England is a
country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales
to the west and Scotland to the north. The Irish Sea lies west of England and
the Celtic Sea to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe
by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country
covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North
Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly
and the Isle of Wight.
The area now
called England takes its name from the Angles, a Germanic tribe deriving its
name from the Anglia peninsula, who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries.
England became a unified state in the 10th century, and since the 15th century,
has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English
language, the Anglican Church, and English law - the basis for the common law
legal systems of many other countries around the world - developed in England,
and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by
other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England,
transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation.
The capital is
London, which has the largest metropolitan area in both the United Kingdom and
the European Union. England's population of over 55 million comprises 84% of
the population of the United Kingdom.
The Kingdom of
England - which after 1535 included Wales - ceased being a separate sovereign
state on 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union put into effect the terms agreed in
the Treaty of Union the previous year, resulting in a political union with the
Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801, Great
Britain was united with the Kingdom of Ireland to become the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland. In 1922 the Irish Free State seceded from the United
Kingdom, leading to the latter being renamed the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Northern Ireland.
The Royal Mail
issues country definitives (originally: regional definitives) for the four
countries in the United Kingdom showing local motives. The first definitives
for England were issued in 2001. The stamp for the international tariff was
affixed by myself. After being cancelled at the City of London Post Office the
envelope was put through the normal channels and thus received a second
cancellation from the machine in the Mount Pleasant sorting centre.
Date sent: 14
April 2017
Date postmark:
20 April 2017
Date received:
25 April 2017
Number of days:
11
Envelope in
collection: 12
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