England comprises the central and southern two-thirds of
the island of Great Britain, plus offshore islands of which the largest is
the Isle of Wight. It is bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west
by Wales. It is closer to continental Europe than any other part of Britain,
divided from France only by a 24-statute mile (52 km or 21 nautical mile)
sea gap. The Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, directly links England to the
European mainland. The English/French border is halfway along the tunnel.
Much of England consists of rolling hills, but it is generally more mountainous
in the north with a chain of low mountains, the Pennines, dividing east and
west. Other hilly areas in the north and Midlands are the Lake District, the
North York Moors, and the Peak District. The approximate dividing line between
terrain types is often indicated by the Tees-Exe line. To the south of that
line, there are larger areas of flatter land, including East Anglia and the
Fens, although hilly areas include the Cotswolds, the Chilterns, the North
and South Downs, Dartmoor and Exmoor.
The largest natural harbour in England is at Poole, on the south-central coast. Some regard it as the second largest harbour in the world, after Sydney, Australia, although this fact is disputed (see harbours for a list of other large natural harbour).
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England has a vast and influential culture that encompasses
elements both old and new. The modern culture of England is sometimes difficult
to identify and separate clearly from the culture of the wider United Kingdom,
so intertwined are its composite nations. However the English traditional and
historic culture remains distinct albeit with substantial regional differences.
English Heritage is a governmental body with a broad remit of managing the
historic sites, artefacts and environments of England. London's British Museum,
British Library and National Gallery contain some of the finest collections
in the world.
The English have played a significant role in the development of the arts and
sciences. Many of the most important figures in the history of modern western
scientific and philosophical thought were either born in, or at one time or
other resided in, England. Major English thinkers of international significance
include scientists such as Sir Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Charles Darwin
and New Zealand-born Ernest Rutherford, philosophers such as John Locke, John
Stuart Mill, Bertrand Russell and Thomas Hobbes, and economists such as David
Ricardo, and John Maynard Keynes. Karl Marx wrote most of his important works,
including Das Kapital, while in exile in Manchester, and the team that developed
the first atomic bomb began their work in England, under the wartime codename
tube alloys.
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These are the national holidays of the United Kingdom for
2008. Workers in the United Kingdom are not automatically entitled to time
off on a public holiday. Time off can be provided for in an employment agreement
or by expending annual leave.
When an anniversary day that is usually a bank holiday falls on a weekend, the
date of the bank holiday is postponed and declared for a following weekday. This
new date is termed a 'bank holiday in lieu' of the actual anniversary day. In
this way, public holidays are not 'lost' on years when they coincide with weekends
(which will already be a day off for many people).
1 January - New Year's Day
21 March - Good Friday
24 March - Easter Monday
5 May - May Day Bank Holiday
26 May - Spring Bank Holiday (Victoria Day)
25 August - Summer Bank Holiday
25 December - Christmas Day
26 December - Boxing Day