England: 8 Essential Facts (Size, Capital, System, Culture, Tourism)

England ≠ UK ≠ Britain. Here’s what England is.

Largest UK country — 130,279 km² (50,301 sq mi), 56M people (84% of UK).
Capital = London — 8.8M (city), 14.3M (metro). Global finance, culture, transport hub.
Language: English (de facto official). Recognized regional: Cornish, Welsh (border), Scots (debated).
Government: Constitutional monarchy. King = head of state. PM + Parliament (Westminster) govern. No English parliament (devolved to Scotland/Wales/NI only).
Currency: Pound sterling (£) — Bank of England issues.
Icons: Stonehenge (2500 BC), Tower of London (1066+), Buckingham Palace, Bath, York Minster, Lake District, Canterbury.
Cultural exports: Shakespeare, Beatles, Newton, Darwin, Austen, Churchill, Harry Potter, Premier League, NHS model.
Tourism: 35M+ visits/yr (pre-COVID). Top inbound: US, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain.