England is the biggest of the four countries in the United Kingdom. Together with Scotland and Wales, these three countries make up the island of Great Britain. When you include Northern Ireland (the country in the northeastern part of Ireland) we call it the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Over 50 million people live in England. That's around 80 percent of the UK's total population. It is a multicultural (多元文化的) country where more than 250 languages are spoken in the capital city of London. Outside of the big cities, England is a very green country and has many beautiful rural areas, such as the Lake District in the north and the New Forest, a big area of forest in the southern part of the country.
Music
English people love music. In the summer, there are music festivals all over the country. Glastonbury (格拉斯顿堡) is a five-day festival of music, dance, comedy, theatre and circus (马戏). About 175,000 people go to it each year.
People in England listen to all types of music, especially pop and rock. England has produced many international groups and singers like the Beatles, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Adele.
Sport
The most popular sports in England are football, rugby (橄榄球) and cricket (板球). Most towns have at least one field where teams can play. English football teams like Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool are world-famous. Cricket is a traditional sport played with a bat (球拍) and ball. It began in England and is now played all over the world.
Food
England is a very multicultural country and this has a big influence on the food people eat. Indian, Chinese and Italian cuisines (饭菜) are popular besides traditional English food like fish and chips, roast beef or sausage and mashed potatoes (土豆泥). Many English people drink several cups of tea each day, usually with milk.
