England

England is the largest and most populous of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom, occupying the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain. Its capital, London, is a global financial and cultural capital. England has shaped world history through its language, law, literature and the Industrial Revolution.

England ranges from the rolling chalk downs and fertile plains of the south to the Pennine hills, the Lake District fells and a long, varied coastline. The River Thames flows through London. The landscape is largely cultivated and densely populated, with a temperate maritime climate.

English culture has had a worldwide influence, from Shakespeare and the English language to football, the monarchy and afternoon tea. It blends deep historical tradition with a diverse, multicultural modern society centered on London and other great cities.

Unified as a kingdom by the 10th century and shaped by Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman influences, England became a dominant world power, building a vast empire and pioneering parliamentary democracy and industrialisation. It is the historic core of the United Kingdom.