England

===Landscape and rivers===
[[File:Malvern Hills - England.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Malvern Hills]] located in the English counties of [[Worcestershire]] and [[Herefordshire]]. The hills have been designated by the Countryside Agency as an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]]. ]]
Geographically, England includes the central and southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain, plus such offshore islands as the [[Isle of Wight]] and the [[Isles of Scilly]]. It is bordered by two other countries of the United Kingdom: [[Anglo Scottish border|to the north]] by Scotland and [[Wales-England border|to the west]] by Wales.

England is closer than any other part of mainland Britain to the European continent. It is separated from [[France]] ([[Hauts-de-France]]) by a {{convert|21|mi|adj=on}}<ref name="Engchannel">{{Cite web |year=2009 |title=English Channel |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/187921/English-Channel |access-date=15 August 2009 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=britannica.com}}</ref> sea gap, though the two countries are connected by the [[Channel Tunnel]] near [[Folkestone]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=History |url=http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcAboutUs/ukm/history.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081116055538/http://www.eurotunnel.com/ukcP3Main/ukcCorporate/ukcAboutUs/ukm/history.htm |archive-date=16 November 2008 |access-date=5 September 2009 |publisher=EuroTunnel.com}}</ref> England also has shores on the [[Irish Sea]], [[North Sea]] and Atlantic Ocean.

The ports of London, [[Liverpool]], and [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]] lie on the tidal rivers [[River Thames|Thames]], [[River Mersey|Mersey]] and [[River Tyne|Tyne]] respectively. At {{convert|220|mi}}, the [[River Severn|Severn]] is the longest river flowing through England.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The River Severn |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/england/sevenwonders/west/severn-river/ |access-date=5 December 2010 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> It empties into the [[Bristol Channel]] and is notable for its [[Severn Bore]] (a [[tidal bore]]), which can reach {{convert|2|m|ft}} in height.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Severn Bore and Trent Aegir |url=http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/31439.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101122125420/http://environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/recreation/31439.aspx |archive-date=22 November 2010 |access-date=5 December 2010 |publisher=Environment Agency}}</ref> However, the longest river entirely in England is the Thames, which is {{convert|215|mi}} in length.<ref name="Thames">{{Cite web |title=River Thames and London (England) |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-home/related-139-94056-articles-reviews/River+Thames-London+(England)/related.do |access-date=17 August 2009 |website=London Evening Standard |location=London}}{{dead link|date=October 2017|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>
[[File:Glenridding,_Cumbria,_England_-_June_2009.jpg|thumb|The village of [[Glenridding]] and [[Ullswater]] in [[Cumbria]].]]
There are many [[lakes in England]]; the largest is [[Windermere]], within the aptly named [[Lake District]].<ref name="metoffice_nw">{{Cite web |title=North West England & Isle of Man: climate |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/nw/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605003213/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/nw/ |archive-date=5 June 2011 |access-date=5 December 2010 |publisher=Met Office}}</ref> Most of England's landscape consists of low hills and plains, with upland and mountainous terrain in the north and west of the country. The northern uplands include the [[Pennines]], a chain of uplands dividing east and west, the Lake District mountains in Cumbria, and the [[Cheviot Hills]], straddling the border between England and Scotland. The highest point in England, at {{convert|978|m|ft}}, is [[Scafell Pike]] in the Lake District.<ref name="metoffice_nw" /> The [[Shropshire Hills]] are near Wales while [[Dartmoor]] and [[Exmoor]] are two upland areas in the south-west of the country. The approximate dividing line between terrain types is often indicated by the [[Tees–Exe line]].<ref>{{Cite book |url={{GBurl|id=yAgGHnENHjoC|q=tees exe line england lowland upland|p=100}} |title=World Regional Geography |date=13 March 2008 |publisher=Joseph J. Hobbs |isbn=978-0-495-38950-7 |access-date=6 December 2017}}</ref>

The Pennines, known as the "backbone of England", are the oldest range of mountains in the country, originating from the end of the [[Paleozoic Era]] around 300&nbsp;million years ago.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pennines |url=http://www.summitpost.org/area/range/220026/pennines.html |access-date=8 September 2009 |publisher=Smmit Post}}</ref> Their geological composition includes, among others, [[sandstone]] and [[limestone]], and also coal. There are [[karst]] landscapes in calcite areas such as parts of [[Yorkshire]] and [[Derbyshire]]. The Pennine landscape is high [[moorland]] in upland areas, indented by fertile valleys of the region's rivers. They contain two [[national parks in England|national parks]], the [[Yorkshire Dales]] and the [[Peak District]]. In the [[West Country]], Dartmoor and Exmoor of the Southwest Peninsula include upland moorland supported by granite.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Parks&nbsp;– About us |url=http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/aboutus |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101027162402/http://www.nationalparks.gov.uk/aboutus |archive-date=27 October 2010 |access-date=5 December 2010 |publisher=nationalparks.gov.uk}}</ref>

The [[English Lowlands beech forests|English Lowlands]] are in the central and southern regions of the country, consisting of green rolling hills, including the [[Cotswold Hills]], [[Chiltern Hills]], [[North Downs|North]] and [[South Downs]]; where they meet the sea they form white rock exposures such as the [[cliffs of Dover]]. This also includes relatively flat plains such as the [[Salisbury Plain]], [[Somerset Levels]], [[South Coast Plain]] and [[The Fens]].