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England |
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England is the largest political division (50,327 square miles) of the British Isles. The country's northern boundary extends from the Solway Firth to the North Sea, along the crest of the Cheviot Hills and the lower course of the River Tweed. The other land boundary, with Wales, follows an irregular course in a general southerly direction from the mouth of the River Dee to the Severn estuary, near to Cardiff. However, the greater proportion of England's limits is bounded by the sea, which has served the country well, throughout her history, as a means of communication with the world, and also as a protective barrier in times of trouble. After the departure of the Romans, three tribes from the continent - the Angles, Saxons and Jutes invaded the country, and gradually their descendants became amalgamated. By the 10th century, the King of Wessex had conquered the other two kingdoms, Mercia and Northumbria, and assumed the title of King of England. For a short time England became a part of the Danish Empire, but the Norman conquest, in 1066, firmly established the unity of the country. Since that time there have been no further foreign invasions; the threats of Philip of Spain, Napoleon and Hitler were curbed by the sea barrier. The Anglo-Saxons were responsible for the sub-division of the country into the forty-six counties (or shires), which are the bases of local administration. Large towns gradually became independent, and now, as county boroughs, are responsible for their own affairs. |
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The population of England in Roman times has been estimated at about
one million; during the Middle Ages, and until the end of the 17th century,
the total was about five million, except during times of famine and plague,
but the Industrial Revolution caused a rapid increase. The census of 1971
recorded 45,870,062 people in England.
A large proportion of the population is concentrated into three great conurbations centred on Manchester, Birmingham and London. The provincial areas of dense settlement are a result of intensive industrial activities, particularly textile production and engineering. England is unable to grow enough food for her requirements, even though 68 per cent of the total area is productive agricultural land. This has made the country rely on imported foodstuffs and, to pay for these, manufactured goods are exported. Thus foreign trade, vital to England's well-being, has developed with the United States, the Commonwealth countries, many of the neighbouring States of Europe and elsewhere in the world. [Dartmoor] [Recipe] [Edinburgh] [Eire] [Essex] |