United+Kingdom+-+England

** Welcome To The United Kingdom - England! :) **



Physical Features:

Continent: Europe

Bordering Countries and Seas: a. Scotland from the north. b. Wales from the west. c. Irish Sea from the south & west. d. North Sea from the north & east.

Capital City: London Major Cities: a. Bath b. Bristol c. Oxford d Canterbury e. Dover f. Gloucester g. Birmingham h. Cambridge i. Nottingham j. Liverpool k. Manchester l. Sheffield m. Bradford n. Leeds o. York

Population:

49,138,839 people (2004)

Currency: British Pound

Language: The language that English people talk is what you are reading right now. But some words might be different in Englands English than in the US's English. Like if you ask for chips in England, you would get we call fries. That's because chips are called crisps in England.A biro is a ballpoint pen. A bonnet is a carhood. A boot is a car trunk. A call box is a phone booth. A jumper is a sweater. A lift is an elevator. Petrol is gasoline. A torch is a flashlight. Plimsoles are tennis shoes. Sweets are candy. A wireless is a radio. A flat is an apartment. Trousers are pants. A ring is a phone call. Can you guess what a nappy is? It's a baby diaper!

Flora:

Farms in England grow crops like wheat, barley, potatoes, beets, and rape, a grain used to make canola oil. Today, only 2% of English people work in the fields and seas.

Wheat: In the country sides of England, you would see a lot of wheat blowing in the cool breeze. Farmers plant wheat in April and then in August, they cut, bundle and ship the wheat to local mills to be turned into flour. Wheat & flour are very important to England’s economy. Many castles have their own flour mills which are made from huge stone slabs turned by water powered wheels. But today, mills use modern machinery to grind wheat and turn it into flour.

Fauna:

Cows: are common throughout England’s countryside. The Brown Jersey & the Guernsey cows produce creamy milk that is also made into butter & cheese. Herefords (the black & white cows) & the spotted Shorthorns are famous for their tender beef.

Sheep: are foundwool from the short-haired sheep is made into hats, suits, & blankets. The wool from the long-haired sheep is used to make softer products like sweaters.

Fish: The waters around England are filled with many types of fish. Fishers off the southern coast return with boxes of different types of fish, such as sole and plaice. In the eastern & western shores, fish like mackerel, herring, & cod are mostly caught. Most fish caught in England are sold in local markets and grocery stores, & some are exported to France.

Food:

Cheddar Cheese is named after the town Cheddar where it was made more than 400 years ago.

Sandwiches were made by John Montagu AKA The Earl of Sandwich. He had an addiction to playing cards. He ordered his food stuffed in two bread buns so he could eat in one hand and play with the other!

Salisbury Steak is named after Dr. James Henry Salisbury.

Fish And Chips

Yorkshire Pudding is a puffy bread-like side dish with eggs, milk, flour, and roast beef drippings.

Shepherd's Pie

Club Sandwich Recipe =) It's So Simple! You'll need:

1) Any kind of sliced bread

2) Fillings: Sliced Meats: Salami Turkey Bologna

3) Spoon & Knife

Do you know what food **DOESN'T** come from England?

It's the ... English Muffin! Festivals and Celebrations:

The Jorvik Viking: The Jorvik viking festival, in northeastern city of York, takes place each February. The Vikings were fierce warriors from Norway and Denmark. They raided England in 789 AD and later established settlements gather at an ancient stone circle called Stonehenge on June 21, Midsummer day, to celebrate the first day of summer.

May Day: The Celts celebrate May Day on May 1 with dancing, singing, and animal sacrifices to ensure a successful harvest in the fall. People dance around a Maypole, a pole decorated with branches, wildflowers, and flowing ribbons. People still dance around a Maypole on this day.

Music

Kings, queens, and other wealthy people hired musicians to compose original music for concerts and celebrations. Musician Henry Purcell (1659 - 1695) performed at the royal court through the reigns of three rulers. Purcell's best known composition is Trumpet Voluntary named for the set of pipes known as trumpets and organs. Today musicians play this piece on both organs and trumpets.

An orchestra played at a Promenade Concert or "Prom" in London. The first "Prom" was performed in 1895 to introduce people to classical music.

William Schewenck Gilbert (1836 - 1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842 - 1900) began composing music together in 1871. The duo later became famous around the world as Gilbert and Sullivan. Together, they wrote musicals called Operettas, that hold humorous stories through dialogue and lively songs. Gilbert and Sullivan's most famous operetta is The Pirates of Penzance, about a boy who is captured and made a pirate.

English compoer Arthur Bliss (1891 - 1975) wrote both classical pieces and experimental music in which performers sang meaningless syllables or used thier voices as instuments.

Clothing

Have you ever seen a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat? That tall black hat, called the top hat, was made in England in 1730. Men wore this hat every time they go fox hunting so that they wouldn't injure themselves if they fell off the horse.

Another hat, the derby, was invented in England in the 1780s. This hat was shaped like a melon and was also called a "bowler" Englishmen wore these hats to the horse races.

The button-down collar was invented in England in the 1890s. It was designed to keep the shirt collars of polo players from flapping in the wind.

Suspenders were made in England in the 1700s to prevent Englishmen's pants from falling down. They were made of cloth, went all the way around the shoulders, and were buttoned to pants.

Sports

​ A very popular sport in England is rugby, which was invented in the 1800s. Players kick and carry an oval shaped ball across a big grass field toward a goal. There are 15 members on each team, and they are allowed to tackle each other.

England's national sport is cricket. The game was made in around the 1500s, and it is played with two teams, a ball, and a bat. The bats look like big paddles.

Lawn bowling is also a popular sport in England. It is not like bowling at a bowling alley. Players roll balls on a grass lawn and try to get it closer to other balls to score points. England has many lawn bowling clubs.

Art

Some of England's earliest artists were the Breaker people, named after the breakers, or pots, they formed from clay and metal about 4,500 years ago. The Celts shaped metal into elaborate jewelry, shields, swords, helmets, and dishes. They decorated these with symbols like knots, circles, and coils. Later the Anglo - Saxons made detailed carvings out of stone ivory, wood, and bone.

England is filled with many different types of art, such as Landscape Painting, Pottery, Portraits, and Sculptures.

Architecture

In the middle ages, kings, queens, and other wealthy people built strong castles for defense. The Tower of London, which took 600 years to build, was constructed to protect the royal family and the city of London. Visitors can still see the narrow windows that soldiers once shot arrows at attackers. As England grew more people and the need for defense lessened, many castles were turned into amazing homes.

Some famous architects are Inigo Jones (1573 - 1652) who was one of England's most important architects. He designed the Queen's House, which was built near London between 1616 and 1635. Then in 1666 there was a fire in London that almost destroyed the whole city. Architect Christopher Wren (1632 - 1723) helped rebuild many of the historic buildings that were burned down.