The United Kingdom, a country of Europe, is made up of four nations. One of them is England; the other three are Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England shares the territory of Great Britain with Scotland and Wales and occupies the central and southern part of the island. Wanting to know fun facts about England ?
For 35,000 years, the territory of what is now England was occupied by several cultures, but the name comes from the "Angles" who were Germanic peoples who settled there between the fifth and sixth centuries. Currently, in England live just over 53 million people and its capital, like that of the entire United Kingdom, is London. We hope you like these fun facts about England !
50 Fun Facts of England
1. It is not correct to talk about countries of England . The country is United Kingdom and England is one of the nations that compose it.
2. In England, 84% of the population of the United Kingdom lives. If it were an independent nation, it would rank 25th among the most populated countries in the world.
3. Another of the fun facts about England is that since 1707 has not had political entity separate from Britain and unlike Scotland or Wales has no own parliament.
4. In the post curiosities of Scotland We quote the Unicorn as its national animal. According to the legend they chose him because national animal of England is the Lion and the Unicorn is according to Scottish mythology its natural enemy.
5. The climate of England is temperate and humid oceanic. Winter to summer temperatures range between -5 ºC. at 32 ° C. The highest temperature ever recorded was in Brogdale, Kent, on August 10, 2003. They reached 38.5 ° C.
6. The language of England It's English, but it was not always like that. For almost 300 years, from 1066 to the year 1362, French was the official language.
7. During the Neolithic era two of the most famous and great monuments in the shape of a circle were built in the territory of what is now England: Stonehengue and Avebury.
8. In Essex is the oldest city in England of which records are kept: Colchester. It was the Roman capital of Great Britain with the name of Camulodunum, but in the V century BC. already existed.
9. In England there are three of the most famous and prestigious universities in the world: the University of Oxford , the University of Cambridge and the University of London.
10. London is the England's capital and also from the United Kingdom. Before being called London it received the names of Londonium, Ludenwic and Ludenburg.
11. The popular lullaby "London Bridge is Falling Down" It is possible that it is more than 1,000 years old. The London Bridge has burned down and collapsed many times throughout the history of the England's capital .
12. The ingrained habit of tea of the late was devised in England in 1840 by Anna Russell, Duchess of Bedford. This noble lady was Queen of Alcove of Queen Victoria and while visiting Belvoir Castle instituted the custom of afternoon tea to appreciate that the dinner schedule was falling more and more and there was a need to consume some type of food at half late. The first "tearoom" was opened in London in 1864.
13. The England flag It is the Cross of Saint George, a red cross on a white background. The motto of England is in French "Dieu et mon droit".
14. One of the curiosities of the England food They are their names. One of the typical dishes is the "toad in the hole" which translated means "toad in the hole". It has nothing to do with anurans. It consists of sausages breaded in Yorkshire pudding with some accompaniment.
15. It is also typical in the England food a dessert called Bletted Medlars. They are medlars that are left to mature you have practically reached the rot. Apparently they are delicious.
16 Work in England , especially in London, is something that many young people carry out during a stage of their life. The purpose is usually to improve English, but also moves the lack of employment in other countries of Europe . The prices of rents and the type of unskilled work make the adventure not last, usually, for a long time.
17. One of the resources for work in England is to go to an "employment agency". These are highly regulated and to renew the license they have to prove and justify that they have helped to find employment for a certain number of people.
18. Among the curious facts about England, its traditions . One of them we have seen in numerous films and television series: the "Real Message of Christmas Day" that the monarch, in this case Queen Elizabeth II, directs to the nation. Although it seems a very old tradition, it was inaugurated by King George V in 1932, reading a speech that Rudyard Kipling had written.
19. Witches, fairies, elves, ghosts and legends of all kinds, are part of the traditions of England . The oldest registered tourist attraction in England works since 1630 and is the cave of "Mother Shipton" near Knaresborough in North Yorkshire, whose prophecies we already talked about in Supercurioso.
20. However, one of the traditions of England which are more picturesque is the Cheese Festival Rolling held in Brockworth, Gloucestershire. In the month of May many people rush to chase the Double Gloucester cheese, downhill, down the steep Cooper's Hill.
21. The body of the English King Henry VIII exploded in his coffin. Discover more of this macabre incident in " The explosion of the corpse of Henry VIII in his coffin and prophecy "
22. In England there is an old law that prohibits shaking a carpet on the street.
23. It is also illegal to get drunk in a pub, according to a law of 1839 that remains in force.
24. Another curious English law, dating from 1322, says that any whale or dead sturgeon that appears on the British coast automatically becomes property of the Monarch.
25. Winchester was the first capital of England.
26. The first safari to travel by car, outside Africa, was opened in Longleat (Wilthsire, England) in 1966.
27. English police do not carry firearms, except when dealing with emergency situations.
28. The Queen isabel II has a total of 30 godchildren and godchildren!
29. England was, along with Zanzibar, one of the countries protagonists of the shortest war in history, which lasted between 38 and 45 minutes.
30 J.K. Rowling , the author of the Harry Potter literary saga, is English and the first person to have made billions of dollars to write novels.
31. The British royal family shares a distant kinship with Vlad The Impaler, who they say inspired the character of the Count Dracula .
32. Another curious fact about England is that wherever you are you will never find yourself more than 120 kilometers from the sea.
33. Although there are several enchanted, the Borley Rectory is considered the most haunted place in England. Know your history !
34. Another of the fun facts about England is that in Grantchester, near Cambrige, on December 26, they carry out a Traditional competition called "Rolling Barrel" , which consists of conducting a race pushing empty beer barrels. It is much more complicated than it seems, because the surface of the barrels is not perfect and ... the direction they take is unpredictable!
35. The oldest known recipe for macaroni and cheese dates back to the 14th century and was found in England.
36. Pineapples were a sign of status so coveted in the eighteenth century, that there was the possibility of renting one to display at parties.
37. Cumbria, England, celebrates the Annual competition of "The Greatest Liar in the World" (World's Biggest Liar). Lawyers and politicians are not allowed to participate.
38. The body of the hated English King, Richard III, was found under a public car park in 2012 after spending 500 years disappeared.
39. The Queen of England is the owner of all swans, not marked by an owner, who swim in public waters.
40. The lowest recorded temperature in England occurred in January 1982, in Newport (Shropshire) and was -26.1 º C.
41. Although the common belief is that in England it always rains, there are also sunny places to spend the summer, like Brighton and Eastbourne.
42. The town where it rains the most in the year in England is Martinstown, in Dorset.
43. In a village called Marshwood (in Dorset), a competition of Eating Nettles is held. To participate in it, dozens of people from all over the world, including Australia!
44. In England, specifically in Congham (Norfolk) are also held official races of snails in the " World Snail Racing Competition "(The World Snail Racing Championships).
45. Also in England there are two important competitions to "love worms": The World Worm Charming Championships, in Cheshire, and the International Festival of Worm Charming in Devon. This activity consists of vibrations, making the earth worms come out that believe it is raining.
46. The English consider that the presence of a black cat means good luck.
47. Another curious fact about England and its competitions is that the "World Race of Chickens" is celebrated. This takes place at the Barley Mow Inn in Bonsall (Derbyshire). It is a traditional event that is already 100 years old.
48. There are other strange races in England, such as carrying the wife on her back, which is celebrated in Dorking (Surrey).
49. If you are good at grimacing, you may want to approach the "World Gurning Championships", a very serious competition that values who is capable of making the strangest face with his face. It is celebrated in Egremont, Cumbria.
50. Much of the monsters and stories that appear in Harry Potter and that feed the Universe of J.K. Rowling belong to English folklore. Discover more in: 5 legends of England | If you're a Harry Potter fan, you'll recognize them "
Other curiosities of Europe | By countries
What do you think about the curious facts about England? By knowing so many strange traditions of this country, you may want to discover other curiosities of Europe . Then more European countries that also hide lots of oddities that will leave you perplexed!
- Curious facts of France
- Curiosities of Italy
- Curiosities of Spain
- Curiosities of Greece
- Curiosities of Switzerland
- Curiosities of Norway
- Iceland Curiosities
- Curiosities of Luxembourg
- curiosities of Scotland
- Curiosities of Ireland
- Curiosities of Austria
- Curiosities of Denmark
- Curiosities of Belgium
- Curiosities of Germany
Did you know these fun facts about England ? Did you imagine that they had such an incredible amount of amazing competitions? We did not expect them to devote themselves seriously to snail races or to enchanting earthworms, but there are always unexpected curiosities in all corners of the world! Do you know more shocking information about this country? If so, share it with us! We would love to read and expand this list!
Images: TUBS , Tony Moorey , Dave Farrance ,