Editing East of England

{{Short description|Region of England}}
{{Distinguish|East Anglia}}
{{About|the region|the former European constituency|East of England (European Parliament constituency)}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Update|date=July 2020}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2009}}
{{cleanup|reason=Remove unreferenced text, fix structure and level of detail in each section, could do with reorganising as well, if you're in the mood!|date=July 2020}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = East of England
| settlement_type         = [[Regions of England|Region]]
| image_skyline           = {{multiple image |border=infobox |perrow=2 |total_width=250 |align=center
 | image1 = Sailing boat on the River Thurne - geograph.org.uk - 4618341.jpg
 | image2 = Beach and cliffs between Benacre Broad and Kessingland - geograph.org.uk - 2137696.jpg
 | image3 = Hatfield House, Hertfordshire - geograph.org.uk - 3490603.jpg
 | image4 = Peterborough Cathedral Exterior 2, Cambridgeshire, UK - Diliff.jpg
 | image5 = High Street, Leighton Buzzard - geograph.org.uk - 3445885.jpg
 | image6 = King's College, Cambridge - geograph.org.uk - 3313819.jpg
 | image7 = Church of All Saints - geograph.org.uk - 5256473.jpg
 | image8 = Colchester Town Hall - geograph.org.uk - 4038453.jpg
 }}
| imagesize               = 
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = From top, left to right: [[Norfolk Broads]]; [[Suffolk Coast and Heaths|Suffolk Coast]]; [[Hatfield House]];  [[Peterborough]]; [[Leighton Buzzard]]; [[Cambridge]]; [[Huntingdon]]; [[Colchester]]
| image_flag              = 
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = 
| shield_alt              = 
| shield_link             = 
| image_blank_emblem      = 
| blank_emblem_size       = 
| blank_emblem_type       = 
| blank_emblem_link       = 
| etymology               = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map               = East of England in England.svg
| map_alt                 = 
| map_caption             = East of England region shown within [[England]]
| coordinates             = {{coord|52.24|0.41|region:GB-ENG_type:adm1st|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = [[Sovereign state]]
| subdivision_name        = [[United Kingdom]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Countries of the United Kingdom|Country]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[England]]
| subdivision_type2       = 
| subdivision_name2       = 
| subdivision_type3       = 
| subdivision_name3       = 
| subdivision_type4       = 
| subdivision_name4       = 
| established_title       = [[Government Offices for the English regions|GO]] established
| established_date        = 1994
| established_title1      = [[Regional development agency|RDA]] established
| established_date1       = 1998
| established_title2      = GO abolished
| established_date2       = 2011
| established_title3      = RDA abolished
| established_date3       = 31 March 2012
| named_for               = 
| seat_type               = Largest city
| seat                    = [[Peterborough]]
|parts_type               = Subdivisions
|parts                    =
 {{Collapsible list |title=6 [[Ceremonial counties of England|counties]]
 | [[Bedfordshire]]
 | [[Cambridgeshire]]
 | [[Essex]]
 | [[Hertfordshire]]
 | [[Norfolk]]
 | [[Suffolk]]
 }}
{{Collapsible list |title=1 [[Combined authority|combined authorities]]
 | [[Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority|Cambridgeshire and Peterborough]]
 }}
{{Collapsible list |title=45 [[Districts of England|districts]]
 | 6 [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary]]
 | 39 [[Non-metropolitan district|non-metropolitan districts]] in 5 [[non-metropolitan county|non-metropolitan counties]]
 }}
<!-- Government -->
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="Leaders' board">{{cite web |url=https://www.eelga.gov.uk/ |title=Home - EELGA |website=East of England Local Government Association |access-date=10 August 2024}}</ref>
| government_type         = [[Local authority leaders' board]]
| governing_body          = [[East of England Local Government Association]]
| leader_title            = 
| leader_name             = 
| leader_title1           = 
| leader_name1            = 
| leader_title2           = 
| leader_name2            = 
| leader_title3           = 
| leader_name3            = 
| leader_title4           = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]]s
| leader_name4            = [[Parliamentary constituencies in the East of England|58 MPs]] (of 650)
<!-- Area -->
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="ONS Standard Area Measurement">{{cite web |url=https://geoportal.statistics.gov.uk/datasets/ons::standard-area-measurements-latest-for-administrative-areas-in-the-united-kingdom/about |title=Standard Area Measurements (Latest) for Administrative Areas in the United Kingdom |date=24 April 2024 |website=[[ONS Open Geography Portal|Open Geography Portal]] |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=6 May 2024 }}</ref>
| area_total_km2          = 19587
| area_land_km2           = {{UK subdivision area|GSS=E12000006}}
| area_water_km2          = 
| area_rank               = [[Regions of England#List of regions|2nd]] <!-- of English regions -->
<!-- Population -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="popstats">{{UK subdivision statistics citation}}</ref>
| population_as_of        = {{UK subdivision statistics year}}
| population_total        = {{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000006}}
| population_rank         = [[Regions of England#List of regions|4th]] <!-- of English regions -->
| population_density_km2  = {{UK subdivision density|GSS=E12000006}}
| population_demonym      = 
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Ethnicity <span style="font-weight:normal;">([[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]])</span>
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis">{{NOMIS2021 |id=E12000006 |title=East of England Region |access-date=14 August 2023}}</ref>
| demographics1_title1    = [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|Ethnic groups]]
| demographics1_info1     = {{Collapsible list
 | 86.5% [[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]
 | 6.4% [[British Asians|Asian]]
 | 2.9% [[Black British people|Black]]
 | 2.8% [[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed]]
 | 1.4% [[Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom|other]]
 }}
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = Religion <span style="font-weight:normal;">(2021)</span>
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="2021 Nomis"/>
| demographics2_title1    = [[Religion in England|Religion]]
| demographics2_info1     = {{Collapsible list
 | 46.6% [[Religion in England#Christianity|Christianity]]
 | 40.2% [[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|no religion]]
 | 3.7% [[Islam in England|Islam]]
 | 1.4% [[Hinduism in England|Hinduism]]
 | 0.7% [[History of the Jews in England|Judaism]]
 | 0.4% [[Sikhism in England|Sikhism]]
 | 0.4% [[Buddhism in England|Buddhism]]
 | 0.6% [[Religion in England|other]]
 | 6.1% not stated
 }}
| timezone1               = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset1             = +0
| timezone1_DST           = [[British Summer Time|BST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +1
<!-- Codes -->
| postal_code_type        = [[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|Postcode areas]]
| postal_code             = 
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom|Dialling codes]]
| area_code               = 
| iso_code                = 
| blank1_name             = [[International Territorial Level|ITL code]]
| blank1_info             = TLH
| blank2_name             = [[GSS coding system|GSS code]]
| blank2_info             = E12000006
| website                 = 
}}
{{Politics of England}}

The '''East of England''' is one of nine official [[regions of England]] at the first level of [[ITL (UK)|ITL]] for [[Office for National Statistics|statistical]] purposes.{{efn|ITL replaced [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics|NUTS]] and followed the same definitions of its predecessor until 2023}}  It consists of the ceremonial counties of [[Bedfordshire]], [[Cambridgeshire]], [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]], [[Norfolk]] and [[Suffolk]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=UK: county population|url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/971694/county-population-england/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Statista|language=en}}</ref> The northern part of the region, consisting of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, is known as [[East Anglia]]. The latter region has been considered an informal region in its own right due to its differing cultural identity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurostat |url=https://circabc.europa.eu/webdav/CircaBC/ESTAT/regportraits/Information/ukh1_geo.htm |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=circabc.europa.eu}}</ref>

The population of the East of England in {{UK subdivision statistics year}} was {{UK subdivision population|GSS=E12000006}}.<ref name="popstats" /> [[Bedford]], [[Luton]], [[Basildon]], [[Peterborough]], [[Southend-on-Sea]], [[Norwich]], [[Ipswich]], [[Colchester]], [[Chelmsford]] and [[Cambridge]] are the most populous settlements.<ref>{{Cite web|title=East of England (United Kingdom): Counties and Unitary Districts & Settlements - Population Statistics, Charts and Map|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/eastofengland/|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.citypopulation.de}}</ref> Peterborough is the largest city in the East of England at 215,000. The southern part of the region lies in the [[London metropolitan area|London commuter belt]].

==Geography==
[[File:London, Great Britain Population Density and Low Elevation Coastal Zones (5457306673).jpg|thumb|England population density and low elevation coastal zones. East of England is particularly vulnerable to [[sea level rise]].]]
The East of England has the lowest elevation range in the UK. Twenty per cent of the region is below mean sea level, most of this in North Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and on the Essex Coast.<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Summary of Climate Change To coincide with the publication of the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) 2012 Risks for the East of England|url=http://www.greensuffolk.org/assets/Greenest-County/Adaptation/General/Summary-of-climate-change-risks-to-East-of-England.pdf|access-date=22 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Norfolk topographic map, elevation, relief|url=https://en-gb.topographic-map.com/maps/swsb/Norfolk/|access-date=2020-08-22|website=topographic-map.com|language=en}}</ref> Most of the remaining area is of low elevation, with extensive glacial deposits.<ref>{{Cite web|title=East Anglia {{!}} region, England, United Kingdom|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/East-Anglia|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> [[The Fens]], a large area of reclaimed marshland, are mostly in North Cambridgeshire.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fens {{!}} marshland, England, United Kingdom|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Fens|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> The Fens include the lowest point in the country in the village of [[Holme, Cambridgeshire|Holme]]: 2.75 metres (9.0&nbsp;ft) below mean sea level. This area formerly included the body of open water known as [[Whittlesey Mere]]. The highest point in the region is at Clipper Down at 817&nbsp;ft (249 m) above mean sea level, in the far southwestern corner of the region in the [[Ivinghoe Hills]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Holme Fen {{!}} The Great Fen|url=https://www.greatfen.org.uk/holme-fen|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.greatfen.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Whittlesey Mere {{!}} The Great Fen|url=https://www.greatfen.org.uk/about-great-fen/heritage/whittlesey-mere|access-date=2020-08-05|website=www.greatfen.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Ltd|first=Copyright The mountain Guide-A.-Connect|title=Clipper Down {{!}} England|url=https://www.themountainguide.co.uk/england/clipper-down.htm|access-date=2020-08-05|website=UK mountain Guide|language=en|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029041235/https://www.themountainguide.co.uk/england/clipper-down.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Communities known as [[New towns movement|New Towns]], responses to urban congestion and World War II destruction, appeared in [[Basildon]] and [[Harlow]] (Essex), as well as in [[Stevenage]] and [[Hemel Hempstead]] (Hertfordshire), in the 1950s and 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Celebrating 70 Years of the New Towns Act|url=https://www.tcpa.org.uk/nta-70|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Town and Country Planning Association|language=en}}</ref> In the late 1960s, the [[Roskill Commission]] considered Cublington in Buckinghamshire, [[Thurleigh]] in Bedfordshire, [[Nuthampstead]] in Hertfordshire and [[Foulness]] in Essex as locations for a possible third airport for London. A new airport was not built, but a former [[RAF Stansted Mountfitchet|Royal Air Force base at Stansted]], which had previously been converted to civilian use redeveloped and expanded in the following decades.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/af8f2327-27fc-48c9-9d56-4417fab51d29|title=Roskill Commission on the Third London Airport|language=en}}</ref>

===Historical use===
The East of England succeeded the [[Standard statistical regions|standard statistical region]] East Anglia (which excluded [[Essex]], [[Hertfordshire]] and [[Bedfordshire]], then in the [[South East England|South East]]). The East of England [[Historical and alternative regions of England#Civil defence regions|civil defence region]] was identical to today's region.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Haslam |first=Jeremy |date=January 2011 |title=Daws Castle, Somerset, and Civil Defence Measures in Southern and Midland England in the Ninth to Eleventh Centuries |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00665983.2011.11020834 |journal=Archaeological Journal |language=en |volume=168 |issue=1 |pages=195–226 |doi=10.1080/00665983.2011.11020834 |s2cid=161250564 |issn=0066-5983}}</ref>

===East Anglia with Home Counties===
Essex, despite meaning East-Saxons, previously formed part of the [[South East England]] administrative region, along with Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, a mixture of definite and debatable [[Home counties]]. The earliest use of the term is from 1695. [[Charles Davenant]], in ''An essay upon ways and means of supplying the war'', wrote, "The Eleven Home Counties, which are thought in Land Taxes to pay more than their proportion..." then cited a list including these four. The term does not appear to have been used in taxation since the 18th century.<ref name="Davenant">{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Davenant |author-link=Charles Davenant |title=An Essay upon Ways and Means of Supplying the War |location=London |publisher=Jacob Tonson |year=1695 |page=77 }}; quoted in {{OED|Home Counties}}</ref>

==Climate==
East Anglia is one of the driest parts of the United Kingdom, with average rainfall ranging from {{convert|450|to|750|mm|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UK climate - Weather and climate - GCSE Geography Revision|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zyj9v4j/revision/4|access-date=2021-03-31|website=BBC Bitesize|language=en-GB}}</ref> The area receives such low rainfall amounts because [[Low-pressure area|low pressure]] systems and [[weather front]]s from the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] lose a lot of moisture over land (and therefore are usually much weaker) by the time they reach Eastern England.<ref name="tandfonline.com">{{Cite journal |last1=Coombes |first1=E. G. |last2=Jones |first2=A. P. |last3=Bateman |first3=I. J. |last4=Tratalos |first4=J. A. |last5=Gill |first5=J. A. |last6=Showler |first6=D. A. |last7=Watkinson |first7=A. R. |last8=Sutherland |first8=W. J. |date=2009-01-21 |title=Spatial and Temporal Modeling of Beach Use: A Case Study of East Anglia, UK |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08920750802527127 |journal=Coastal Management |language=en |volume=37 |issue=1 |pages=94–115 |doi=10.1080/08920750802527127 |bibcode=2009CoasM..37...94C |s2cid=153499701 |issn=0892-0753}}</ref>

Winter (mid-November – mid-March) is mostly cool, but non-prevailing cold easterly winds can affect the area from the continent. These can bring heavy snowfall if the winds interact with a [[Low-pressure area|low-pressure system]] over the Atlantic or [[France]].<ref name="tandfonline.com"/> Northerly winds also can be cold but are not usually as cold as easterly winds. Westerly winds bring milder and, typically, wetter weather. Southerly winds usually bring mild air (if from the Atlantic or [[North Africa]]) but chill if coming from further east than Spain.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Met|first=Office|date=2016|title=Eastern England: climate|url=https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/regional-climates/index#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20places%20in%20the,than%20in%20autumn%20and%20winter.|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-01|website=UK regional climates|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709192337/https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/regional-climates/index |archive-date=9 July 2019 }}</ref>

Spring (mid-March – May) is a transitional season that initially can be chilly but is usually warm by late-April/May. The weather at this time is often changeable (within each day) and occasionally showery.<ref name="linkinghub.elsevier.com">{{Cite journal |last1=Dessai |first1=Suraje |last2=Hulme |first2=Mike |date=February 2007 |title=Assessing the robustness of adaptation decisions to climate change uncertainties: A case study on water resources management in the East of England |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0959378006000914 |journal=Global Environmental Change |language=en |volume=17 |issue=1 |pages=59–72 |doi=10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2006.11.005|bibcode=2007GEC....17...59D }}</ref>

Summer (June – mid-September) is usually warm. Continental air from mainland Europe or the [[Azores High]] usually leads to at least a few weeks of hot, balmy weather with prolonged warm to hot temperatures. The number of summer storms from the Atlantic, such as the remnants of a [[tropical storm]], usually coincides with the location of the [[jet stream]]. The East tends to receive much less rain than the other regions.<ref name="linkinghub.elsevier.com"/>

Autumn (mid-September – mid-November) is usually mild with some days being very unsettled and rainy and others warm. At least part of September and early October in the East have warm and settled weather, but only in rare years is there an [[Indian summer]] where fine weather marks the entire traditional harvest season.<ref name="linkinghub.elsevier.com"/>

Dust devils were reported in Essex and Cambridgeshire on 17 August 2024, causing minor injuries and some disruption. These small whirlwinds, which form from the ground up, are less powerful than tornadoes. In Essex, they caused tents and gazebos to be lifted during a local event, resulting in minor injuries. Witnesses described the event as unexpected, noting that such phenomena are rare in the area.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dramatic dust devils spotted in East of England |date=16 August 2024 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygzwlk2wpo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240818171230/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clygzwlk2wpo|archive-date=18 August 2024|access-date=19 August 2024}}</ref>

==Demographics==
[[File:East of England population pyramid 2020.svg|thumb|East of England population pyramid in 2020]]

=== Ethnicity ===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="3" |Ethnic group
! colspan="8" |Year
|-
! colspan="2" |1991<ref>Data is taken from United Kingdom [http://casweb.ukdataservice.ac.uk/index.htm Casweb Data services] of the United Kingdom [http://casweb.ukdataservice.ac.uk/step1.cfm 1991 Census on Ethnic Data for England] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405213012/http://casweb.ukdataservice.ac.uk/step1.cfm |date=5 April 2022 }} (Table 6)</ref>
! colspan="2" |2001<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of National Statistics; 2001 Census Key Statistics |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/census-2001-key-statistics/local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/local-authorities-ks06--ethnic-group.xls |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2011<ref>{{Cite web |title=2011 Census: Ethnic Group, local authorities in England and Wales |url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rft-table-ks201ew.xls |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |2021<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ethnic group - Office for National Statistics |url=https://www.ons.gov.uk/datasets/TS021/editions/2021/versions/1/filter-outputs/d2f0a39a-75b6-4995-b4bd-a5b68ff79027#get-data |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=www.ons.gov.uk}}</ref>
|-
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
![[White people in the United Kingdom|White]]: Total
!4,891,675
!96.8%
!5,125,003
!95.11%
!5,310,194
!90.81%
!5,478,364
!86.5%
|-
|White: [[White British|British]]
|
|
|4,927,343
|91.44%
|4,986,170
|85.27%
|4,972,149
|78.5%
|-
|White: [[Irish Briton|Irish]]
|
|
|61,208
|
|55,573
|
|57,964
|0.9%
|-
|White: [[Irish Traveller]]/[[Romani people|Gypsy]]
|
|
| -
| -
|8,165
|
|8,977
|0.1%
|-
|White: Roma
|
|
|
|
|
|
|9,675
|0.2%
|-
|White: [[White Other (United Kingdom Census)|Other]]
|
|
|136,452
|
|260,286
|
|429,599
|6.8%
|-
![[British Asian|Asian or Asian British]]: Total
!99,720
!2%
!142,137
!2.63%
!278,372
!4.76%
!405,869
!6.5%
|-
|Asian or Asian British: [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian]]
|39,292
|
|51,035
|
|86,736
|
|136,974
|2.2%
|-
|Asian or Asian British: [[British Pakistani|Pakistani]]
|24,713
|
|38,790
|
|66,270
|
|99,452
|1.6%
|-
|Asian or Asian British: [[British Bangladeshi|Bangladeshi]]
|10,934
|
|18,503
|
|32,992
|
|50,685
|0.8%
|-
|Asian or Asian British: [[British Chinese|Chinese]]
|12,494
|
|20,385
|
|33,503
|
|38,444
|0.6%
|-
|Asian or Asian British: [[British Asian|Asian Other]]
|12,287
|
|13,424
|
|58,871
|
|80,314
|1.3%
|-
![[Black British people|Black or Black British]]: Total
!42,310
!0.8%
!48,464
!0.89%
!117,442
!2%
!184,949
!3%
|-
|Black or Black British: [[Black British|African]]
|6,373
|
|16,968
|
|69,925
|
|118,731
|1.9%
|-
|Black or Black British: [[British African-Caribbean community|Caribbean]]
|21,892
|
|26,199
|
|33,614
|
|41,884
|0.7%
|-
|Black or Black British: [[Other Black|Other]]
|14,045
|
|5,297
|
|13,903
|
|24,334
|0.4%
|-
![[Mixed (United Kingdom ethnicity category)|Mixed]]: Total
!
!
!57,984
!1.07%
!112,116
!1.91%
!179,654
!2.8%
|-
|Mixed: [[White people|White]] and [[British African-Caribbean community|Caribbean]]
|
|
|19,882
|
|37,222
|
|51,950
|0.8%
|-
|Mixed: [[White people|White]] and [[Black British|African]]
|
|
|6,109
|
|15,388
|
|27,376
|0.4%
|-
|Mixed: [[White people|White]] and [[British Asian|Asian]]
|
|
|17,385
|
|32,226
|
|51,448
|0.8%
|-
|Mixed: [[Multiracial|Other Mixed]]
|
|
|14,608
|
|27,280
|
|48,880
|0.8%
|-
!Other: Total
!21,810
!0.4%
!14,552
!0.27%
!28,841
!0.49%
!86,232
!1.3%
|-
|Other: [[Arab people|Arab]]
|
|
| -
| -
|10,367
|
|15,639
|0.2%
|-
|Other: Any other ethnic group
|21,810
|0.4%
|14,552
|
|18,474
|
|70,593
|1.1%
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!Total
!5,055,515
!100%
!5,388,140
!100%
!5,846,965
!100%
!6,335,068
!100%
|}

===Religion===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ Religion in the East of England
|-
! rowspan="2" |Religion
! colspan="2" |[[2021 United Kingdom census|2021]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=TS030 - Religion Edit query|url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/c2021ts030|access-date=2022-11-29|website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |[[2011 United Kingdom census|2011]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS209EW (Religion) - Nomis - 2011 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks209ew |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
! colspan="2" |[[2001 United Kingdom census|2001]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=KS007 - Religion - Nomis - 2001 |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/ks007 |access-date=2022-10-18 |website=www.nomisweb.co.uk}}</ref>
|-
!Number
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!Number
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
!Number
!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}
|-
| style="background:#E0E0FF;" |[[History of Christianity in Britain|Christianity]]
| 2,955,071
| 46.6%
| 3,488,063
| 59.7%
| 3,886,778
| 72.1%
|-
| style="background:#E0FFD0;" |[[Islam in the United Kingdom|Islam]]
| 234,744
| 3.7%
| 148,341
| 2.5%
| 78,931
| 1.5%
|-
| style="background:#FFE0C0;" |[[Hinduism in the United Kingdom|Hinduism]]
| 86,631
| 1.4%
| 54,010
| 0.9%
| 31,386
| 0.6%
|-
| style="background:#E0F0FF;" |[[History of the Jews in the United Kingdom|Judaism]]
| 42,012
| 0.7%
| 34,830
| 0.6%
| 30,367
| 0.6%
|-
| style="background:#FFFFC0;" |[[Buddhism in the United Kingdom|Buddhism]]
| 26,814
| 0.4%
| 22,273
| 0.4%
| 12,065
| 0.2%
|-
| style="background:#F0F0C0;" |[[Sikhism in the United Kingdom|Sikhism]]
| 24,284
| 0.4%
| 18,213
| 0.3%
| 13,365
| 0.2%
|-
| style="background:#F0E0F0;" |Other religion
| 36,380
| 0.6%
| 24,981
| 0.4%
| 15,471
| 0.3%
|-
| style="background:#F5F5F5;" |[[Irreligion in the United Kingdom|No religion]]
| 2,544,509
| 40.2%
| 1,631,572
| 27.9%
| 902,145
| 16.7%
|-
| style="background:#DCDCDC;" |Religion not stated
| 384,627
| 6.1%
| 424,682
| 7.3%
| 417,632
| 7.8%
|-
!Total population
! '''6,335,072'''
! '''100%'''
! '''5,846,965'''
! '''100%'''
! '''5,388,140'''
! '''100%'''
|-
|}

== Politics ==
{{See also|2024 United Kingdom general election in the East of England}}

===Elections===
[[File:United Kingdom General Election 2017 Results Map (East of England).svg|thumb|right|General Election results in 2017]]
In the [[2015 United Kingdom general election|2015 general election]] there was an overall swing of 0.25% from the Conservatives to Labour and the Liberal Democrats lost 16% of its vote. All of Hertfordshire and Suffolk became Conservative. The region's electorate voted 49% Conservative, 22% Labour, 16% UKIP, 8% Liberal Democrat and 4% Green. Like other regions, the division of seats favours the dominant party in the region and the Conservatives had 52, Labour 4 ([[Cambridge (UK Parliament constituency)|Cambridge]], [[Luton South (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton South]], [[Luton North (UK Parliament constituency)|Luton North]] and [[Norwich South (UK Parliament constituency)|Norwich South]]), UKIP 1 ([[Clacton (UK Parliament constituency)|Clacton]]) and 1 Liberal Democrat ([[North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|North Norfolk]]).<ref>{{Citation |title=UK Referendums 1997-98 |date=2014-05-12 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315039664-13 |work=British Elections & Parties Review |pages=267–272 |publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781315039664-13 |isbn=978-1-315-03966-4 |access-date=2022-03-23}}</ref>

In the [[2019 United Kingdom general election]], the Conservatives gained [[Peterborough (UK Parliament constituency)|Peterborough]] and [[Ipswich (UK Parliament constituency)|Ipswich]] from Labour. They also gained [[North Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)|North Norfolk]] from the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] but lost [[St Albans (UK Parliament constituency)|St Albans]] to [[Daisy Cooper]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Davies |first=Joe |date=2019-12-13 |title=The Lib Dems have gained a key Hertfordshire seat in the general election |url=https://www.hertfordshiremercury.co.uk/news/hertfordshire-news/st-albans-general-election-results-3590187 |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=Herts Live |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan = 10 | Number of MPs returned per party, total 59 <br/> (situation at end of parliament in brackets)
|- bgcolor="CCCCCC"
| colspan="2" rowspan="1" align="center" valign="top" | '''Affiliation'''
| valign="top" | '''[[List of MPs for constituencies in England (2010–2015)|2010–15]]'''
| valign="top" | '''[[List of MPs for constituencies in England (2015–2017)|2015–17]]'''
| valign="top" | '''[[List of MPs for constituencies in England (2017–2019)|2017–19]]'''
| valign="top" | '''[[List of MPs for constituencies in England (2019–2024)|2019–24]]'''
| valign="top" | '''[[List of MPs for constituencies in England (2024–present)|2024–present]]'''
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]
| align="right" |2
| align="right" |4
| align="right" |7 (5)
| align="right" |5 (7)
| align="right" |27
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]]
| align="right" |52
| align="right" |52
| align="right" |50 (46)
| align="right" |52 (51)
| align="right" |23
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Liberal Democrats (UK)}}" |
| [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]]
| align="right" |4
| align="right" |1
| align="right" |1 (2)
| align="right" |1
| align="right" |7
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Reform UK}}" |
| [[Reform UK]]
| bgcolor="CCCCCC" colspan="3" |
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |3
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Green Party of England and Wales}}" |
| [[Green Party of England and Wales|Green]]
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |1
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|The Independents (UK)}}" |
| [[The Independents (UK)|The Independents]]
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0 (1)
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
|-
| style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Independent}}" |
| [[Independent politician|Independent]]
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |1
| align="right" |0 (4)
| align="right" |0
| align="right" |0
|-
|}

==Governance and regions==

===East of England Plan===
The East of England Plan, a revision of the [[Regional Spatial Strategy]] for the East of England, was published on 12 May 2008. It was revoked on 3 January 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gos.gov.uk/goeast/planning/regional_planning |title=The East of England Plan, the Revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East of England, has been published today (12 May 2008) |publisher=Go East |access-date=13 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101210236/http://www.gos.gov.uk/goeast/planning/regional_planning/ |archive-date=1 November 2008 }}</ref>

===Local government===
The official [[Regions of England|region]] consists of the following subdivisions:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Map ||Ceremonial county||Shire county / unitary || Districts
|-
| rowspan="11" | [[File:East of England counties 2019 map.jpg|250px]] || rowspan="3" | [[Essex]] || colspan="2" | 1.&nbsp;[[Thurrock]] U.A.
|-
| colspan="2" | 2.&nbsp;[[Borough of Southend-on-Sea|Southend-on-Sea]] U.A.
|-
| 3.&nbsp;Essex || ''a'')&nbsp;[[Harlow]], ''b'')&nbsp;[[Epping Forest (district)|Epping Forest]], ''c'')&nbsp;[[Brentwood (borough)|Brentwood]], ''d'')&nbsp;[[Basildon (district)|Basildon]], ''e'')&nbsp;[[Castle Point]], ''f'')&nbsp;[[Rochford (district)|Rochford]], ''g'')&nbsp;[[Maldon District|Maldon]], ''h'')&nbsp;[[Chelmsford (borough)|Chelmsford]], ''i'')&nbsp;[[Uttlesford]], ''j'')&nbsp;[[Braintree (district)|Braintree]], ''k'')&nbsp;[[Colchester (borough)|Colchester]], ''l'')&nbsp;[[Tendring District|Tendring]]
|-
| colspan="2" | 4.&nbsp;[[Hertfordshire]] || ''a'')&nbsp;[[Three Rivers, England|Three Rivers]], ''b'')&nbsp;[[Watford]], ''c'')&nbsp;[[Hertsmere]], ''d'')&nbsp;[[Welwyn Hatfield]], ''e'')&nbsp;[[Broxbourne (borough)|Broxbourne]], ''f'')&nbsp;[[East Hertfordshire]], ''g'')&nbsp;[[Stevenage]], ''h'')&nbsp;[[North Hertfordshire]], ''i'')&nbsp;[[City and District of St Albans|St Albans]], ''j'')&nbsp;[[Dacorum]]
|-
| rowspan="3" | [[Bedfordshire]] || colspan="2" | 5.&nbsp;[[Borough of Luton|Luton]] U.A.
|-
| colspan="2" | 6.&nbsp;[[Borough of Bedford|Bedford]] U.A.
|-
| colspan="2" | 7.&nbsp;[[Central Bedfordshire]] U.A.
|-
| rowspan="2" | [[Cambridgeshire]] || 8.&nbsp;Cambridgeshire || ''a'')&nbsp;[[Cambridge]], ''b'')&nbsp;[[South Cambridgeshire]], ''c'')&nbsp;[[Huntingdonshire]], ''d'')&nbsp;[[Fenland District|Fenland]], ''e'')&nbsp;[[East Cambridgeshire]]
|-
| colspan="2" | 9.&nbsp;[[City of Peterborough|Peterborough]] U.A.
|-
| colspan="2" | 10.&nbsp;[[Norfolk]] || ''a'')&nbsp;[[Norwich]], ''b'')&nbsp;[[South Norfolk]], ''c'')&nbsp;[[Great Yarmouth]], ''d'')&nbsp;[[Broadland]], ''e'')&nbsp;[[North Norfolk]], ''f'')&nbsp;[[Breckland (district)|Breckland]], ''g'')&nbsp;[[King's Lynn and West Norfolk]]
|-
| colspan="2" | 11.&nbsp;[[Suffolk]] || ''a'')&nbsp;[[Ipswich (borough)|Ipswich]], ''b'') [[East Suffolk (district)|East Suffolk]], ''c'')&nbsp;[[Babergh District|Babergh]], ''d'')&nbsp;[[Mid Suffolk]], ''e'') [[West Suffolk (district)|West Suffolk]] 
|}

===Eurostat NUTS===
In the [[Eurostat]] [[Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics]] (NUTS), the East of England was a level-1 NUTS region, coded "UKH", which was subdivided as follows:

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background-color:#ffd700;text-align:left;"
! NUTS 1
! Code
! NUTS 2
! Code
! NUTS 3
! Code
|-
| East of England
| UKH
| rowspan=4 | [[East Anglia]]
| rowspan=4 | UKH1
| [[City of Peterborough|Peterborough]]
| UKH11
|-
| rowspan=10 colspan=2 align="center" | [[File:NUTS 3 regions of the East of England 2010 map.svg|200px]]
| [[Cambridgeshire]] CC
| UKH12
|-
| [[Norfolk]]
| UKH13
|-
| [[Suffolk]]
| UKH14
|-
| rowspan=4 | [[Bedfordshire]] and [[Hertfordshire]]
| rowspan=4 | UKH2
| [[Borough of Luton|Luton]]
| UKH21
|-
| [[Hertfordshire]] CC
| UKH23
|-
| [[Borough of Bedford|Bedford]]
| UKH24
|-
| [[Central Bedfordshire]]
| UKH25
|-
| rowspan=3 | [[Essex]]
| rowspan=3 | UKH3
| [[Borough of Southend-on-Sea|Southend-on-Sea]]
| UKH31
|-
| [[Thurrock]]
| UKH32
|-
| [[Essex]] CC
| UKH33
|-
|}

After the UK's departure from the EU, the UK NUTS regions were renamed as [[International Territorial Level]] regions in 2021.

==History==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}

===Civil War and the Protectorate===
The East of England was a major force and resource for Parliament and, in particular, in the form of the [[Eastern Association]]. [[Oliver Cromwell]] came from Huntingdon.<ref name="Macleod 647–665">{{Cite journal |last=Macleod |first=Jenny |date=October 2013 |title=Britishness and Commemoration: National Memorials to the First World War in Britain and Ireland |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022009413493940 |journal=Journal of Contemporary History |language=en |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=647–665 |doi=10.1177/0022009413493940 |s2cid=159751130 |issn=0022-0094}}</ref>

===Second World War===
Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex played host to the American [[Eighth Air Force|VIII Bomber Command]] and [[Ninth Air Force]]. The [[Imperial War Museum Duxford|Imperial War Museum at Duxford]] has an exhibition, commemorating their participation and sacrifice, near to the M11 south of Cambridge.<ref name="Macleod 647–665"/>

Stansted Airport was [[RAF Stansted Mountfitchet]], home to the [[126th Air Refueling Wing|344th Bombardment Group]]. The [[de Havilland Mosquito]] was mainly assembled at Hatfield and Leavesden, although much of the innovative wooden structure originated outside the region from the furniture industry of [[High Wycombe]]; the Mosquito entered service in 1942 with [[No. 105 Squadron RAF|105 Sqn]] at [[RAF Horsham St Faith]]. [[RAF Tempsford]] in Bedford is the airfield from where [[Special Operations Executive|SOE]] secret agents for Europe took off, with [[No. 138 Squadron RAF|138 Sqn]] which parachuted agents and equipment and [[No. 161 Squadron RAF|161 Sqn]] which landed and retrieved agents. [[No. 19 Squadron RAF|19 Sqn]] at Duxford was the first to be equipped with the Spitfire on 4 August 1938.<ref name="Macleod 647–665"/>

===Cold War===
{{See also|United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa|United States Air Force in the United Kingdom}}
The [[81st Training Wing|81st Tactical Fighter Wing]] was at [[RAF Bentwaters]] from January 1952 and also at [[RAF Woodbridge]]; in the late 1980s some of the aircraft went to [[RAF Alconbury]]. Alconbury closed in 1992 and Bentwaters closed in 1993, with the American air forces being in the area for 42 years; the USAF aircraft subsequently moved to [[Spangdahlem Air Base]] in [[Rhineland-Palatinate]], Germany.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal |last1=Major |first1=Patrick |last2=Mitter |first2=Rana |date=October 2003 |title=East is East and West is West? Towards a comparative socio-cultural history of the Cold War |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14682740312331391714 |journal=Cold War History |language=en |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=1–22 |doi=10.1080/14682740312331391714 |s2cid=154674169 |issn=1468-2745}}</ref>

At [[RAF Marham]] in west Norfolk, [[No. 214 Squadron RAF|214 Sqn]] with the [[Vickers Valiant]] developed the RAF's refuelling system; later the squadron would be equipped with the [[Handley Page Victor]]. Work on refuelling had also taken place at [[RAF Tarrant Rushton]] in [[Dorset]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

From the 1950s, [[RAF Wyton]] was an important reconnaissance base for the RAF, mainly [[No. 543 Squadron RAF|543 Sqn]]. The base is now home of the [[Defence Intelligence Fusion Centre]], previously known as JARIC, or the Joint Air Reconnaissance Intelligence Centre from 1956.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>{{more citations needed|section|date=December 2018}}

=== Official region ===
The East of England region was officially created in 1994 and was adopted for statistics purposes from 1999.

==Healthcare==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2020}}
[[NHS East of England]], which was the [[strategic health authority]] for the area until the abolition of these areas in 2013, is on Capital Park, next to [[Fulbourn]] Tesco, [[Fulbourn Hospital]], and the [[Ipswich–Ely line|Cambridge-Ipswich railway]], on the eastern edge of Cambridge. The [[East of England Ambulance Service]] is on Cambourne Business Park on [[Cambourne]], of the [[A428 road|A428]] (the former [[A45 road|A45]]) west of Cambridge. The [[East Anglian Air Ambulance]] operates from [[Cambridge Airport]] and [[Norwich Airport]]; [[Essex & Herts Air Ambulance|Essex Air Ambulance]] operates from [[Boreham]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hernandez |first=Donald J. |date=2004 |title=Demographic Change and the Life Circumstances of Immigrant Families |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1602792 |journal=The Future of Children |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=17–47 |doi=10.2307/1602792|jstor=1602792 }}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Regional Profile of the East of England.png|thumb|right|A profile of the economy of East of England in 2012]]
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}}
{{overly detailed|section|date=December 2018}}
The former electricity company for the area, [[Eastern Electricity]], has the area's distribution now looked after by [[UK Power Networks]] at Fore Hamlet in [[Ipswich]]. UK Power Networks also looks after London and most of the South-East. [[Business Link]] in the East of England is near to the headquarters of Ocado in Hatfield, at the roundabout of the A1057 and the A1001 on the Bishops Square Business Park.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/east_england.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403052825/http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/east_england.html|url-status=dead|title=Business Link|archive-date=3 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bizmapeast.co.uk|title=Business Map East|access-date=30 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516032935/http://www.bizmapeast.co.uk/|archive-date=16 May 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The region's [[Manufacturing Advisory Service]] is at [[Melbourn]] in Cambridgeshire, off the [[A10 road (England)|A10]] and north of [[Royston, Hertfordshire|Royston]].<ref>[http://www.mas-east.org.uk MAS East] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110826010317/http://www.mas-east.org.uk/ |date=26 August 2011 }}</ref> [[UK Trade & Investment]] for the region is in [[Histon and Impington|Histon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/unitedkingdom/eastofengland.html|title=UK Trade & Investment – GOV.UK|access-date=30 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109002729/http://www.ukti.gov.uk/export/unitedkingdom/eastofengland.html|archive-date=9 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> with its international trade team based next to [[Magdalene College, Cambridge|Magdalene College]].

===Hertfordshire===
[[File:WetherspoonsPboro.jpg|thumb|right|Wetherspoons is based in Watford near [[Watford Junction railway station]] ]]
The Greater [[Watford]] area is home to [[British Waterways]], [[Vinci SA|Vinci]] (which bought [[Taylor Woodrow]] in 2008), the UK of the international firm [[Total Oil]], retailers [[TK Maxx]], [[Bathstore]], [[Majestic Wine]], [[Mothercare]], [[Costco]] and [[Smiths Group|Smiths Detection]], [[Iveco]], [[BrightHouse (retailer)|BrightHouse]] (at [[Abbots Langley]]), [[Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden|Leavesden Film Studios]], [[Sanyo]], [[Europcar]], [[Olympus Corporation|Olympus]], [[Kenwood Corporation|Kenwood]] and [[Beko]] electronic goods manufacturers, [[Wetherspoons]] pub chains, the European HQ of the [[Hilton Worldwide|Hilton]] hotel group and [[Nestlé]] Waters; in [[Garston, Hertfordshire|Garston]] is the UK headquarters of the [[Seventh-day Adventist Church]], on the [[A412 road|A412]] and the [[Building Research Establishment]]. [[Comet (retailer)|Comet]] was previously, and [[Camelot Group]] (owners of the [[National Lottery (United Kingdom)|National Lottery]]) currently is, on the [[A4145 road|A4145]], are in [[Rickmansworth]]. [[Ferrero SpA|Ferrero]] (maker of [[Nutella]] and [[Kinder Chocolate]]) is in [[Croxley Green]]. [[Renault]] and [[Skanska]] (construction) are in [[Maple Cross]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Archer |first=Ian W |date=2019-06-12 |title=Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550–1725, by Angela Nicholls |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article/134/567/458/5384485 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=134 |issue=567 |pages=458–459 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cez023 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>

===Bedfordshire===
[[File:Samuel whitbread 1720-1796 by joshua reynolds.jpg|thumb|right|[[Samuel Whitbread (1720–1796)|Samuel Whitbread]] began his brewery in Bedfordshire in 1742]]
[[Moto Hospitality]] has its headquarters at [[Toddington, Bedfordshire|Toddington]] in Bedfordshire (at the [[Toddington services]]).

Luton is home to [[EasyJet]],(based at [[Luton Airport|the airport]]), [[Hain Celestial Group]] (which makes [[Linda McCartney Foods]] and is based on the B579 in [[Biscot]]), [[Eurolines]] (UK office), [[Thomson Travel Group|Thomson Holidays]] (based at [[Wigmore, Luton|Wigmore]] on the eastern edge of the town) and [[Chevrolet]] (at Griffin House, the Vauxhall head office). At the 85-acre [[Capability Green]] off the [[A1081 road|A1081]] and junction 10a of the M1, is the [[Stonegate Pub Company]] (owner of [[Scream Pubs]], [[Yates's]], [[Slug and Lettuce (pub chain)|Slug and Lettuce]] and [[Hogshead (pub chain)|Hogshead]]), [[InBev]] UK (which bought most of Whitbread's beer brands), Chargemaster ([[electric vehicle network]] under the POLAR brand), [[AstraZeneca]]'s UK Marketing Company division and [[Alexon Group]] (ladies clothing). [[Vauxhall Motors|Vauxhall]] produced its last [[Opel Vectra|Vauxhall Vectra]] in March 2002 at the plant near the A6/A505 roundabout, and now makes vans ([[Opel Vivaro B|Vivaro]]/[[Renault Trafic]]) at the former [[Bedford Vehicles]] plant, based in the north of the town at the [[IBC Vehicles|GM Manufacturing Luton]] plant.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Archer |first=Ian W |date=2019-06-12 |title=Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550–1725, by Angela Nicholls |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article/134/567/458/5384485 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=134 |issue=567 |pages=458–459 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cez023 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>

===East Anglia===
[[File:Flag of East Anglia.svg|thumb|Flag of East Anglia]]
[[File:Great Witchingham Hall - geograph.org.uk - 73615.jpg|thumb|right|[[Great Witchingham Hall]], the headquarters of [[Bernard Matthews Farms]], north-west of Norwich at [[Great Witchingham]] on the [[A1067 road|A1067]] ]]
The economy in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk is traditionally mostly agricultural. Norfolk is the UK's biggest producer of potatoes. Nationally known companies include the [[RAC Limited|RAC]], [[Archant]] (publishing), [[Virgin Money UK|Virgin Money]] and [[Aviva]] (formerly [[Norwich Union]]) in Norwich. In Carrow, to the east of the city, [[Colman's]] makes a wide range of mustards, and [[Britvic]] makes [[Robinsons (drink)|Robinsons]] squash, which was owned by Colman's until 1995. Across the [[River Yare]] near the A47/[[A146 road|A146]] junction in [[Trowse|Trowse with Newton]] is [[May Gurney]], the construction company. [[Bernard Matthews Farms]] has a large turkey farm on the former [[RAF Attlebridge]] in [[Weston Longville]]. [[Campbell Soup Company|Campbell Soup]] was made in [[Kings Lynn]] until 2008, and on the Hardwick Industrial Estate at the A47/[[A149 road|A149]] junction is [[PinguinLutosa]] the UK, which packs [[frozen vegetables]], and [[Caithness Crystal]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Archer |first=Ian W |date=2019-06-12 |title=Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550–1725, by Angela Nicholls |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article/134/567/458/5384485 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=134 |issue=567 |pages=458–459 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cez023 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>

[[Foster Refrigerator]] is the UK's leading manufacturer of commercial refrigerators and [[Blast chilling|blast chiller]]s, owned by [[Illinois Tool Works]], based on the industrial estate; with [[Multitone Electronics]], which has a manufacturing plant there, and which invented the [[pager]] in 1956, for [[St Thomas' Hospital]]; and [[Snap-on|Snap-on Diagnostics]] makes [[Machine fault diagnosis|diagnostic tool]]s for garages. British Sugar's [[Wissington, Norfolk|Wissington]] is the world's largest [[sugar beet]] factory in [[Methwold]], on the B1160 near the [[River Wissey]]. [[Lotus Cars]] and [[Team Lotus]] are on the eastern edge of the former [[RAF Hethel]], east of [[Wymondham]] (A11) at [[Hethel]] ([[Bracon Ash]]). [[Jeyes Group]] makes household chemicals in [[Thetford]], off the [[A134 road|A134]]; [[Multiyork]] makes furniture and [[Baxter International|Baxter Healthcare]] has a manufacturing plant in the south of the town. [[Aunt Bessie]] vegetable products (roast potatoes) are made by [[Heinz]] at [[Westwick, Norfolk|Westwick]], in a factory built by [[Ross Group]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Archer |first=Ian W |date=2019-06-12 |title=Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550–1725, by Angela Nicholls |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article/134/567/458/5384485 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=134 |issue=567 |pages=458–459 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cez023 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>

[[File:P60ARM GC 01.jpg|thumb|left|[[ARM architecture|ARM CPU]] designed in Cambridge]]
Around Cambridge on numerous [[science park]]s, are high technology (electronics and biochemistry) companies, such as [[ARM Holdings]] on [[Peterhouse Technology Park]] in the south-east of the town, [[Adder Technology]] ([[KVM switch]]es) at [[Bar Hill]] at the [[A14 road (England)|A14]]/B1050 junction north of the town, [[Monsanto]], [[Play.com]] on the Cambridge Business Centre. The [[Wellcome Trust Genome Campus]] has the [[European Bioinformatics Institute]] at [[Hinxton]] east of Duxford near the M11 spur for the A11. These form the so-called [[Silicon Fen]]. [[Marshall Aerospace]] is at [[Cambridge Airport]] on the [[A1303 road|A1303]] in the east of the town, towards [[Teversham]]. South of the airport, [[Carl Zeiss AG|Carl Zeiss NTS]] makes [[scanning electron microscope]]s in Cherry Hinton. [[Syngenta]] is to the east of Cambridge, on Capital Park at [[Fulbourn]]. [[Premier Foods]] has a large plant in [[Histon]] making [[Robertson's]] and [[Hartley's]] jam, [[Gale's]] honey, [[Smash (instant mashed potato)|Smash]] [[Instant mashed potatoes|instant potato]], and [[Rose's (marmalade)|Rose's]] [[marmalade]]. [[Addenbrooke's Hospital]] is a pioneering hospital in the UK, based at [[Cambridge Biomedical Campus]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Archer |first=Ian W |date=2019-06-12 |title=Almshouses in Early Modern England: Charitable Housing in the Mixed Economy of Welfare, 1550–1725, by Angela Nicholls |url=https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article/134/567/458/5384485 |journal=The English Historical Review |language=en |volume=134 |issue=567 |pages=458–459 |doi=10.1093/ehr/cez023 |issn=0013-8266}}</ref>

{{See also|Transport in East Anglia}}
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2020}}

===Universities===
The most famous university in the region is the [[University of Cambridge]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/sample-page/|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20180918150902/http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/sample-page/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 September 2018|title=The National Archives – UK Government Web Archive|first=The National|last=Archives|website=www.nationalarchives.gov.uk|access-date=23 May 2019}}</ref> The university has been officially rated as the best in the world in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/sep/08/worlds-top-100-universities-2010|title=The world's top 100 universities, 2010|author=Jeevan Vasagar|work=The Guardian|date=8 September 2010 |access-date=30 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530204442/http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2010/sep/08/worlds-top-100-universities-2010|archive-date=30 May 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> It has the second-best medicine course in the world, and in 2010 became the only university outside of the US to raise over £1 billion in charitable donations.

There are eight universities in the region. Cambridge hosts two universities: the [[University of Cambridge]] and [[Anglia Ruskin University]]. It is also the home of the [[Open University]]'s East of England branch. Norwich also hosts two universities: the [[University of East Anglia]] and [[Norwich University of the Arts]]. There are also other towns and cities in the region which have universities including Bedford and Luton ([[University of Bedfordshire]]), Colchester ([[University of Essex]]) and Hatfield ([[University of Hertfordshire]]). Other higher education centres in the region include [[University Centre Peterborough]], [[University of Suffolk]] and [[Writtle College]].<ref name="Winters 75–88">{{Citation |last=Winters |first=Jane| author-link =Jane Winters|title=Negotiating the archives of UK web space |date=2019-03-07 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315231662-6 |work=The Historical Web and Digital Humanities |pages=75–88 |location=Abingdon, Oxon|publisher=Routledge |doi=10.4324/9781315231662-6 |isbn=9781315231662 |s2cid=149676241 |access-date=2022-03-24}}</ref>

.

[[File:University of Essex.jpg|thumb|left|University of Essex near Colchester]]
The University of Cambridge receives almost three times as much funding as any other university in the region, due to its huge research grant—the largest in England (and the UK). The next largest, by funding, is [[University of East Anglia|UEA]] in Norwich. The [[University of Essex]] and [[Cranfield University]] also have moderately large research grants, but no other universities in the region do. The largest university by student numbers is ARU, and the next biggest is Cambridge. The smallest is Essex.<ref name="Winters 75–88"/>

For total income to universities, Cambridge receives around £1 billion—around six times larger than any other university in the region. The [[University of Bedfordshire]] receives the least income. Cambridge has the lowest drop-out (discontinuation) rate in the region. Once graduated, over 50% of students stay in the region, with 25% going to London and 10% going to the South East. Very few go elsewhere—especially the North of England.<ref name="Winters 75–88"/>

* University of Cambridge
* University of East Anglia
* University of Essex
* University of Hertfordshire
* Anglia Ruskin University
* University of Bedfordshire

==Sport==
{{Main|Sport in England}}
===Football===
During the nineteenth century, several formulations of the laws of football, known as the [[Cambridge rules]], were created by students at the University. One of these codes, dating from 1863, had a significant influence on the creation of the original [[Laws of the Game (association football)|laws]] of [[The Football Association]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Adrian|last=Harvey|title=Football: the First Hundred Years|year=2005|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=0-415-35019-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TxoZ0S-GC7MC|pages=144–5|access-date=3 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501183145/https://books.google.com/books?id=TxoZ0S-GC7MC|archive-date=1 May 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

East of England's top representatives in the [[English football league system]] today are [[Ipswich Town F.C.|Ipswich Town]], [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]], [[Watford F.C.|Watford]] and [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]], who have competed in the top flight at various points. Alongside teams [[Peterborough United F.C.|Peterborough United]], and [[Cambridge United F.C.|Cambridge United]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harvey |first=Adrian |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/252707881 |title=Football, the first hundred years : the untold story |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-203-02315-3 |location=London |oclc=252707881}}</ref>

==Literature==
Children's author [[Dodie Smith]] lived near the town of Sudbury in [[Suffolk]], and part of her famous novel [[The Hundred and One Dalmatians]] which inspired the [[One Hundred and One Dalmatians|Disney animated film of the same name]] takes place in the town at St Peter's Church.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/visit/things-to-do/literary-connections/a-canine-safe-haven-in-suffolk.html|title=101 Dalmatians and Sudbury|website=www.visitchurches.org.uk}}</ref>

==Media==
===Television===
Much of the region receives the [[BBC East]] and [[ITV Anglia]] television services, both based in Norwich (the BBC moving from All Saints' Green to [[The Forum, Norwich|The Forum]] in 2003, and Anglia remaining at its original base, Angia House.) These services broadcast from the [[Sandy Heath transmitting station|Sandy Heath]], [[Sudbury transmitting station|Sudbury]] and [[Tacolneston transmitting station|Tacolneston]] transmitter groups. Some areas in close proximity to London, including [[Luton]] and south [[Essex]], may receive their service from [[BBC London]] and [[ITV London]]; in addition, the [[Hemel Hempstead]] relay transmitter is a relay of the London services from [[Crystal Palace transmitting station|Crystal Palace]], bringing London television into parts of Hertfordshire. Northwestern parts of [[Norfolk]] including [[Kings Lynn]] receive a better TV signal from the [[Belmont transmitting station|Belmont]] transmitter that broadcast [[BBC East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire]] and [[ITV Calendar]]. Some editions of ''[[BBC Look East|Look East]]'' and ''[[ITV News Anglia]]'' broadcast split news programming for the West (Home Counties) and East (East Anglia/Essex) of the region, with the West subregions broadcasting from Sandy Heath; the BBC's Western opt-outs are broadcast from studios in Cambridge, also the base of [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire]], whilst both versions of the ITV Anglia output have broadcast from Anglia House in Norwich since the split service was introduced in 1990.<ref>{{Citation |title=East Meets North East : Japan in the Local Community |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781472553386.ch-007 |work=Japan and the North East of England : From 1862 to the Present Day |year=1989 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |doi=10.5040/9781472553386.ch-007 |isbn=978-1-4725-5338-6 |access-date=2022-03-24}}</ref>

===Radio===
* [[BBC Local Radio]] services in the region include stations for [[BBC Radio Cambridgeshire|Cambridgeshire]], [[BBC Essex|Essex]], [[BBC Radio Norfolk|Norfolk]], [[BBC Radio Suffolk|Suffolk]] and [[BBC Three Counties Radio|Three Counties Radio]], which serves Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Radio Cambridgeshire previously broadcast some split programming specific to the Peterborough area - at one point broadcasting this under the BBC Radio Peterborough name - but this opt-out was withdrawn in 2012 as a cost-cutting measure.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Berry |first=Richard |date=2020-04-01 |title=Radio, music, podcasts - BBC Sounds: Public service radio and podcasts in a platform world |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/rjao_00016_1 |journal=Radio Journal:International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=63–78 |doi=10.1386/rjao_00016_1 |s2cid=225962762 |issn=1476-4504}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[East of England (European Parliament constituency)]]
* [[East of England Local Government Association|East of England Regional Strategy Board]]
* [[East of England Development Agency]]
* [[Regions of England]]
* [[East Anglia]]

===Lists===
* [[List of future transport developments in the East of England]]
* [[List of schools in the East of England]]

== Notes ==
<references group="lower-alpha" />
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.visiteastofengland.com Official visitor website for the East of England]

{{United Kingdom topics}}
{{English regions}}
{{East of England}}
{{Constituencies in the East of England}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:East Of England}}
[[Category:East of England| ]]
[[Category:Regions of England]]
[[Category:Southern England]]
[[Category:NUTS 1 statistical regions of England]]
[[Category:NUTS 1 statistical regions of the European Union]]