How big is England?
England covers about 130,000 square kilometres, or roughly 50,000 square miles. That makes it about the same size as Greece or the US state of Louisiana.
England makes up more than half of the land area of the United Kingdom. Scotland is the second largest nation, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland.
From the Scottish border in the north to the coast of Cornwall in the southwest, England stretches roughly 600 kilometres, or about 375 miles. Its widest point from west to east is around 450 kilometres.
A small country with variety
Despite its modest size, England has varied landscapes, from the mountains and lakes of the Lake District to the flat fens of East Anglia, the moors of Yorkshire and the cliffs of Cornwall and Dover.
No point in England is more than about 70 miles from the sea. Its coastline is long and varied, with sandy beaches, chalk cliffs, estuaries and fishing harbors.
Because distances are relatively short, travelers can see many different regions in a single trip. A train from London to Edinburgh, just over the border in Scotland, takes around four and a half hours, while London to Manchester takes about two hours.