England
Largest division of the United Kingdom.
Area:
130,357 sq km/50,318 sq mi
Capital:
London
Towns and Cities:
Birmingham, Cambridge, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle
upon Tyne, Nottingham, Oxford, Sheffield, York; ports Bristol,
Dover, Felixstowe, Harwich, Liverpool, Portsmouth, Southampton
Features:
Variability of climate and diversity of scenery; among European countries,
only the Netherlands is more densely populated
Exports:
Agricultural (cereals, rape, sugar beet, potatoes); meat and meat products;
electronic (software) and telecommunications equipment (main centres
Berkshire and Cambridge); scientific instruments; textiles and
fashion goods; North Sea oil and gas, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals,
fertilizers; beer; china clay, pottery, porcelain, and glass;
film and television programmes, and sound recordings. Tourism
is important. There are worldwide banking and insurance interests
Currency:
Pound sterling
Population:
(1993 est) 48,500,000
Language:
English, with more than 100 minority languages
Religion:
Christian, with the Church of England as the established church, 31,500,000;
and various Protestant groups, of which the largest is the Methodist
1,400,000; Roman Catholic about 5,000,000; Muslim 900,000; Jewish
410,000; Sikh 175,000; Hindu 140,000
Government:
Returns 529 members to Parliament; a mixture of 2-tier and unitary
local authorities, with 34 non- metropolitan counties, 46 unitary
authorities, 6 metropolitan counties (with 36 metropolitan boroughs),
32 London boroughs, and the Corporation of London.
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