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Revision as of 18:23, 23 December 2002
File:England flag.jpg
Saint George's flag
England is the largest and most densely populated of the countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is often incorrectly used as a synomym for Great Britain or the United Kingdom by some, which offends the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish. The name "England" derived from "Angle-land," referring to the Angles who settled on the island in the 5th century.
It comprises most of the southern half of the island of Great Britain, bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. According to the 2001 census the population was 49,138,831.
The UK government resides in England's capital city, London. The British royal family also maintains residence in London.
The English flag, known as the Cross of St George is a red cross on a white background. The English flag is combined with Scotland's Cross of St. Andrew (white diagonal cross on blue field) and Ireland's Cross of St. Patrick (red diagonal celtic cross on white background) to form the Union Flag, the flag of the United Kingdom. (The flag is often referred to as the Union Jack, which some people hold to be erroneous unless it is flying from a ship. The British Admiralty, however, accepts either name at any time.) Heraldic emblems include the Tudor rose and three lions.
Blighty is an affectionate, if rarely heard, term for England, having fallen from use in recent years. It was a slang term used by English soldiers in India, derived from a Hindustani phrase, bila yati, meaning "foreign" (especially European).
England is also sometimes referred to by its inhabitants as "this Green and Pleasant Land", after William Blake's poem Jerusalem.
The name "Albion," in reference to the white cliffs (Latin alba means "white"), was used by Pliny the Elder, Ptolemy, and other writers of the first century AD. The Marquis de Ximenés, an 18th century diplomat, is credited with coining the phrase La perfide Albion, or "perfidious Albion", which is still heard from the French -- also an affectionate term, in its own way.
English Football League teams (Soccer)
Shakespeare
Cities
Local government -- region, county, unitary authority, London borough, district
English Law
Food and Drink
Government
History of England
British Monarchs
English literature
Politics
Sport
National parks (England and Wales)
See also: List of Monarchs of England