England comprises the central and southern parts of the island of Great Britain. It is bordered by Scotland to the north and Wales to the west. Its extensive coastline meets the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south, the Celtic Sea to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the northwest. The country is generally divided into two distinct geographical zones: the rugged, higher-elevation terrain of the north and west, and the gentler, rolling lowlands of the south and east.
The Tees-Exe line, an imaginary boundary drawn between the mouth of the River Tees in the northeast and the River Exe in the southwest, roughly divides these two topographic zones. North and west of this line, the landscape is characterized by ancient, harder rocks forming hills and mountains. South and east of the line, the landscape consists of younger, softer rocks creating low hills, vales, and plains.
Major rivers include the Thames, which flows through London, the Severn (the longest river in the UK, which England shares with Wales), the Trent, and the Mersey. England is relatively devoid of natural extremes but possesses rich natural resources, historically including significant coal, iron ore, and tin deposits, which fueled the Industrial Revolution, though today it increasingly relies on offshore oil and gas from the North Sea and growing renewable energy infrastructure.