England: introduction to english people, country & culture

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An introduction to England


Sections:	England
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Related pages:	Scotland; Wales; Ireland

ENGLAND

	England (photo book) Authors: Rob Talbot, Robin Whiteman Publisher: Weidenfeld Nicolson Illustrated Date: April 2001		The Pilot Guide To England (video: VHS PAL) Presenter: Justine Shapiro Publisher: Pilot Guides
	The Most Beautiful Villages of England Authors: James Bentley, Hugh Palmer Publisher: Thames & Hudson Date: March 1999		English Experiences Authors: Susan Briggs Publisher: Metro Publications Date: January 2003
	English Language, Life & Culture Authors: Anne Fraenkel, Richard Haill, Seamus Oriordan Publisher: McGraw-Hill Companies Date: November 2002		The Xenophobe's Guide to the English Authors: Antony Miall, D. Milsted Publisher: Oval Books (book information) Date: April 1999
	Watching the English Author: Kate Fox Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Paperbacks Date: April 2005

England is located in the southern part of Great Britain. To get an impression of the country and its culture, see the English Tourist Board's website: http://www.visitengland.org.uk. The country has produced many famous pop singers and groups, including the Beatles, Queen, Elton John and Oasis. The national sport is football: famous current football players include David Beckham and Michael Owen. English actors and actresses include Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet and Dame Judi Dench. There are many areas of attractive scenery, including Dartmoor, Exmoor, the South Downs, the New Forest, the Broads, the Peak District, the Yorkshire Dales, the North York Moors, the Lake District and Northumberland. The national emblem of England is the rose, and the patron saint is St George.

England Population (2001): 49.1 million Area: 130,000 square kilometres Capital city: London Currency: British Pound (GBP, Pounds Sterling)	Saint George's Cross Buy postcard
Map of England	Buckingham Palace

The name England comes from the words "Angle land". The Angles were people who came from northern Germany in the 5th and 6th centuries, after the Romans had left. The French name for England is Angleterre, which also means "Angle land". There were also invasions of southern England by Saxons and Jutes (people from another part of northern Germany). English people are sometimes called Anglo-Saxons. The Celts who used to live in this area were forced to move back into Scotland, Ireland, Cornwall and into Western France (the area known as Brittany).

England at first became a series of kingdoms, the strongest of which was Wessex (the name comes from West-Saxon). The names of many of the regions in England come from this period - for example: the name Sussex comes from South-Saxon, Essex from East-Saxon, and East Anglia from East-Angle. The Vikings then came from Denmark, before the Normans invaded from France. Eventually England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland were united, forming the United Kingdom. The government for the United Kingdom is based in London (the Houses of Parliament). This assembly includes politicians from all parts of the United Kingdom, although recently some local assemblies have also been created in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The English language is the main language spoken throughout England, although there are many different regional accents. It can be difficult to know how to spell or to pronounce some English words, because the language has been influenced by Latin and Greek (languages used at the time of the Romans, and used in religion and education until recent times), German (the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes), French (the language of the Normans), Gaelic/Scots (Celtic languages) and Danish (the language of the Vikings). There are now many people throughout the United Kingdom who speak a foreign language either as their first or second language, mainly due to immigration from Europe or the Commonwealth (countries which used to be part of the British Empire).

For more information about English history, see: Britain/History
For regional English news and current affairs, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/england.

Stonehenge
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LINKS

Tours in England (including many photos): Travel/Tours/England

Photos from London on St George's Day: Ideas/Events/StGeorgesDay
British pop music: Britain/Music
British films: Britain/Films
British food: Britain/Food

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