Iintroduction england latin anglia, political division of the island of great britain, the principal division of the united kingdom of great britain and northern ireland. england occupies all of the island east of wales and south of scotland, other divisions of the island of great britain. established as an independent monarchy many centuries ago, england in time achieved political control over the rest of the island, all the british isles, and vast sections of the world, becoming the nucleus of one of the greatest empires in history. the capital, largest city, and chief port of england is london, with a population in 1996 of 7 million. it is also the capital of the united kingdom and the site of the headquarters of the commonwealth of nations.
england is somewhat triangular in shape, with its apex at the mouth of the tweed river. the eastern leg, bounded by the north sea, extends generally southeast to the north foreland, the northern extremity of the region called the downs. th...