Magazine

Interesting facts about England

By Fatima Zafar

Posted on July 27, 2019

One obvious fact about England right now is that they are the Cricket World Cup champions 2019. Yes… I know the cricket fever is all gone. But how can we not celebrate this amazing country who put up quite a fight and a perfect game for their fantastic win?

And how I am going to celebrate this is by diving into this rich-cultured country’ s heritage, legacy, norms, traditions and some fun facts here. Because there’s no doubt that England is an amazing country. That hosts a modern multicultural society and is a center of modern arts and business. It has a rich culture. A history that dates back to the stone age. So what are you waiting for? Celebrate with me by fantasizing this nation and their culture.

And of course, before we start jotting down Interesting facts about England let’s not forget that England is the birthplace of Shakespeare and The Beatles. P.S. excuse the enthusiasm – I am a literature student and share an awesome (literary) bond with these two.

So my picks in terms of Interesting facts about England are as follows:

Interesting facts about England:

England became a unified state in the 10th century, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world.
Its capital is London while Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Liverpool are the other large cities.
England is actually a part of the United Kingdom Of the countries of Great Britain And Northern Ireland comprising England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Winchester was the first capital of England, from 827 to 1066.
The official London home of the British monarch (king or queen) is Buckingham Palace.
The British Royal Family is not just an icon of tradition. Only when the Queen gives her ‘Royal Assent’ on a bill and signs it, can it become an act.
Royal Assent has not been refused since 1707.
England is 74 times smaller than the USA, 59 times smaller than Australia and 3 times smaller than Japan.
England is however 2.5 times more populous than Australia, and 1.5 times more populous than California. With 2.5 times fewer inhabitants than Japan.
The picture of the Queen on £1 coins shows her age at the time they were made.
The London Eye is the tallest observation wheel in the world and each rotation takes about 30 minutes.
Britain is stereotyped as having rainy, mild weather. While the rain stereotype may not be 100% accurate. It is true that Britain is used to mild winters, which also means its snow clearing services are ill-equipped for snowfall.
Less than a foot of snow can literally ground flights and shut down businesses. And result in transit delays or shutdowns since Britain does not have the amenities other countries may be used to like fleets of snowplows and salt.

Cultural facts of England:

That London is one of the cities with high cultural diversity in the world, can be gauged from the fact that about 25% of the inhabitants of London were born outside of England.
The stereotypical “posh” English accent that we may think of when we envision England is known as Received Pronunciation (RP) or the “Queen’s English.”
Less than 10% of the UK’s police forces carry guns. This is a holdover from the 1829 principle of “policing by consent.”
As part of May Day, the first Monday of May, events are held to celebrate the start of the summer season.
Among the festivities, you might meet a person dressed in foliage. This practice began in the 16th century. “Jack in the Green” even has its own annual festival in the town of Hastings.
More than America or Canada, England is known for its classism. Which is often tied to stereotyping or judging someone due to their regional accent. Like a cockney or Southwest London accent, which are more working-class areas.
In the 16th century, tAx was introduced on the beards of men by King Henry VIII.
After 1944, no English women were convicted under the Witchcraft Act of 1735.
English people consume more tea per capita than anybody else in the world (2.5 times more than the Japanese and 22 times more than the Americans or the French).
English food has traditionally been based on beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and fish and generally served with potatoes and one other vegetable.
Most people think that the French invented Champagne, but the technique used by Dom Perignon already existed in England, thus making the English inventors of Sparkling wine.
The treasures contained in the British Museum span two million years of world civilization.

Historic facts of England:

The origin of the name England is the Old English name “Englaland” meaning “land of the Angles”.
In England, humans are living from more than 800,000 years ago, which is revealed by the discovery of footprints and stone tools at Happisburgh.
In England, there are numerous archeological relics that belong to the Mesolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age people, like Avebury and Stonehenge.
During the Iron Age, Celtic people were the inhabitants of England who were known as the Britons.
England’s first telephone directory was published in 1880 and had only 248 names and addresses (there were no telephone numbers as you had to call the operator and ask for someone’s name to get connected).
London has not always had this name. In the past, it has been called Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg.
Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence in the world that is still being used by the royal family.
England was part of the shortest war in history. They fought Zanzibar in 1896 and Zanzibar surrendered after just 38 minutes.
London has seen only 10 white Christmases since 1900.
The UK was formerly part of the European Union. But voted to leave the EU and is officially scheduled to leave the EU at 11 pm (UK time) on March 29, 2019.
Even when the UK was part of the EU, they still used their own currency. The pound, instead of the euro.
Leaving the EU affects other parts of their economy, like banking, border control, and trade deals.
During the early years of the 19th century, the British government spent 40% part of its outlay for the freedom of slaves.

Fun facts related to England:

Nowhere in the UK is more than 70 miles (113km) from the sea! A place called Coton in the Elms is the furthest place from the sea.
In England, in pubs or bars, you can have drinks but you are not allowed to get drunk.
The world’s shortest flight is only 47 seconds (in ideal weather) to 2 minutes long, between the Orkney Islands of Papa Westray and Westray.
It is considered an act of treason to put a postage stamp with the queen’s head upside down on an envelope.
Big Ben is not actually the name of the clock. It is the name of the bell which is inside the clock.
Due to issues of traffic congestion, London actually has a congestion charge.
The congestion charge is an £11.50 daily charge. For using a vehicle in certain “charging zones” from 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday.
The oldest building in Britain today is at Skara Brae, in the Orkney Isles of Scotland.
Sausages were also known as the “mystery bags” during the 19th century.
The highest temperature ever recorded in England was 38.5°C (101.3°F) in Brogdale, Kent, on 10 August 2003.
The world’s first drive-through safari park opened at Longleat House (Wiltshire) in 1966.
The longest river in England is the River Thames, it flows through London and is slightly shorter than the River Severn at around 346 kilometers (215 miles) in length.
England might be an island, but it’s connected to mainland Europe and France via an underwater tunnel. The distance between the two countries is 50.45 kilometers.