This page looks at why people may think that England is the UK or is Great Britain. This is of course is untrue, but is a common thought by many people overseas.

England is the biggest country in the UK

England is a country in the UK and occupies most of the southern two thirds of Great Britain. The total area of England is 130,410 sq km (50, 352 sq mi).

England used to be known as Engla land, meaning the land of the Angles, people from continental Germany, who began to invade Britain in the late 5th century, along with the Saxons and Jute.

England contains about 84% of the UK population.
Find out more about the UK population.

The capital of the UK is in England

The capital, seat of government, and the largest city in the United Kingdom is London.
London is also is the capital of England.

All of Great Britain has been ruled by the UK government in London since 1707. (In 1999 the first elections to the newly created Scottish Parliament and National Assembly for Wales took place leaving England as the only part of the Great Britain with no devolved assembly or parliament.)
Find out more about London
Find out more about the UK Government

Find out more about London
Find out more about the UK Government

The English language comes from England

As it names suggest, the English language, today spoken by hundreds of millions of people around the world, originated as the language from England, where it remains the principal tongue today.

English is the official language of the UK and the first language of the vast majority of the population. Both Wales and Scotland land have their own languages but English is spoken in both countries more.
Find out more about the languages spoken in the UK.

Find out more about the languages spoken in the UK

The British Royal family live in England

The Royal family live in London.

Find out more about the Royal family

Most of the world assumes that British people are "English" unless specified otherwise.

This of course is wrong. British people can be Scottish, Welsh, Irish (living in Northern Ireland) or English. The Scots and the Welsh are proud of their separate identities and tend to be more forward about referring to themselves as Scottish or Welsh.

Quick Facts about England

Scotland

Questions about Great Britain

What is Great Britain?
Is Britain the same as Great Britain?
Which countries are in Great Britain?

Questions about the United Kingdom

Where is the UK?
What countries make up the UK?
What is the official title (name) of the UK?
Why is the whole of Ireland not part of the UK?
How and why was the UK formed?

Find out about the UK

Questions about the British Isles

What are the British Isles?

Find out about the British Isles