‘A sense of place’

England, a country of patchwork landscapes: from the rugged coastlines and golden beaches of Devon and Cornwall, to the craggy mountains of the Peak District, the ancient forests riddled with folklore, to the picturesque Lake District, to great cities and to centuries-old villages of heart-warming charm. Woven into its fabric lies a rich-veined ‘Englishness’, earthed in a heritage of stone circles, Arthurian legend, Shakespeare, the triumphalist ego of a crumbling aristocracy, and the cocky independence of an island nation.

Vibrant, multicultural and contradictory, contemporary England is a place of extremes yet, at times, fiercely united. From the essential glories of London, Stratford, Gloucester and York, to the quirky delights of Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester, England’s cities are lively, buzzing places, where a love of nostalgia strains against a spirit of inventiveness.

Enjoy the unrivalled beauty of the Cotswolds and the Dales, but travel the byways of Northumberland, and church-laden Lincolnshire too. With time to spare, escape the tourist trails and wander over peaceful countryside, savour ‘real’ ale at a country pub, visit a traditional town market, or sample England’s ‘new-wave’ wines and a cosmopolitan cuisine that rivals any in the world. England today is welcoming, friendly, fascinating and fun, where pomp and circumstance balance the often bizarre idiosyncrasies of its people, and a sense of humour is the passport to certain acceptance.

Terry Marsh

For information on Government, religion, electricity, social conventions, passport and visa, money, duty free, health and business, see the main United Kingdom section.

130,281 sq km (50,356 sq miles).

50.1 million (official estimate 2004).

384.6 per sq km.

London. Population: 7.43 million (Greater London; official estimate 2004).

Much of the countryside is relatively flat, consisting of fertile plains and gentle hills. Mountains, moors and steeper hills are found mainly in the north and the west; the Lake District (Cumbria) and the northwest are divided from the Yorkshire Dales, and the northeast, by the (relatively) high-rising Pennines, ‘the backbone of England’. The eastern part of the country, particularly East Anglia, is the lowest lying. The coastline is varied, and ranges from long stretches of sandy beaches to steep cliffs and isolated rocky coves.

English. The multiplicity of local dialects throughout the country, overlaid with class, and town and country accents, makes English a language of astonishing diversity – words and forms of syntax which are obsolete in the southeast may often be found elsewhere. In the larger cities, particularly London, there are many communities who do not speak English as a first language (or who have a patois – originating outside of this country – which adds yet more variety to the English language).