England

England is the largest and most popular country of the UK.

The largest and also the capital city is London.

The official language is English. The area of England is 130 395 km². The population of England is

49,138,831 The population density in England is

388.7 / km ². Its inhabitants account for more than

85% of the total UK population. Currency is British Pound, which is

divided into pence

History of EnglandHistory of England is similar to the history of Britain until the invasion of Saxons. In prehistoric times stone circles at Stonehenge were built. In the heyday of the Roman Empire,the Romans ruled Britain. Later Anglo-Saxons came here. In the period around the year 800, the island became a targetfor Viking raids. England conquered Wales in the 13th century. From the 15th century, the country receives a significant cultural and legal impact in the world. English, Anglican Church andthe law became the basis of many social systems. During the Renaissance Tudors ruled England. In the 18th century, they were united with Scotland. And in the 19th century Great Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland.

Climate of England

The British Isles are in the temperate zone and the climate is influenced by the the Atlantic ocean

and its Gulf Stream. They have cool winters and warm summers with frequent rains. The sky is mostly

overcast and fogs are very common.There are big differences between  the temperatures in winter and in summer. Most of the year, temperatures

range between 10 and 20 degrees.

The political systemThe political system is a constitutional

Monarchy. Head of State is Queen – Elizabeth II. The U.K. has got the Prime Minister

and he is David Herbert Cameron.

Big citiesThe second largest city is Birmingham. Other large and important cities include

Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Bristol, Coventry, Leicester,

Nottingham and Hull, situated mostly in central and northern England.

The 2nd largest port of England is the Port of London.

GeographyEngland comprises most of the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, in addition to a number of small islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight. England is bordered to the

north by Scotland and to the west by Wales.In Lake District National Park is England's highest

mountain - Scaffell Pike (978 m)There are many places, which you have to visit,

when you come to England:

Sherwood forestSherwood Forest is a royal forest, which is linked with the legend of Robin Hood. Sherwood Forest is also another place where we can see the famous Major Oak, which was according to local folklore, a major hiding place of Robin Hood. Old oak can be 800 to 1000 years old. Sherwood Forest area was limited to 423 hectares, which are spread around the village of Edwinstowe. .

StonehengeStonehenge is a sophisticated temple built between 2950

to 1600 BC. It is located in southern England. This building has been a mystery for centuries.

The biggest mystery was that stones are too heavy. Larger megaliths weighed

almost 50 tons. Scientists still do not know precisely what Stonehenge was designed for , they certainly can not say either

whether it was really the work of man.

Big BenClock Tower was built by the architect Sir Charles

Barry in the reconstruction of the original Westminster

Palace, which was destroyed in large fire in 1834. 93

meters high clock tower that is on

the north-eastern end of Westminster Palace or

the main bell (Big Ben), has become

one of the typical symbols of London.

Watches are famous for their precision,

despite the fact that their author was

a watchmaker - amateur Edmund Backett.

Tower Bridge Tower Bridge over the River Thames stands next to the fort the Tower of London under which it is named. It´s 65 meters tall , built in the Gothic style. Bridge construction began in 1886, lasted eight years and cost approximately one millionpounds. Bridge was opened in 1894 by the Prince of Wales. Bridge is lifted about 500 times in a year.

Tower of LondonWilliam the Conqueror built white marble White Tower, which is at the heart of historic buildings. The building was at first used as the strength, then as a prison, but there was a torture room, scaffold, or armory too. Inside, carefully hidden and protected by the typical Beefeaters in red uniforms are British crown jewels, the most precious treasures of London.

Piccadilly CircusIs bordered by the main shopping and entertainment centres. It has exclusive position in the heart of West End and is one of the busiest traffic intersections, Piccadilly Circus is a popular and attractive tourist attraction. The square is known mainly because of neon signs – billboards are "decorating" buildings since the early 20th century.

Westmister AbbeyOfficially also a collegiate church of St. Peter is a Gothic cathedral building. It is located near Westminster Palace, seat of the British Parliament. Abbey is the traditional place of coronation and final resting place of British monarchs. In addition to the kings nearly 400 other celebrities of English history had been buried there (Newton, Dickens...)

St. Paul´s CathedralSt Paul `s Cathedral is located on Ludgate Hill in London. The seat of the Archbishop of London. The current building is the fourth St Paul's Cathedral in the same place(above destroyed by fire, started to decay, or have been rebuilt). The main part of the interior of the cathedral is dedicated to a member of the British Army. The last major ceremony organized there by the British royal family was the royal wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.

Trafalgar SquareTrafalgar Square is located in central London. It is named after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, which was won by the British navy led by Horatio Nelson. It was first used as the king's stables. Around 1845, it was given the current form. On the square you will find several important buildings .Trafalgar Square is a major tourist attraction. A favourite activity of tourists and Londoners were feeding the pigeons, which led to the massive outbreak. At the present they are located around 35 000 and pollute the square.

The British LibraryThe British Library is located on a busy London street, Euston Road. It was opened for the public in 1998 as the most expensive public building in Britain at that time. Among the largest library in the world in her collection is more than 150 million U.S. artifacts in all world languages -13000000 books, 920,000 magazines and newspapers, 57 million patents, 3 million sound recordings. Every year more than 3 million items will be added to the library.

Famous people of England

Historical figures• Queen Victoria - she sat on the throne 64 years andbecame the ruler of a huge empire. In memory of Britons isthis period as a golden age imprint. Britain was the master of the world, it prospered and grew.

• Sir Thomas More-was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman,. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and was Lord Chancellor from October 1529 to 16 May 1532. He wrote an "utopia" – he gave a name to the ideal and imaginary island nation, the political system of which he described in Utopia published in 1516.

• Robin Hood- He was an English mythical folk hero, outlaw and protector of the poor, who reportedly lived in Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire in central England during the reign of King Richard I. Lionheart. He was locaded in many English folk tales of 14th and 15th century, and was the hero of many films, books, comics and games.

• Oliver Cromwell - Was an English statesman, leader of the English Revolution. He was a member of Parliament. In the years 1642 - 1648 resulted in civil war between King Charles I. and Parliament. Parliament won and the king was executed. Then in England for a while dominated parliament. Later, Oliver Cromwell dissolved it and began to rule as Lord Protector (dictator). After his death in 1660 came to the throne the son of the executed King Charles II.

• King Arthur - is a legendary figure of British mythology. It is described as the ideal of kingship in times of war and in peace time. The central figure of the cycle of legends known as the Arthurian legends. Born on the 5th century. Still not clear whether Arthur, or until someone could be inspired by the legend, really existed, or is just a mythical figure in historical times.

• Elizabeth II. - full name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor , is from 6th February 1952 the current queen of the United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth took the throne after the death of her father George VI. and on 2nd June 1953 was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

English scientists• George Stephenson (1781 - 1848) - English engineer and railway pioneer. He invented the steam locomotive, which formed the basis of rail transport, advised the construction of the first European Railways

• Michael Faraday (1791 - 1867)He was an English physicist and

chemist. Constructed the first electric generator. Faraday gave the theoretical basis for all electric motors and dynamos.

Issac Newton-was the one of the most influential names in the world of physics, Newton importance is due to his laws and discoveries and he remains on the list of the greatest scientists of all time. 

English Sportsmen• Sir Robert Charlton, or Bobby Charlton, is

the living legend of English football.(Manchester

United), • David Beckham is one of the most

prominent British football players of our time.(Manchester

United),• Nigel Mansell is one of the most

remarkable figures in the history of Formula One, the most

famous racing championship on the planet.

• Sir Stephen Redgrave is arguably the best rower world

wide and the most successful British athlete of all time.

•Martin Johnson is considered the best contemporary

English rugby player.

English writers• Geoffrey Chaucer- called the father of English literature

• Charles Dickens-Recognised as one of the excelent English prose writers

.

Shakespeare- author of about 38 plays, definitely changed the state of the theatrical world. his works have beentranslated into numerous languages, and have defined the standards of literature.

Lewis Carroll - English author, mathematician, and Anglican clergyman wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland;

Daniel Defoe - was an English writer, journalist, , who gained fame for his novel Robinson Crusoe.

Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility made her one of the most widely read writers in English literature.

Joanne Rowling, is famous as the author of the series of fantasy books about Harry Potter, which attracted international interest and received many awards.

MusiciansThe Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960 and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music

Twins Robin and Maurice and their older brother, Barry were known for over three decades in the music business as the Bee Gees.

English customs and

traditions

CustomsA long time ago the year

was marked out with special days which

marked the passing year. These were days of

celebrations where people would do things, eat

things or make things which they would not

normally do.

TraditionsBritain is full of culture and traditions which have

been around for hundreds of years. British customs and traditions are famous all over the world.

When people think of Britain they often think of people drinking tea, eating fish and chips and wearing

bowler hats, but there is more to Britain than just those things. We have English and British traditions

of sport, music, food and many royal occasions. There are also songs, sayings and superstitions.

•EasterAt Easter time in the UK they

have two bank holidays (public holidays): Good

Friday and Easter Monday. This means that many

families can enjoy a long weekend together.

Good FridayOn Good Friday families are baking Hot Cross Buns- traditional English Easter spiced and fruited buns\ with crosses on top, which are served split, toasted and buttered throughout the Easter period (they're called Hot Cross Buns even if they're served cold).

Easter MondayEaster Monday, another UK Public Holiday, has little religious significance but is the occasion for numeroussecular customs. Egg rolling is very popular in England and the rest of the UK as an Easter Monday sport. Hard-boiled eggs are rolled down a hill. Customs differ from place to place. The winner's egg may be the one that rolls the farthest, survives the most rolls, or is rolled between two pegs.

•Christmas Every year in December we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ. That is why British call this time of year 'Christmas' – they celebrate the 'Mass', or church service, for Christ. Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December, with a Christmas dinner at midday for the

whole family. During the weeks before Christmas Day, they send cards, watch nativity plays and go to carol services. They put up Christmas decorations in their homes and churches.

British food

British food has traditionally been based on beef,

lamb, pork, chicken and fish and generally served

with potatoes and one other vegetable. The most

common and typical foods eaten in Britain include

the sandwich, fish and chips, pies like the cornish

pasty, trifle and roasts dinners. Some of their main

dishes have strange names like Bubble & Squeak

and Toad-in-the-Hole.

Food

Symbols of England

SymbolsMany images associated with England

are found on souvenirs. Most commonly depicted are the flag of England

(St George's Cross), Royal Guardsmen, Double Deck Buses, Red Post Boxes, Telephone Kiosks, The Royal  Family, 

Buckingham  Palace, Houses Of Parliament,St Paul's Cathedral, Policemen, The London

Eye, Pub Signs and Tea.

The England FlagThe three national symbols of England are the St. George's cross (usually seen as a flag), the red rose and the Three Lions crest (usually seen as a badge).

The red rose is widely recognised as the national

flower of England

The oak is the national tree of England

The Royal Family

Queen Elizabeth II.

PrinceCharles

Prince William

Symbols on the street

Red Doubl

eDecke

r buses

Black taxi cabs

Pillar (Post) Box

Telephone box

Both the post box and telephone box have a picture of a crown on them. The crown on the postbox also has the monarchs initials underneath.

Thank you for your

watchingMichaela Štofová, II. A