
England has not had a separate political identity since 1707, when Great Britain was established as a political entity. There is no government or parliament just for England.
How far is England from mainland Europe?
England is only 35 km from France and is now linked by a tunnel under the English Channel.
What is the land like in England?
The south of England is mostly low-lying land, with hills and agricultural land and the north of England is mostly covered in moorland and mountains.
The National Flag of England
Why and how does England dominate the UK?
This page looks at why people may think that England is the UK or is Great Britain. This is of course is untrue, but is a common thought by many people overseas.
England is the biggest country in the UK
England is a country in the UK and occupies most of the southern two thirds of Great Britain. The total area of England is 130,410 sq km (50, 352 sq mi).England contains about 84% of the UK population.
Find out more about the UK population.
The capital of the UK is in England
The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in the United Kingdom is London.
London is also is the capital of England.
All of Great Britain has been ruled by the UK government in London since 1707. (In 1999 the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales took place leaving England as the only part of the Great Britain with no devolved assembly or parliament.)
The English language comes from England
As it names suggest, the English language, today spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, originated as the language from England, where it remains the principal tongue today.English is the official language of the UK and the first language of the vast majority of the population. Both Wales and Scotland land have their own languages but English is spoken in both countries more.
Find out more about the languages spoken in the UK.
The British Royal family live in England
The Royal family live in London.
Who runs the UK?
The British government runs the UK. The leader of the government is the Prime Minister.
Parliamentary democracy
Great Britain (UK) is a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional Monarch as Head of State.The principle behind British democracy is that the people elect Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons in London at a general election, held no more than five years apart. Most MPs belong to a political party, and the party with the largest number of MPs in the House of Commons forms the government.
Houses of Parliament
For the first time since 1707, the people of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have more say over what happens in their countries, the UK Parliament has devolved (given away) some of its powers to other national and regional bodies. It is only England, that doesn't have its own parliament. Issues that effect England are decided by the UK government, which consists of MPs from all over the UK.
The British Parliament
We live in a democratic country, which means we all have a say in how the country is run. Parliament represents the people. It is where we send our chosen representatives to represent our views in the House of Commons.
The Queen is the official Head of State. Britain has a constitutional monarchy where the Queen only rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to Parliament. So, although the Queen 'opens' Parliament each year and laws are passed in her name, the Queen herself plays no part in determining decisions made in Parliament.
The Queen has the final say on whether a bill becomes law.
The last Monarch to reject a law that was wanted by both Houses of Parliament was Queen Anne. She died in 1715.
The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws to make sure they are fair and will work.
The British Parliament
We live in a democratic country, which means we all have a say in how the country is run. Parliament represents the people. It is where we send our chosen representatives to represent our views in the House of Commons.
What is Parliament?
Parliament is where politicians (MPs) meet to decide laws and make decisions for the United Kingdom. It is not the same as the Government (which runs the country). One of the jobs Parliament does is to check that the Government is running the country properly.
What is the job of Parliament?
The main functions of Parliament are:- to pass laws
- to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government
- to scrutinise government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure
- to debate the major issues of the day
- The Queen
- The House of Lords
- The House of Commons
The Queen
The Queen is the official Head of State. Britain has a constitutional monarchy where the Queen only rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to Parliament. So, although the Queen 'opens' Parliament each year and laws are passed in her name, the Queen herself plays no part in determining decisions made in Parliament.The Queen has the final say on whether a bill becomes law.
The last Monarch to reject a law that was wanted by both Houses of Parliament was Queen Anne. She died in 1715.
The House of Lords
The House of Lords is made up of people who have inherited family titles and those who have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another. There are 675 members of the Lords.The main job of the House of Lords is to 'double check' new laws to make sure they are fair and will work.
The House of Commons
The House of Commons has 659 members who have been elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament. The members are called MPs (Members of Parliament). Each MP represents one of 659 constituencies (areas) in the UK and is a member of a political party, such as New Labour or the Conservative party.The Commons is the most important place for discussing policies and making laws.
Interesting Fact
No King or Queen has entered the House of Commons since 1642, when Charles l stormed in with his soldiers and tried to arrest five members of Parliament who were there.
Houses of Parliament
The House of Lords and the House of Commons meet in the Houses of Parliament, located next to the River Thames in London.
(Photograph taken from across the river.)
There are more than 1,000 rooms and more than two miles of corridors!
 The clock tower is the most photographed part of the Houses of Parliament. It houses five bells. The biggest and most famous bell is called Big Ben. |  |
 |  |  |
Where and what is Great Britain?
Where is Great Britain?
Great Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom.
What is Great Britain?
Great Britain is the official name given to the two kingdoms of England and Scotland, and the principality of Wales.
Great Britain is made up of:
- England - The capital is London.
- Scotland - The capital is Edinburgh .
- Wales - The capital is Cardiff.
Great Britain is divided into small regions called counties.
Is Great Britain the same as the UK?
No, Great Britain and the United Kingdom refer to different areas.Great Britain is very often, but incorrectly, used as a synonym for the sovereign state properly known as the United Kingdomof Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the UK for short.
If you look at the full name of the UK, you will see that the UK includes Great Britain AND Northern Ireland.
 |  |
Great Britain
|
United Kingdom
|
Great Britain is a political term which describes the combination of England, Scotland, and Wales, the three nations which together include all the land on the island. It is also a geographical term referring to the island on which the greater parts of England, Wales and Scotland are situated.
|  |  |
Great Britain has an area of 229,850 km² (88,745 sq. mi.) and is the largest island of the British Isles.
Is Great Britain the same as Britain?
Sometimes people use the shorten name Britain instead of Great Britain, to mean the same thing, but really Britain only refers to England and Wales.The name Britain goes back to Roman times when they called England and Wales "Britannia" (or "Britannia Major", to distinguished from "Britannia Minor", ie Brittany in France). The Roman province of Britannia only covered the areas of modern England and Wales. The area of modern Scotland was never finally conquered.
Origins of the names
Britain
Britain was the name made popular by the Romans when they came to the British islands.
England
England used to be known as Engla land, meaning the land of the Angles, people from continental Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and Jute.
Great Britain
The term Great Britain was first used during the reign of King James I of England (James VI of Scotland) in 1603, to refer to the separate kingdoms of England and Scotland. on the same landmass, that were ruled over by the same monarch. Despite having the same monarch, both kingdoms kept their own parliaments.United Kingdom (The uniting of kingdoms)
The 'United Kingdom of Great Britain' was formed in 1707 by the Act of Union that created a single kingdom with a single Parliament. (Scotland has always retained its own legal system)
A hundred years later the Act of Union of 1801 joined Ireland to 'Great Britain' and the name "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" was first used. (Since 1921 only Northern Ireland has been part of the United Kingdom and so the name changed).
No comments:
Post a Comment