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Revision as of 20:58, 14 September 2002 by 217.32.117.214 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)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.
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.
The UK government resides in its 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, accept either name at any time.) Other emblems include the Tudor rose and the 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"), dates back to 900 A.D. 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
Literature
Politics
Sport
National parks (England and Wales)
Sources: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/gb.html#nam
See also: List of kings of England