Place Information
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England is a country to the northwest of Continental Europe and is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its inhabitants account for more than 85% of the total population of the United Kingdom, whilst the mainland territory of England occupies most of the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. Elsewhere, it is bordered by the North Sea, Irish Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and English Channel. England became a unified state during the 10th century and takes its name from the Angles — one of a number of Germanic tribes who settled in the territory during the 5th and 6th centuries. The capital city of England is London, which is the largest city in the British Isles and largest city in the European Union. England ranks among the most influential and far-reaching centres of cultural development in the history of the world. It is the place of origin of both the English language and the Church of England, and English law forms the basis of the legal systems of many countries, including the United States. It was the historic centre of the British Empire. It was the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and was the first country in the world to become industrialised. England is home to the Royal Society, which laid the foundations of modern experimental science. England was the world's first parliamentary democracy and consequently many constitutional, governmental and legal innovations that had their origin in England have been widely adopted by other nations. The Kingdom of England was a separate state until 1 May 1707, when the Acts of Union resulted in a political union with the Kingdom of Scotland to create the Kingdom of Great Britain.
How places in England are organizedPrior to 1889 England was divided into 39 historic counties. From 1889-1974, it was divided into administrative counties. In 1974 the administrative counties were abolished and replaced by metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties. Unitary authorities were added in the 1990's. WeRelate labels metropolitan, non-metropolitan, and unitary authorities as "modern counties". The Family History Library Catalog (FHLC) lists places in England according to their historic county with one exception: London is an administrative county created in 1889 from the historic counties of Middlesex, Surrey, and Kent, and places are listed in the FHLC under London instead of being listed under their historic county. The standard at WeRelate is to title English places according to their historic county when it is known, with also-located-in links to the administrative county and modern county when they are known, although rather than locating towns in unitary authorities, they are located in the associated ceremonial counties. All places in EnglandFurther information on historical place organization in EnglandResearch TipsExternal LinksThis page offers a detailed description of English, Counties, Parish, etc..
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