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About England

     England (pronounced IPA: /ˈɪŋglənd/) (Old English: Englaland, Middle English: Engelond) is the largest and most populous constituent country of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% 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 Great Britain, and the largest city in the European Union by most, but not all, measures.

     England ranks amongst the world's most influential and far-reaching centres of cultural development. 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: in addition, London, the country's capital, was the centre of the British Empire, and the country was also the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. England 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. With the Principality of Wales already in the English state. Great Britain is the term in use for the largest island in the British Isles, with the name's origins in the Celtic 'People of the Islands', or Pretani.

About Plymouth

     Plymouth is a city of 243,795 inhabitants (2001 census) in the county of Devon in South West England. It is situated at the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar and overlooks one of Europe's largest natural harbours, Plymouth Sound. The city is large in geographical area because of the building of many postwar satellite housing estates and the absorption of Plympton and Plymstock in the 1960s.

     The city has a rich maritime past and was once one of the most important Royal Navy bases in the United Kingdom, making the city a prime target of the Luftwaffe during World War II. After extensive destruction to the city in the Blitz of 1941, Plymouth was rebuilt under the guidance of architect Patrick Abercrombie. It is still home to the largest naval base in Western Europe.

     Important locations in the city include The Royal Citadel, Devonport Dockyard and The Barbican from where the Pilgrims left for the New World in 1620. The University of Plymouth with thirty thousand students is the fourth largest in the UK.

     Plymouth people are known as Plymothians or less formally as Janners.

     Plymouth has a number of public parks, the largest of which is Central Park. Other sizeable green spaces include Victoria Park, Freedom Fields Park, Alexandra Park, Keyham, Beaumont Park, St Judes, Greenbank Park, Blockhouse Park, Devonport Park, Widey Woods, and significantly, the Hoe.

     Plymouth is not a primary tourist destination. There are no beaches and none of the traditional entertainments of a coastal venue, but the council tourist office markets the city under the slogan 'Spirit of Discovery': a reference to the British seafarers who have sailed from Plymouth to uncharted areas of the world. The historical connections especially those related to Drake, and the final sailing of the Mayflower, together with the view from the Hoe ensure that coaches, including many from Europe, visit the Barbican and seafront areas. There are many small private hotels particularly in the Citadel Road area and the larger hotels offer regular holiday packages.

     In 1914 the county boroughs of Plymouth and Devonport, and the urban district of East Stonehouse merged to form a single county borough of Plymouth. This was supported by the War Office, who were concerned that having three different local councils would complicate matters in time of war. Collectively they were referred to as "The Three Towns". A provisional order was made on May 2, 1914, to come into effect in November.

     In 1928, Plymouth was granted city status. The city's boundaries were extended in the mid-1930s and further expanded in 1967 to include the town of Plympton and the parish of Plymstock.

     Plymouth lobbied for further boundary extensions throughout the post-war period, proposing to annex Saltash and Torpoint on the other side of the Tamar to the Local Government Boundary Commission. The 1971 Local Government White Paper proposed abolishing county boroughs, which would have left Plymouth, a town of 250,000 people, being administered from a council based at the smaller Exeter, on the other side of the county. This led to Plymouth lobbying for the creation of a Tamarside county, to include Plymouth, Torpoint, Saltash, and the rural hinterland.The campaign was not successful, and Plymouth ceased to be a county borough on April 1, 1974 with responsibility for education, social services, highways and libraries transferred to Devon County Council. It become a unitary authority under recommendations of the Banham Commission, on April 1, 1998.