Geography of England

Geographical features of England

England comprises most of the central and southern two thirds of the island of Great Britain, in addition to a number of small islands of which the largest is the Isle of Wight. England is bordered to the north by Scotland and to the west by Wales. It is closer to continental Europe than any other part of mainland Britain, divided from France only by a sea gap, the English Channel. The Channel Tunnel, near Folkestone, directly links England to mainland Europe. The English/French border is halfway along the tunnel. Most of England consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in the north and west. Uplands in the north include the Pennines, an upland chain dividing east and west, the Lake District, containing the highest mountains in the country, the Cheviot Hills across the Anglo Scottish border, and the North York Moors near the North Sea. Uplands in the west include Dartmoor and Exmoor in the south west and the Shropshire Hills near Wales. 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, and the North and South Downs. 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 harbours).

climate chart|England 1971–2000 The lowest temperature recorded in England is −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) on 10 January 1982 at Edgmond, Shropshire. The climate of south west England is rather distinct and somewhat milder than the rest of England. Crops, flowers and plants can be grown earlier there than in the rest of England and the UK. England mainly lies within hardiness zone 8, but the Pennines and Cumbrian Mountains lie in the colder zone 7, and south west England, the Irish Sea coast, South coast and London lie in the warmer zone 9. A very small area, the Isles of Scilly, lies in the warmest zone in the British Isles, zone 10 which is close to subtropical.

England is generally lower and flatter than the rest of the UK, but has two main divisions in its form – the lowland areas of the south, east, and midlands and the more rugged and upland areas of the north and west. East Anglia is the lowest area of England, having no high hills or mountains and hosting an area of the Fens, the lowest area of England. The highest area of England is the North West, which contains England's highest hills and mountains, including its highest – Scafell Pike. In England, a mountain is officially defined as land over 600 metres, so most fall in Northern England. Some hill and mountain chains in England are:

Lake District (Cumbrian Mountains) – the highest mountains in England, containing Scafell Pike. Cheviot Hills – sometimes considered as an extension of either the Southern Uplands in Scotland or the Pennines. Border Moors and Forests – uplands to the south of the Cheviot Hills. The Pennines which characterise much of Northern England and are often dubbed "the backbone of England". The Peak District – uplands forming the southern end of the Pennines in central and northern England. South Pennines area of the southern Pennines between the Peak District, Forest of Bowland and Yorkshire Dales. Forest of Bowland a western spur of the Pennines in Lancashire. Yorkshire Dales – an upland area of the northern Pennines. North Pennines uplands forming the northern end of the Pennines. Howgill Fells uplands in Cumbria between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales. Orton Fells uplands in Cumbria between the Lake District and Eden Valley. North York Moors – an area of hills and moorlands beside the North Sea. Exmoor – uplands beside the Bristol Channel. Dartmoor – an area of uplands in the heart of Devon. The Cotswolds – a quintessentially and stereotypical English rural area. Chilterns – a collection of low hills. South Downs – low hills close to the English Channel which form the white cliffs of the English South Coast. Shropshire Hills – uplands near Wales.

Cities with the highest urban elevation include Sheffield, Bradford, Stoke on Trent and Birmingham. Low lying cities near sea level include London, Liverpool, Norwich and York.

The longest river in England is the River Severn which has its source in Wales, enters England at its confluence with the River Vyrnwy and flows into the Bristol Channel. The longest river entirely within England is the River Thames which flows through the English and British capital, London. The Vale of York and The Fens host many of England's larger rivers.

Although the largest nation within the UK, England is relatively absent of large lakes, with many of its former wetlands being drained throughout the Middle Ages. Most of its largest lakes lie within the aptly named Lake District in Cumbria, Northern England. + England's largest lakes LakeArea1Windermere5.69 square miles (15 km2)2Kielder Reservoir3.86 square miles (10 km2)3Ullswater3.44 square miles (9 km2)4Bassenthwaite Lake2.06 square miles (5 km2)5Derwent Water2.06 square miles (5 km2)

The total land area of England, excluding inland water, is .

England has two land borders: a border with Scotland that follows the Cheviot Hills and a border with Wales that loosely follows the route of Offa's Dyke. To the west, the Irish Sea separates England from Ireland and the Isle of Man; to the east, the North Sea separates England from Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium and to the south, the English Channel separates England from France and the Channel Islands.

England, formerly a kingdom and independent country, united with Scotland to form what would eventually become the UK (Wales was treated as part of England at that time). England is in a unique and controversial position of being a political entity within the UK and as of 2015 having no self governance. England is represented by MPs in the British Parliament and matters relating only to England are also dealt with by the UK parliament. England was divided into a number of regions which also sent representatives to the European Parliament before Brexit.