A little introduction to England's geographic Delimitation and Conformation

(Based on Gran Enciclopedia del mundo, Durvan ediciones, Bilbao, 1975 and http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inglaterra)

This time, I will try to present in this blog a mini summary about England's geographic delimitation and conformation.

Thus, it is necessary to start saying that England is one of the countries that belong to the United Kingdom, which is the government that rules the British Isles. So, as national territory, England is one of the three Great Britain’s Historical kingdoms (the other two are Wales -which is in the west- and Scotland -which is in the north).

In connection with its location, it should be noted that, between these three nations, England has the closest geographical proximity to the European continent -the maritime area known as English Channel- and the only underground connection -the Eurotunnel- between them.

Now, with respect to England's geomorphology, the most notable aspect is that this island is mainly conformed by highlands. However, it is possible to divide the country in two different geo-zones: the hilly west and the lowlands east, both regions separated by the most important mountain chain of England, which is called The Pennines. Despite this general limits, it is also true that the southern region of both longitude has more flat lands.

Otherwise, the English weather is wet and temperate (between -5ºC and 30ºC), although, as it is logical, it is warmer in the south than in the north. On the other hand, snowfalls occur in winter and spring, mostly in the highlands.

Finally, England’s territorial organization has suffered some changes. Aforetime, counties –each of which molds the basic subdivision of hierarchy administration- constituted the only political organization and they were made between kingdoms.

In contrast and since the nineteenth century, nowadays England has four hierarchy political levels: 9 regions, 47 counties, 326 districts and many parishes.

It is interesting to note that counties have been separated in two: metropolitan counties and ceremonial counties. The firsts are the political-administrative regions of England, while the seconds are the geographic limits which make reference to those.

Britannia or Toward the formation of England

(An abstract based on A history of the English-Speaking Peoples, by Winston S. Churchill)

In the first century B.C., Julius Caesar laid his eyes on Britannia, an island kwon by its “barbaric and savage” Celtic population. Considering that, for the Roman Empire, the latter represented not only a threat, but also a huge mass of worker power; he decided to guide his army to the island.

So, in his first rush, with eighty ships, Caesar sailed to Britannia in 55 B.C.

After several fighting months, he finally gained the victory and subjected the Britons, who soon found a leader called Cassivellaunus, a man who knew that Britons couldn’t defeat the Roman army and, instead of searching for a bloody ending, chose a pacific agreement with the Empire.

Thanks to this clever political movement, during nearly the next hundred years, Britannia rested in peace; however, after Caligula’s death, Claudius (after named “Britannicus”) took power and restarted the conquest of Britannia invading it in 43 A.C.

Unfortunately for Britons, there was a divergence between principal groups of the island, which allowed that Romans won the battles against them easily causing, on the one hand, a general flight of people and, on the other, many rebellions. The most important of them was made by Boadicea’s tribe between 60-61 A.C., which, helped by other tribes, beat the Romans in Camulodunum (the center of Roman authority) and Londinium (the biggest emporium of the island).

Nevertheless, Boadicea lost the ultimate battle against Caius Suetonius (the proconsul who led roman legions), and Nero, who in those days was already the emperor, sent a new governor for “making peace” with Britons in 78 A.C. His name was Julius Agricola and he was who accomplished the triumph of Romans in 83 A.C. winning the battle of Mons Graupius.

(To be continued…)