England is the largest country in the United Kingdom. The UK consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Nearly 84% of the population of the UK lives in England, mainly in the major cities and metropolitan areas.
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, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. 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. England is only 35 km from France and is now linked by a tunnel under the English Channel.
SYMBOLS OF ENGLAND
The red rose is widely recognized as the national flower of England.
CULTURE
England's distinctive culture, habits, values and traditions have been enriched by successive waves of immigration. England's history as a nation goes far back in time, and its influence has reached across the world. England boasts great writers including Shakespeare, Dikens and Jane Austen, whose literary tradition is maintained today by authors such as Julian Barnes, A S Byatt and Harold Pinter.
The creativity and inventiveness of such brilliant architects and engineers as Wren, Paxton, Brunel and Lutyens has been recognized around the world. Lord Foster is among those who continue that great tradition today.
PLACES
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, the entire island of Great Britain, or indeed the British Isles. 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. England is only 35 km from France and is now linked by a tunnel under the English Channel.
SYMBOLS OF ENGLAND
The red rose is widely recognized as the national flower of England.
CULTURE
England's distinctive culture, habits, values and traditions have been enriched by successive waves of immigration. England's history as a nation goes far back in time, and its influence has reached across the world. England boasts great writers including Shakespeare, Dikens and Jane Austen, whose literary tradition is maintained today by authors such as Julian Barnes, A S Byatt and Harold Pinter.
The creativity and inventiveness of such brilliant architects and engineers as Wren, Paxton, Brunel and Lutyens has been recognized around the world. Lord Foster is among those who continue that great tradition today.
PLACES
v Tower of London
For over 900 years the Tower of London has been one of the capital's most prominent landmarks and a world-famous visitor attraction. Throughout its long history, the Tower has served as a royal palace and fortress, prison and place of execution, an arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house.
v Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is one of the oldest buildings in London and one of the most important religious centres in the country. Many kings and Queens and famous people are buried or commemorated there. Its founder, Edward the Confessor, was made a saint after his death and he is buried in a special chapel dedicated to him. Every King and Queen has been crowned in Westminster Abbey since William the Conqueror in 1066.
v The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)
The Palace of Westminster, known also as the Houses of Parliament, is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the laws governing British life are debated and passed.
The Queen rides in a State coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament, usually in the second week in November.
From the middle of the 11th century until 1512, the Palace of Westminster was the royal home to the Kings and Queens of England, hence the name.
The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) contain the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.
v Big Ben
Big Ben is one of the most famous landmarks in the world. The clock tower is situated on the banks of the river Thames and is part of the Palace of Westminster.
Officially "Big Ben" does not refer to the whole clocktower (also known as St Stephen's Tower), but to the huge thirteen ton bell that strikes the hour. The Big Ben bell has the following measurements:9'-0" diameter, 7'-6" high, and weighs 13 tons 10 cwts 3 qtrs 15lbs (13,760 Kg)
v Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace is one of the most popular landmarks in London. It is the London home of the British Royal family. The 600 room palace is surrounded by a 40 acre garden.40,000 tulips are planted each year in front of Buckingham palace.
v Canary Wharf Tower
The Tallest building in the UK is in Canary Wharf, part of the London Docklands. One Canada Square, known as the Canary Wharf Tower, is 244 metres high and covered in stainless steel.
v St Paul's Cathedral
The first St Paul's Cathedral was built in 604 AD but burnt down in 675. The rebuilt cathedral was again burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
The present St Paul's Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren.
The photo on the left shows the main entrance to St Pauls. You can see the distinctive dome of St Paul's from miles away. The dome of St Pauls Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter's in Rome. At the dome's base is the Whispering Gallery. A whisper to the wall on one side can be heard on the other.
v The Millenium Dome
The Millennium Dome in London is the largest dome in the world, covering over 180 acres; it is 320m in diameter and 50m high with support towers reaching 100m. It can accomodate Nelson's Column standing upright and the Eiffel Tower placed horizontally. It was built on the Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees longitude) to commemorate the new millennium.
v The London Eye
The London Eye, next to County Hall, is another of London’s most modern landmarks. It is the world’s biggest ferris wheel, and will carry 800 passengers at a time on a thirty-minute ride. From its highest point of 450 feet, it promises views of up to 25 miles.
v 30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe opened on 27 April 2004, although its official opening was not until the end of May 2004. Infamously known as 'the Gherkin' due to its 3D oval shape, it is one of the first landmarks to become visible when you're travelling into London from many different places. The outside of the building consists of 24,000 square metres of glass arranged in diamond-shaped panes.
v Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square was built in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson after his victory in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalgar. Britain's most famous sea Lord, Nelson died in this famous battle against Napoleon.
The Monument was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and erected between 1671 and 1677, it commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666. The tower is 62m high and 62m away from the baker's shop in Pudding Lane, where the fire began. There are 311 stairs to the top of the monument where you can step out onto the viewing platform for an all round view of the City of London.
MONEY
The British currency is the pound sterling. The sign for the pound is . GBP = Great British Pound
We do not use the Euro. Although a few of the big shops will accept Euro, it is rarely used across Britain.
FOOD
v Pies the England
Pies are very popular in England. Pies are a baked dish consisting of a filling such as chopped meat or fruit enclosed in or covered with pastry.
Favourite meat (savoury) pies include:
Pork pie
A pork pie consists of pork and pork jelly in a hot water crust pastry and is normally eaten cold. Recipe Steak and Kidney pie
A traditional English dish consisting of a cooked mixture of chopped beef, kidneys, onions, mushrooms and beef stock. This mixture is placed in a pie or casserole dish, covered with a pastry crust and baked until crisp and brown.
Cornish pastie / Cornish pasty
A type of pie, originating in Cornwall, South West England. It is an oven-cooked pastry case traditionally filled with diced meat - nowadays beef mince (ground beef) or steak - potato, onion and swede. It has a semicircular shape, caused by folding a circular pastry sheet over the filling. One edge is crimped to form a seal.
Stargazy Pie
Herrings are cooked whole in a pie with their heads looking skyward and tails in the middle.
Favourite fruit (sweet) pies include:
· Apple pie
· Rhubarb pie,
· Blackberry pie,
· A mixture of fruits such as apple and rhubarb or apple and blackberry.
WHEATER
Britain is an island country and the surrounding sea gives England a varied climate. We never know what the weather will be like from one day to the other. It can be sunny one day and rainy the next. As we have such a variable climate changing from day to day, it is difficult to predict the weather. In general we have warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the continent, but the winters are milder.
Best months to travel to England
Probably the best months to travel in England are May, June, September and October. These months generally have the most pleasant temperatures and less rain. July and August are the warmest months, but they are also the wettest. The sunniest parts of the Britain are along the south coast of England.
2007 - June and July have been the wettest months we have had for years. Many places have been flooded. August is turning out to be hot and dry.
LONDON
London is the capital of England and of the United Kingdom, is by any standard one of the greatest cities in the world. It has a population of over eight million people with a multitude of social and cultural backgrounds, and it occupies over 600 square miles.
London was the biggest port of the world's greatest trading nation for a period of 400 years between the 16th and the 20th centuries. It was the hub of that trade and the center of the British Empire.
London today remains at the center of the world's commercial and financial stage, and still plays host to the mother of parliaments and a centuries-old monarchy. In May 2003 the Government announced its support for London's bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.
