England Travel Guide

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Country Facts

Location

Great Britain.

Language

English. There are many local dialects throughout the country, influenced by class, and town and country accents. In the larger cities, particularly London, there are many communities who do not speak English as a first language, or who have a patois.

Area

130,395 sq km (50,346 sq miles).

Electricity

240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square three-pin plugs are standard.

Population

51.3 million (2008).

Population Density

396 per sq km.

Capital City

London. Population: 7.5 million (2007).

Government

Constitutional monarchy.

Head of Government

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, since 2007.

Head of State

HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953.

Religion

Predominantly Christian (Church of England, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist), sizeable Muslim, Sikh, Jewish and Hindu minorities. Around 15% of the population have no religion.

Communications

Telephone

Country Code: . There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards.

Mobile Telephone

Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone operators. Coverage is mostly good, but can be patchy in rural areas.

Internet

There are Internet cafés and centers in most urban areas. Some multimedia phone booths, often located at main railway stations and airports, offer touch-screen access.

Media

The British media are free and able to report on all subjects. The variety of publications reflects the full spectrum of political opinion. There is a plethora of regional and local papers, some published on a daily basis. With regards to television, both the BBC and ITV (the commercial network) broadcast regional variations.

Post

Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good.Mon-Fri 0900-1730 and Sat 0900-1230, although some post offices are open much longer hours.

Public Holidays

Below are listed Public Holidays for the January 2011-December 2012 period.
2010
26 Dec Boxing Day

2011
1 Jan New Year’s Day
22 Apr Good Friday
25 Apr Easter Monday
28 Apr Royal Wedding
2 May Early May Bank Holiday
30 May Spring Bank Holiday
29 Aug Summer Bank Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day

2012
1 Jan New Year’s Day
6 Apr Good Friday
9 Apr Easter Monday
7 May Early May Bank Holiday
4 Jun Spring Bank Holiday
4 Jun Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
27 Aug Summer Bank Holiday
25 Dec Christmas Day
26 Dec Boxing Day
If the date falls on the weekend, the public holiday will be observed on the next working day.

Contact Information

VisitBritain

Thames Tower, Blacks Road, London W6 9EL, UK
Tel: (020) 8846 9000.
Website: www.visitbritain.com (international visitors) or www.enjoyengland.com (UK visitors)

VisitBritain in the USA

551 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, New York, NY 10176, USA
Tel: 1 800 462 2748 (general information line) or (212) 986 2266 (executive offices).
Website: www.visitbritain.com/usa

British Embassy in the USA

3100 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Tel: (202) 588 7800.
Website: www.ukinusa.fco.gov.uk