England Facts

Fill the gaps by choosing the correct word from the box below. There are fifteen words but only twelve gaps.

England is the (1) _________ of the four countries in the United Kingdom (or Britain, as it is usually referred to). The other three, in order of size, are Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Britain is the 79th-largest country in the world, and England covers just over (2) _________ of the total area of Britain.

England is separated from France, to the south, by an area of (3) _________ called the English Channel (or La Manche in French). On clear days it is possible to see the French coast from some parts of the English coast. The Channel Tunnel, a railway tunnel built (4) _________ the English Channel, opened in 1994.

England gets its (5) _________ from the Angles, one of the Anglo-Saxon tribes that settled in Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries. Many parts of the modern English language come from the languages spoken by these Anglo-Saxon tribes.

The patron saint of England is St George, and the country’s national (6) _________, St George’s Day, is April 23rd. The national flag of England, the ‘flag of St George’, is a red cross on a white background: the well-known blue, white and red ‘Union flag’ is the flag of Britain, not England. And - as you all might know - the symbol of England is the rose.

The most popular team sports in England, both for playing and watching, are football, rugby and cricket. The rules for all three were invented in England, as were the rules of (7) _________. The (8) _________ professional football teams in England play in the Premier League, which is shown on TV in countries all over the world.

England has a mild climate, without extreme heat or cold. Most of the country gets at least a few days of (9) _________ in winter, but temperatures usually stay above freezing (zero degrees centigrade). In summer the temperature in the south of England, the warmest part of Britain, rarely rises (10) _________ 30 degrees and is usually below 25 degrees.

The largest wild animal in England is the red deer. A large male red deer can weigh over 150 (11) _________. Adult red deer are over one metre high at the (12) _________ (not counting the neck, head or, in the case of the males, the large antlers).