England

England is often subdivided into three parts: the South, the Midlands and the North.

The South. The landscape is varied. The climate is warmer than in the other areas. There are hundreds of miles of sea coast which vary from flat, sandy or stony beaches to high rocky cliffs. The mild and sunny climate makes the south coast popular with holiday-makers. Some coastal resorts are famous, Brighton among them.

Somerset, Devon and Cornwall are rural counties, tucked away with hidden fishing hamlets and Britain's warmest weather in winter. There are high, bare hills, rock and deep wooded valleys.

Inland, the landscape is gentle and green; it is famous for its fertile farmland, the calm, tranquil and quiet beauty of its countryside.

One of the most beautiful counties in the South of England is certainly Kent. It is known as the Garden of England, because it is famous for its picturesque orchards which produce a lot of fruit and vegetables.

Another area which has some of the richest farmland in the country is known as the Fens and lies to the east of Cambridge.

This land was drained and now the Fen Country consists of miles of flat land with almost no trees or hedges.

In general, the South is wealthier than other areas of Britain. Work of all kinds is provided on the land, in trade and industry. British Aerospace has factories building aeroplanes in several parts of the South. Lots of people are involved in service industries including financial, business and government services, computer services and information systems. There are science-based companies and research organizations.

The Midlands. The Midlands Region has much farming land, but this part of the country is better known as an industrial area, one of England's most productive regions.

Birmingham which is often called 'the Big Heart of England', is the most important city of the Midlands. It is the second largest city in the United Kingdom. Birmingham and the neighbouring industrial city of Coventry are famous for engineering, especially car production.

Derby is another engineering centre. Rolls Royce make aero engines and cars there.

The Potteries is another industrial area in the Midlands. It lies around the city of Stoke-on-Trent and produces china, crockery and all kinds of ceramics, some of which are famous worldwide, Wedgwood among them.

The West Midlands, another industrialized area where there are many collieries and steelworks, is known as the Black Country because of the black smoke and blackened buildings there.

In contrast, the Midlands region has some beautiful picturesque countryside in the Peak District with its National Park.

The North. The weather is considerably colder. There is almost always snow in winter.

This is a region of great natural beauty although industry of some kind has existed here for hundreds of years. There is a great contrast in the North between the beautiful open, hilly countryside and the industrial towns and mining villages.

In parts of the North — in Yorkshire particularly — there are gentle wooded valleys and green pastures and excellent farming land. West Yorkshire is very good country for sheep-farming, and it has long been Britain's most important area for the wool industry.

Coal is one of the few natural resources found in the North of England.

Some famous industrial cities in the North are Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle-on-Tyne.

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