Quick Europe Facts

Geography

England covers 50,356 square miles of land located in the Northeastern region of the Atlantic Ocean. It is an island country surrounded by the English Channel to its south, the North Sea to its east, and the Irish and Celtic Seas to its west. England is also bordered by the country of Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. England can be divided into two major regions, the Highland Zone and the Lowland Zone. The Highland Zone has steep hills and mountains that can peak around 3,000 ft. as well as lakes. The soil and the land makes farming nearly impossible in this area, yet, because of the landscape tourism is a big source of income here. The Lowland Zone was once a swamp that has since been drained. Now, there are far less hills than in the Highland Zone and the soil is more fertile, making farming a bigger industry. This is also where the bulk of England's population resides.

Weather

The weather in England can be described in one word...unpredictable. While the summers months (June-August) are the warmest time of the year, averaging around 67 degrees Fahrenheit it is not unlikely to find yourself needing a light jacket at any point in the day. England's summers are the coolest in Europe but their winters are the most mild on the continent. The average high for the winter months is 48 degrees Fahrenheit and the average low is 39, typically the coldest month, February, is a little cooler than this.

Precipitation in England is pretty well spread out throughout the year. There is a small variation with the wettest months being October-January and the driest months being February-March. The Lake District, located in the Highland Zone, typically has the highest amount of rain fall, while the eastern portions of England have a lower amount.

Population, Currency, & Government

England has one of the most populous countries in the world. Its population is around 50.4 million (in 2005). The national language of England is English, however, the national language used to be French for 300 years in the 11th century.

England is home to the largest financial center in the world located in London. It also has the second largest economy in Europe. The country of England uses the Pound. Currently one Pound is equal to $1.46 U.S. Dollar.

England has no government of its own, but is governed by the United Kingdom, which includes Scotland and Wales. The UK' government can be classified as both a Monarchy and a Parlimentary Democracy. The Monarchy means that a king or queen reigns over the UK. He or she is head of state but does not run the country. The Parlimentary Democracy is chosen by the people. This is were the people have the chance to vote who runs the country. The Prime Minister is the one who then runs the UK's government, currently the Prime Minister is Gordon Brown.

My Student Teaching Goal...

While teaching in England I would like to accomplish many things, however, my biggest goal that I am setting for myself is to study education culture. I think what I have learned here in the United States about teaching and different strategies have been amazing but I do not want to limit myself to only seeing one prespective. I feel I will have a lot to bring to England with the background that I have built with the classes and experiences I have been given here. However, I feel England has a lot to offer me, giving me new ideas, new strategies, and possibly a different point of view for education.

Another goal that I have for myself, or rather challenge, is to lesson plan for the 'specials' classes (art, phy. ed, music). I found out that I will be teaching, and therefore, planning lessons for these classes where in the United States you would have a different degree in those areas. While I know this will be a challenge I am also very excited to have to do this extra planning for my students. Hopefully with the experince that I get from this experience it will make me more aware of including different aspects of learning to my lessons here in the United States.