The countries of the UK

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as its full official name is, is divided into four main parts which, although strictly speaking belonging to the same country, are usually referred to as "countries" themselves, due to different history, heritage, tradition.

They are called "home countries", and they are: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.

In recent years, through a process called "devolution", they have acquired their own parliaments and governing bodies.

Regions of England

There are eight traditional regions of England. They do not have any administrative role per se, but they are considered the standard regions of England, and serve as demarcations of distinct areas with differences deriving from geography and history.

England is a homogeneous, uniform country with a developed sense of common identity. This is helped by its relatively small size, although other European countries of similar extension have more regional differentiations (ie Italy).
As is always the case, geographical and historical factors are responsible for both assimilation and diversification.
For example, mountain ranges and river estuaries form natural boundaries. In the north, the east and west are separated by the Pennines. The Thames, the Severn and the Humber estuaries also delimit different areas.