London
Greater London
Top: City of London skyline, Middle: Palace of Westminster, Bottom left: Tower Bridge, Bottom right: Tower of London. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and Suspension bridge in London, England over the River Thames. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London
London region shown within the United Kingdom
Coordinates: 51°30′28″N 00°07′41″W / 51.50778, -0.12806
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	London
Districts	City and 32 boroughs
Settled by Romans	as Londinium c. AD 50
Government
- Regional authority	Greater London Authority
- Regional assembly	London Assembly
- Mayor	Boris Johnson
- HQ	City Hall
- UK Parliament  - London Assembly  - European Parliament	74 constituencies 14 constituencies London constituency
Area
- Greater London	609 sq mi (1,577. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located This list of sovereign states, alphabetically arranged gives an overview of States around the world with information on the extent of their Sovereignty. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Constituent country is a phrase used often by official institutions in contexts in which a country makes up a part of a larger entity or grouping England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The districts of England are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about" The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. " Regional Assembly " is the name which has been adopted by the English bodies established as regional chambers under the Regional Development Agencies The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds The Mayor of London is an elected politician who along with the London Assembly of 25 members is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London (see Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964 is a British Politician and Journalist. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories The European Parliament ( Europarl or EP) is the only directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU The administrative area region and Ceremonial county of Greater London, including the City of London,is divided into 74 Parliamentary constituencies Greater London is divided into fourteen territorial constituencies for London Assembly elections each returning one member London is a Constituency of the European Parliament. It currently elects 9 MEPs using the D'Hondt method of Party-list proportional Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 3 km²)
Elevation [1]	79 ft (24 m)
Population (2006 est. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different geographical regions we list here areas between 1000 km2 and 10000 km2 The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International )[2], [3][4], [5]
- Greater London	7,355,400
- Density	12,331/sq mi (4,761/km²)
- Urban	8,278,251
- Metro	12–14 million
- Demonym	Londoner
- Ethnicity (2005 Estimates[6])	Ethnic groups 69. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 6% White 58. White People is the second album by Handsome Boy Modeling School. 2% White British 2. " White British " was a racially -based classification used by the 2001 census. 6% White Irish 8. Irish migration to Britain (also known as the Br[[Irish people|irish]]) has a lengthy history due to the close proximity of and complex relationship between 8% Other White   3. " White Other " is a term used in the UK census to describe white persons of non- British and non- Irish descent in 4% Mixed 1. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 0% White & Black Caribbean 0. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 5% White & Black African 0. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 9% White & South Asian 0. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 9% White & Other   12. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 9% South Asian 6. British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka 4% Indian 2. British Indians (also Indian British or Indian Britons) are citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in the South Asian country 2% Pakistani 2. 2% Bangladeshi 2. British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka 0% Other South Asian   10. British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka 8% Black 4. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political 4% Black Caribbean 5. The British African Caribbean community are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were indigenous to Africa 5% Black African 0. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political 8% Other Black   3. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political 3% East Asian and Other 1. Since the 17th century there have been East Asian people in Britain. The 2001 UK Census ethnic groups include White British, White Other, Mixed Race, Asian British, Black British and Chinese 4% Chinese 1. British Chinese, including British-born Chinese (often informally referred to as BBC) are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have migrated 9% Other
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Post code	Various
Website: www.london.gov.uk

London (pronunciation (help·info); IPA: /ˈlʌndən/) is the largest urban area and capital of England and the United Kingdom. The 2001 UK Census ethnic groups include White British, White Other, Mixed Race, Asian British, Black British and Chinese Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Coordinated Universal Time, the basis for the world's civil time frequently referred to by the name of its predecessor Greenwich Mean Time Western Daylight saving time ( DST Western European Summer Time ( WEST) is a summer Daylight saving time scheme 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time The London postal district is the area in England, currently of 241 square miles to which mail addressed to the LONDON Post town is delivered England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located ^[7] An important settlement for two millennia, London's history goes back to its founding by the Romans. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has a recorded history that goes back over 2000 years The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial ^[8] Since its settlement, London has been part of many important movements and phenomena throughout history, such as the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival. The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England dating from the early 16th century to the early 17th century The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement which began ^[9][10] The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited mediaeval boundaries; but since at least the 19th century the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis which has developed around it. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically ^[11] Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England^[12] and the Greater London administrative area,^[13] with its own elected mayor and assembly. A conurbation is an Urban area or Agglomeration comprising a number of Cities, large Towns and larger urban areas that through Population The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The Mayor of London is an elected politician who along with the London Assembly of 25 members is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London (see The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds ^[14]

London is one of the world's leading business, financial, and cultural centres,^[15] and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts all contribute to its status as a major global city. A business (also called firm or an enterprise) is a legally recognized organizational entity designed to provide goods and/or services to The field of finance refers to the concepts of Time, Money and Risk and how they are interrelated Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency See also Entertainment (disambiguation and The Entertainer (disambiguation Entertainment is an activity designed to give people "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" Fashion refers to styles of dress (but can also include cuisine literature art architecture and general comportment that are popular in a culture at any given time The arts is a broad subdivision of Culture, composed of many expressive disciplines. ^[16] London boasts four World Heritage Sites: The Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church; the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church The Anglican church of St Margaret Westminster is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the Parish church Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, usually referred to simply as Kew Gardens, are extensive Gardens and botanical glasshouses between Richmond and ^[17] The city has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and its popularity has increased over the years due to economic growth. ^[18]

London's diverse population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city. ^[19] As of 2006, it has an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London^[2] and is the most populous municipality in the European Union. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. This is a list of the largest cities in the European Union by population within city limits. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area has a population of 8,278,251^[3] and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million. The Greater London Urban Area is the Conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, in south east England with an estimated population of 8505000 A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central ^[4][5]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Early London 1.3 Norman and medieval London 1.4 Rise of modern London 2 Governance 2.1 Local government 2.2 National government 3 Geography 3.1 Scope 3.2 Status 3.3 Topography 3.4 Climate 3.5 Districts 4 Demography 4.1 Ethnic groups 4.2 Religion 5 Economy 5.1 Architecture 5.2 Parks and gardens 6 Society and culture 6.1 Leisure and entertainment 6.2 Literature and film 6.3 Music 6.4 Sport 7 Transport 7.1 Railways 7.2 Buses 7.3 Air 7.4 Roads 8 Education 9 Sister cities 10 See also 11 References 12 Further reading 13 External links

History

Main article: History of London

Etymology

Main article: Etymology of London

The etymology of London remains a mystery. London, the capital of the United Kingdom, has a recorded history that goes back over 2000 years The Etymology of London is virtually unknown There have been many theories advanced over the centuries for the origin of the name most can be dismissed as fanciful Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time The earliest etymological explanation can be attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae. Geoffrey of Monmouth ( Gruffudd ap Arthur or Sieffre o Fynwy) (c The Historia Regum Britanniae ( English: The History of the Kings of Britain) is a pseudohistorical account of British history ^[20] The name is described as originating from King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud. Lud, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth 's legendary History of the Kings of Britain and related medieval texts was a king of Britain in pre- ^[21] This was slurred into Kaerludein and finally London. Few modern sources support this theory. ^[22] Many other theories have been advanced over the centuries, mostly deriving it from Welsh or British, but occasionally from Anglo-Saxon or even Hebrew. The Etymology of London is virtually unknown There have been many theories advanced over the centuries for the origin of the name most can be dismissed as fanciful Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic British was an ancient Celtic language spoken in much of southern and central Britain up to the central lowlands of Scotland and in Ireland.

In 1998, Richard Coates, a linguistics professor, criticised these suggestions, and proposed that the name derives from the pre-Celtic *plowonida, which roughly means "a river too wide to ford". Richard Coates (born in Grimsby, 16 April 1949 is Professor of Linguistics (alternatively professor of Onomastics) at the University of Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields ^[23] He suggested that the Thames running through London was given this name, and the inhabitants added the suffix -on or -onjon to their settlement. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. ^[23] Proto-Indo-European *p was regularly lost in proto-Celtic, and through linguistic change, the name developed from Plowonidonjon to Lundonjon, then contracted to Lundein or Lundyn, Latinised to Londinium, and finally borrowed by the Anglo-Saxons as Lundene. Phonological reconstruction Consonants The phonological changes from Proto-Indo-European to Proto-Celtic Consonants may be summarised as follows For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south ^[24]

Early London

Westminster Abbey is one of London's oldest and most important buildings Runestone Dr 337 raised in memory of two Vikings who died in London. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church Main article Viking Runestones. The England Runestones is a group of c

Although there is some evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans in AD 43 as Londinium, following the Roman conquest of Britain. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded This page refers to the conquest begun in AD 43 For other Roman invasions see Caesar's invasions of Britain and Carausian Revolt. ^[25] This Londinium lasted for just seventeen years. This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded Around 61, the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed this first London, burning it to the ground. The Iceni or Eceni were a Brythonic Tribe who inhabited an area of Britain corresponding roughly to the modern-day county of Norfolk Boudica (also spelled Boudicca, formerly known as Boadicea, and known in Welsh culture and legends as "Buddug" (d This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded ^[26] The next, heavily-planned incarnation of the city prospered and superseded Colchester as the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. Colchester ( /ˈkəʊltʃɛstə/ is a town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester, in Essex, England. Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Britannia was the term originally used by the Romans to refer first to the British Isles, and later to the island of Great Britain. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around 60,000. The city started a slow decline in the 3rd century because of trouble in the Roman Empire, and by the 5th century the city was largely abandoned. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial ^[27]

By the 600s, the Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called Lundenwic approximately 1,000 yards (1 km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south This article deals with the history of London during the Anglo-Saxon period from the ending of the Roman period in the 5th century to the Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest ^[28] There was likely a harbour at the mouth of the River Fleet for fishing and trading, and this trading grew until the city was overcome the Vikings and forced to relocate the city back to the location of the Roman Londinium to use its walls for protection. The River Fleet is the largest of London 's subterranean rivers It formerly flowed on the surface A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas ^[29] Viking attacks continued to increase around the rest of South East England, until 886 when Alfred the Great recaptured London and made peace with the Danish leader, Guthrum. Alfred the Great (also Ælfred from the Old English Ælfrēd ˈælfreːd (c Guthrum (died c 890 christened Æthelstan, was king of the Danish Vikings in the Danelaw. ^[30] The original Saxon city of Lundenwic became Ealdwic ("old city"), a name surviving to the present day as Aldwych, which is in the modern City of Westminster. Aldwych ('ɔːldwɪtʃ is a place and road in the City of Westminster in London, England. The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status.

Subsequently, under the control of various English kings, London once again prospered as an international trading centre and political arena. However, Viking raids began again in the late 10th century, and reached a head in 1013 when they besieged the city under Danish King Canute and forced English King Ethelred the Unready to flee. } Canute the Great, also known as Cnut in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, or Knut ( Old Norse: Knútr inn ríki, Norwegian Ethelred II ( c. 968 – 23 April 1016 also known as Æthelred II, Aethelred II, Ethelred the Unready, Æthelred the Unready ^[31] In a retaliatory attack, Ethelred's army achieved victory by pulling down London Bridge with the Danish garrison on top, and English control was re-established. London Bridge is a Bridge between the City of London and Southwark in London, England, over the River Thames.

Canute took control of the English throne in 1017, controlling the city and country until 1042, when his death resulted in a reversion to Anglo-Saxon control under his pious stepson Edward the Confessor, who re-founded Westminster Abbey and the adjacent Palace of Westminster. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south King Edward the Confessor (c 1003 &ndash 5 January 1066 son of Ethelred the Unready, was the penultimate Anglo-Saxon King of England and the last The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church ^[31] By this time, London had become the largest and most prosperous city in England, although the official seat of government was still at Winchester. The seat of government is the location of the government for a political entity. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre ^[31]

The City of London (corresponding closely to the area of Roman London) together with Westminster, comprised the core of the built-up area in early mediaeval times. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster.

Norman and medieval London

See also: Fortifications of London

Following a victory at the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror, the then Duke of Normandy, was crowned King of England in the newly-finished Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. The fortifications of London are extensive and mostly well maintained though many of Inner London 's fortifications and defences were dismantled in the 17th and 18th century For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman Conquest of England. William I of England ( 1027 His reign which brought Norman culture to England had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages Duke of Normandy is a Title held or claimed by various Norman, French, English and British rulers from the 10th century until the The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church ^[32] William granted the citizens of London special privileges, while building a castle in the south-east corner of the city to keep them under control. This castle was expanded by later kings and is now known as the Tower of London, serving first as a royal residence and later as a prison. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of ^[33]

In 1097, William II began the building of Westminster Hall, close by the abbey of the same name. William II (c 1056 &ndash 2 August 1100) the third son of William I of England (William the Conqueror was King of England from 1087 The hall proved the basis of a new Palace of Westminster, the prime royal residence throughout the Middle Ages. ^[34][35] Westminster became the seat of the royal court and government (persisting until the present day), while its distinct neighbour, the City of London, was a centre of trade and commerce and flourished under its own unique administration, the Corporation of London. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. Eventually, the adjacent cities grew together and formed the basis of modern central London, superseding Winchester as capital of England in the 12th century. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre ^[36]

London grew in wealth and population during the Middle Ages. In 1100 its population was around 18,000, by 1300 it had grown to nearly 100,000. ^[27] However disaster struck during the Black Death in the mid-14th century, when London lost nearly a third of its population. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia ^[27] Apart from the invasion of London during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381,^[37] London remained relatively untouched by the various civil wars during the Middle Ages, such as the first and second Barons' Wars and the Wars of the Roses. The First Barons' War ( 1215 &ndash 1217) was a combination of a Civil war in the Kingdom of England between on the one hand the forces of The Second Barons' War ( 1264 &ndash 1267) was a Civil war in England between the forces of a number of rebellious Barons led by The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485 were a series of dynastic Civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York ^[38]

After the successful defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, political stability in England allowed London to grow further. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. The Spanish Armada ( Spanish: Grande y Felicísima Armada, "Great and Most Fortunate Navy" or Armada Invencible, "Invincible ^[39][40] In 1603, James VI of Scotland came to the throne of England, essentially uniting the two countries. James VI and I (19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625 was King of Scotland as James VI, and King of England and King of Ireland as James His enactment of harsh anti-Catholic laws made him unpopular, and an assassination attempt was made on 5 November 1605—the well-known Gunpowder Plot. Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for Discrimination, hostility or Prejudice directed at the Roman Catholic Church or its followers AssassiNation is the sixth album by Krisiun, released in 2006 on Century Media. Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 or the Powder Treason, as it was known at the time was a failed Assassination attempt by a group of provincial English ^[31]

Plague caused extensive problems for London in the early 17th century, culminating in the Great Plague in 1665–1666. The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population ^[41] This was the last major outbreak in England, possibly thanks to the disastrous fire of 1666. ^[41] The Great Fire of London broke out in the original City and quickly swept through London's wooden buildings, destroying large swathes of the city. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. ^[42] A first hand narrative of both plague and fire was provided by Sir Samuel Pepys. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for ^[43] Rebuilding took over ten years, largely under direction of a Commission appointed by King Charles II and chaired by Sir Christopher Wren. Charles II may refer to Charles the Bald (823 &ndash 877 king of the West Franks and Holy Roman Emperor Charles II of Naples (1248 Sir Christopher Wren ( 20 October 1632 &ndash 25 February 1723) was a 17th century English Designer, Astronomer ^[44][45][46]

Rise of modern London

Following London's growth in the 18th century, it became the world's largest city from about 1831 to 1925. The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent ^[47] This growth was aided from 1836 by London's first railways, which put countryside towns within easy reach of the city. "Railroad" and "Railway" both redirect here For other uses see Railroad (disambiguation. ^[48] The rail network expanded very rapidly, and caused these places to grow while London itself expanded into surrounding fields, merging with neighbouring settlements such as Kensington. Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. ^[49] Rising traffic congestion on city centre roads led to the creation of the world's first metro system—the London Underground—in 1863, driving further expansion and urbanisation. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire ^[50]

London's local government system struggled to cope with the rapid growth, especially in providing the city with adequate infrastructure. Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. Electric power supply Several Power stations were built to generate Electricity in the centre of London including the famous power stations at Bankside Between 1855 and 1889, the Metropolitan Board of Works oversaw infrastructure expansion. The Metropolitan Board of Works (MBW was the principal instrument of London -wide government from 1855 until the establishment of the London County Council in 1889 It was then replaced by the County of London, overseen by the London County Council, London's first elected city-wide administration. The County of London was a ceremonial county and administrative county of England from 1889 to 1965 London County Council (LCC was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889-1965 existence and the first London-wide general municipal ^[51]

The Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe during World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners^[52] and destroyed large tracts of housing and other buildings across London. The Blitz was the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941 in World War II. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The rebuilding during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s was characterised by a wide range of architectural styles and has resulted in a lack of architectural unity that has become part of London's character. Architectural styles classify Architecture in terms of Form, techniques, Materials, time period region etc ^[53] In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded to take into account the growth of the urban area outside the County of London's borders. The expanded area was called Greater London and was administered by the Greater London Council. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 ^[54]

In the decades following World War II, large-scale immigration from Commonwealth countries and beyond transformed London into one of the most racially and culturally diverse cities in Europe. ^[55] Integration of the new immigrants was not always smooth, with major race riots in Notting Hill and Brixton, but was certainly smoother than in other English regions and largely lacking in widespread support for far right organisations, unlike its European or American contemporaries. Race Riot is a 1929 animated Short subject, featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The Notting Hill race riots were a series of racially-motivated riots which took place in the Notting Hill area of London, England over several Brixton is an area of the London Borough of Lambeth, in inner - South London. ^[56]

An economic revival from the 1980s onwards re-established London's position as a pre-eminent international centre. ^[57] However, as the seat of government and the most important city in the UK, it has been subjected to bouts of terrorism. Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Provisional Irish Republican Army bombers sought to pressure the government into negotiations over Northern Ireland, frequently disrupting city activities with bomb threats—some of which were carried out—until their 1997 cease-fire. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Óglaigh na hÉireann ( IRA; also referred to as the PIRA, the Provos, or by some of its supporters as the Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of ^[58] More recently, a series of coordinated bomb attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist suicide bombers on the public transport network on 7 July 2005—just 24 hours after London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics. The 7 July 2005 London bombings (also called the 7/7 bombings) were a series of coordinated bomb blasts that hit London's public transport system during For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Extremism is a term used to describe the actions or ideologies of individuals or groups outside the perceived political center of a society or otherwise claimed to violate This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons Events 1456 - A retrial verdict acquits Joan of Arc of heresy 25 years after her death Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Nine cities submitting bids to host the 2012 Summer Olympics were recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC ^[59]

Governance

See also: List of heads of London government

Local government

Main articles: Local government in London and History of local government in London

The administration of London is formed of two tiers —a city-wide, strategic tier and a local tier. This is a list of the various heads of local government organisations that have served London, England. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. Local government in London takes place in two tiers a city-wide strategic tier and a local tier The history of local government in London, England can be broken down into a number of periods Gallery See also Local government City-wide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority (GLA), while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities. The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. ^[31] The GLA consists of two elected parts; the Mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the London Assembly, who scrutinise the Mayor's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The Mayor of London is an elected politician who along with the London Assembly of 25 members is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London (see The London Assembly is an elected body part of the Greater London Authority, that scrutinises the activities of the Mayor of London and has the power with a two-thirds The GLA was set up in 2000 to replace the similar Greater London Council (GLC) which had been abolished in 1986. The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 ^[31] The headquarters of the GLA and the Mayor of London is at City Hall; the Mayor is Boris Johnson. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964 is a British Politician and Journalist. The 33 local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation. The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. ^[31] They are responsible for local services not overseen by the GLA, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection. Social work is a discipline involving the application of Social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people groups and societies

National government

London is the home of the Government of the United Kingdom which is located around the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. The Greater London Council (GLC was the top-tier Local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986 Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at Westminster is an area of Central London, within the City of Westminster. ^[60] Many government departments are located close to Parliament, particularly along Whitehall, including the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street. Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom ^[61] The British Parliament is often referred to as the "Mother of Parliaments" (although this sobriquet was first applied to England itself by John Bright^[62]) because it has been the model for most other parliamentary systems, and its Acts have created many other parliaments. A sobriquet is a Nickname or a fancy name usually a familiar name given by others as distinct from a Pseudonym assumed as a disguise but a nickname which is familiar John Bright ( 16 November 1811 &ndash 27 March 1889) Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal London is represented in the national Parliament by 74 Members of Parliament (MPs) who correspond to local parliamentary constituencies. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. In the United Kingdom (UK, each of the electoral areas or divisions called constituencies elects one or more members to a parliament or assembly ^[63] For a list of London constituencies, see List of Parliamentary constituencies in Greater London. The administrative area region and Ceremonial county of Greater London, including the City of London,is divided into 74 Parliamentary constituencies Of these 74 MPs, 44 are from the Labour Party, 21 are Conservatives, 8 are Liberal Democrats and one is from the RESPECT party. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal Political party in the United Kingdom, formed in 1988 by merging the Respect – The Unity Coalition is a Left wing political party in England and Wales founded on 25 January, 2004 in London.

Geography

Main article: Geography of London

Scope

London can be geographically defined in a number of ways, although the situation was once even more ambiguous than it is now and open to periodic legal debate. London is the largest Urban area and capital city of the United Kingdom. SPOT (Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre is a high-resolution optical imaging Earth observation satellite system operating from space ^[64] At London's core is the small, ancient City of London which is commonly known as 'the City' or 'the Square Mile'. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically ^[65] London's metropolitan area grew considerably during the Victorian era and again during the Interwar period, but expansion halted in the 1940s because of World War II and Green Belt legislation, and the area has been largely static since. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In United Kingdom town planning, the Green belt is a policy for controlling urban growth ^[66] The London region of England, also commonly known as Greater London, is the area administered by the Greater London Authority. The region, also known as the government office region, is currently the highest tier of local government sub-national entity of England, with only one Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England. ^[12] The urban sprawl of the conurbation—or Greater London Urban Area—covers a roughly similar area, with a slightly larger population. The Greater London Urban Area is the Conurbation or continuous urban area based around London, in south east England with an estimated population of 8505000 Beyond this is the vast London commuter belt. The London commuter belt is the Metropolitan area surrounding London, England from which it is possible to commute to work in the capital ^[67]

Forty percent of Greater London is covered by the London postal district, within which 'LONDON' forms part of the postal address. The London postal district is the area in England, currently of 241 square miles to which mail addressed to the LONDON Post town is delivered ^[68] The London telephone area code covers a larger area, similar in size to Greater London, although some outer districts are omitted and some places just outside are included. ^[69] The area within the orbital M25 motorway is sometimes used to define the "London area"^[70] and the Greater London boundary has been aligned to it in places. To see information about the M25 motorway under construction in Ireland, see N25 road. There have been a considerable number of small changes to the Greater London boundary since its creation in 1965 ^[71] Greater London is split for some purposes into Inner London and Outer London. Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. Outer London is the name for the group of London Boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. ^[72] Informally, the city is split into North, South, East, West and often also Central London. North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes South London is the southern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London, England on the north side of the River Thames. West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre

The Metropolitan Police District, city-wide local government area and London transport area have varied over time, but broadly coincide with the Greater London boundary. The Metropolitan Police District (MPD is the area policed by London 's Metropolitan Police Service. The history of local government in London, England can be broken down into a number of periods Gallery See also Local government The public transport network in London, United Kingdom and its environs has been under the single control of various organisations commonly known as London Transport ^[73] The Romans may have marked the centre of Londinium with the London Stone, still visible on Cannon Street. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC This article covers the history of London during the Roman period from around 47 AD when the Roman city of Londinium was founded The London Stone is a stone that is said to be the place from which the Romans measured all distances in Britannia. Cannon Street is a road in the south of the City of London. It runs roughly parallel with the River Thames and about 250 metres north of it ^[74] The coordinates of the nominal centre of London (traditionally considered to be the original Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross, near the junction of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall) are approximately 51°30′29″N, 00°07′29″W. The Eleanor crosses were 12 lavishly decorated stone monuments of which three survive intact in a line down part of the east of England. Charing Cross is located at the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street in Central London, England. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional Trafalgar Square has also become a point for celebrations and protests. ^[75]

Status

Within London, both the City of London and the City of Westminster have City status and both the City of London and the remainder of Greater London are the ceremonial counties. The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status. The ceremonial counties are areas of England that are appointed a Lord-Lieutenant, and are defined by the government as the Counties for the purposes of the Lieutenancies ^[76] The current area of Greater London was historically part of the counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire. Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties are one of the four levels of Subdivisions of England used for the purposes of Local government outside Greater London The historic counties of England are ancient subdivisions of England. Middlesex is one of the 39 historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. KENT (1400 AM) is a Radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. Essex is a county in the East of England. The County town is Chelmsford, and the highest point of the county is Chrishall Common Hertfordshire (ˈhɑːtfədʃə(r, abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of ^[77] Unlike most capital cities, London's status as the capital of the UK has never been granted or confirmed officially—by statute or in written form. A statute is a formal written enactment of a Legislative authority that governs a Country, State, City, or County. ^[78] Its position as the capital has formed through constitutional convention, making its position as de facto capital a part of the UK's unwritten constitution. Alternative meaning Constitutional convention (political meeting A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is The constitution of the United Kingdom is the set of laws and principles under which the United Kingdom is governed The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court, and thus the political capital of the nation. Winchester or Winton ( archaic) is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40000 within a radius of its centre ^[79]

According to the Collins English Dictionary definition of 'the seat of government'^[80], London is not the capital of England, as England does not have its own government. However according to the Oxford English Reference dictionary definition ^[81] of 'the most important town. . . ' and many other authorities^[82][83], London is properly considered the capital of England. ^[84]

Topography

Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²), making it the 37th largest urban area in the world. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of This is a list of the most populous cities of the World defined according to the concept of city proper. ^[85] Its primary geographical feature is the Thames, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. A body of water such as a River, Canal or Lake, is navigable if it is deep wide and slow enough for a vessel to pass and there are no obstructions like ^[86] The Thames Valley is a floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills such as Parliament Hill, Addington Hills, and Primrose Hill. The Thames Valley generally implies the region that drains into the River Thames (the Thames catchment) from west of Cirencester to London ||-||-||-||-||-||-||-||}A floodplain, or flood plain, is flat or nearly flat land adjacent to a Stream or River that experiences occasional or periodic Parliament Hill is an open area of land in north-west London on the south side of Hampstead Heath, both areas administered by the City of London Corporation Addington Hills is a park located in Upper Shirley, London, England. Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in North London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district These hills presented no significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the river, and therefore London is roughly circular. Many of the highest points in London are located in the suburbs or on the boundaries with adjacent counties. This is a list of the highest points above Sea level in London, England. ^[87]

The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive marshlands; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject ^[88] Since the Victorian era It has been extensively embanked, and many of its London tributaries now flow underground. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century Civil engineering in central London. A tributary is a Stream or River which flows into a mainstem (or parent river The subterranean or underground rivers of London are the tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea that were built over during the growth of the metropolis ^[89] The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. ^[90] The threat has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in high water level by the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused by post-glacial rebound. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood "Glacial" and "Glaciation" redirect here For the geological periods see Glacial period. Post-glacial rebound (sometimes called continental rebound, isostatic rebound, isostatic adjustment or post-ice-age isostatic recovery) ^[91] In 1974, a decade of work began on the construction of the Thames Barrier across the Thames at Woolwich to deal with this threat. The Thames Barrier is a flood control structure on the River Thames, constructed between 1974 and 1984 at Woolwich Reach and first used defensively in 1983 Woolwich (ˈwʊlɪtʃ or /ˈwʊlɪdʒ/ is a suburb in south-east London, England in the London Borough of Greenwich, on the south side of the River ^[92] While the barrier is expected to function as designed until roughly 2030, concepts for its future enlargement or redesign are already being discussed. ^[93]

Climate

Climate chart for London
J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
51. Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, 9   8 2	34. 0   8 2	42. 0   11 4	45. 2   13 5	47. 2   17 8	53. 0   20 11	38. 3   23 14	47. 3   23 13	56. 9   19 11	61. 5   15 8	52. 3   11 5	54. 0   9 3
temperatures in °C • precipitation totals in mm source: Met Office[94]
Imperial conversion J F M A M J J A S O N D     2   46 36     1. 3   47 36     1. 7   52 39     1. 8   56 41     1. 9   63 46     2. 1   68 52     1. 5   73 56     1. 9   73 56     2. 2   67 52     2. 4   59 46     2. 1   52 41     2. 1   48 38 temperatures in °F • precipitation totals in inches

London has a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles, with regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. An oceanic climate (also called marine west coast climate and maritime climate) is the Climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range at Greenwich of 13. Temperature range is the numerical difference between the minimum and maximum values of temperature observed in a system such as Atmospheric temperature in a given location Greenwich ( ˈɡrɛnɪtʃ GREN-itch /ˈɡrɛnɪdʒ/ GREN-idge or /ˈɡrɪnɪdʒ/ GRIN-idge is a district in south-east London, 6 °C to 22. The Celsius Temperature scale was previously known as the centigrade scale. 8 °C (56. 5 to 73. 0 °F). Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736 a German Physicist who proposed it in 1724 Record high temperatures of up to 38. 1 °C (101 °F) were recorded in different parts of London on 10 August 2003. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Central London, because of the size of the city, has a microclimate that is markedly warmer than the surrounding English countryside and offers such a degree of temperature protection, that the plant life capable of flourishing in the centre (Zones 1 & 2) is markedly more Mediterranean than most of the rest of England, with the exception of south west Cornwall and Devon. A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the Climate differs from the surrounding area Cornwall ( Kernow ˈkɛɹnɔʊ is the most southwesterly county of England, on the Peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name The coolest month is January, averaging 2. 4 °C to 7. 9 °C (35. 6 to 46. 2 °F). Average annual precipitation is 583. In Meteorology, precipitation (also known as one class of hydrometeors, which are atmospheric water phenomena is any product of the condensation of atmospheric 6 mm (22. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International 98 in), with February on average the driest month. ^[94] Snow is relatively uncommon, particularly because heat from the urban area can make London up to 5 °C (9 °F) hotter than the surrounding areas in winter. An urban heat island ( UHI) is a metropolitan area which is significantly warmer than its surrounding rural areas Light snowfall, however, is generally seen a few times every year. London is in USDA Hardiness zone 8, and AHS Heat Zone 2. A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of Plant life is capable of growing as defined by Temperature hardiness or ability A hardiness zone is a geographically-defined zone in which a specific category of Plant life is capable of growing as defined by Temperature hardiness or ability ^[95]

Districts

See also: List of places in London, Central London, Inner London, and Outer London

London's vast urban area is often described using a set of district names (e. g. Bloomsbury, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Whitechapel, Fitzrovia). Bloomsbury is an area of central London in the south of the London Borough of Camden, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster. Whitechapel is a built-up Inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England. Fitzrovia is an area of Central London, near London's West End. ^[96] These are either informal designations, or reflect the names of superseded villages, parishes and city wards. Such names have remained in use through tradition, each referring to a neighbourhood with its own distinctive character, but often with no modern official boundaries. Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London. The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. ^[97]

The City of London is one of the world's three largest financial centres (alongside New York and Tokyo) with a dominant role in several international financial markets, including cross-border bank lending, international bond issuance and trading, foreign-exchange trading,^[98] over-the-counter derivatives, fund management and foreign equities trading. The City of New York officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. ^[99] It also has the world's largest insurance market, the leading exchange for dealing in non-precious metals, the largest spot gold and gold lending markets, the largest ship broking market, and more foreign banks and investment houses than any other centre. ^[99] The City has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a status as the only completely autonomous local authority in London. ^[100] London's new financial and commercial hub is the Docklands area to the east of the City, dominated by the Canary Wharf complex. Docklands is the semi-official name for an area in the east of London, England, comprising parts of several boroughs ( Southwark, Tower Hamlets Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks Other businesses locate in the City of Westminster, the home of the UK's national government and the well-known Westminster Abbey. The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status. Her Majesty's Government, or when the monarch is male His Majesty's Government, is the title used by the Government of the United Kingdom, based at The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church ^[101]

The West End is London's main entertainment and shopping district, with locations such as Oxford Street, Leicester Square, Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus acting as tourist magnets. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. For the British guitarist see Lester Square. Leicester Square (ˈlɛstɚ is a Pedestrianised square in the West End Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent ^[102] The West London area is known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, Knightsbridge and Chelsea—where properties can sell for tens of millions of pounds. West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Notting Hill is an area in West London, England close to the north-western corner of Hyde Park, and lying within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. Chelsea is an area of south-west London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along ^[103] The average price for all properties in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is £894,000 with similar average outlay in most of Central London. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre ^[104]

The eastern region of London contains the East End and East London. The East End is the area closest to the original Port of London, known for its high immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London. The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. ^[105]The surrounding East London area saw much of London's early industrial development; now, brownfield sites throughout the area are being redeveloped as part of the Thames Gateway including the London Riverside and Lower Lea Valley, which is being developed into the Olympic Park for the 2012 Olympics. East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London, England on the north side of the River Thames. The Thames Gateway is an area of land stretching 40 miles (60 km east from inner East London on both sides of the River Thames and the Thames Estuary. The London Riverside is a new development area in East London, England and part of the larger Thames Gateway redevelopment zone The Lower Lea Valley is the area surrounding the River Lea (or Lee which runs along the boundary of the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Waltham The Olympic Park London, is a new sporting complex to be built in Stratford in East London for the 2012 Summer Olympics. London 2012 was the successful bid for the 2012 Summer Games, to be held in London with most events taking place in Stratford, Newham ^[105]

City of London City of Westminster Kensington and Chelsea Hammersmith and Fulham Wandsworth Lambeth Southwark Tower Hamlets Hackney Islington Camden Brent Ealing Hounslow Richmond Kingston Merton

Sutton Croydon Bromley Lewisham Greenwich Bexley Havering Barking and Dagenham Redbridge Newham Waltham Forest Haringey Enfield Barnet Harrow Hillingdon

Demography

Main articles: Demography of London and Religion in London

With increasing industrialisation, London's population grew rapidly throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was the most populated city in the world until overtaken by New York in 1925. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically The City of Westminster ( is a borough of London with city status. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea ( (often abbreviated to RBKC) is a London borough in the west side of Central London. The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham ( is a London borough in West London and forms part of Inner London. The London Borough of Wandsworth (ˈlʌndən bʌɹə ɒv ˈwɒndz The London Borough of Lambeth ( is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London. The London Borough of Southwark ( is a London borough in south east London, England. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets ( is a London borough to the east of the City of London, England and north of the River Thames in East The London Borough of Hackney ( is a London borough in North-East London and forms part of Inner London. The London Borough of Islington ( is a London borough in North and Inner London. The London Borough of Camden ( is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. The London Borough of Brent ( is a London borough in north west London, UK and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Ealing ( is an Outer London borough in West London. The London Borough of Hounslow ( is a London borough in West London, England. The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames ( is a London borough in south west London, England, which forms part of Outer London. The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames ( is a borough in south-west London, England. The London Borough of Merton ( is a London borough in south west London. The London Borough of Sutton ( is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Croydon ( is a London borough in South London, England and is part of Outer London. The London Borough of Bromley ( is a London borough of south east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Lewisham ( is a London borough in south-east London, England and forms part of Inner London. The London Borough of Greenwich ( (Greenwich ˈgrɛnɪtʃ is an Inner London borough in south-east London, England. The London Borough of Bexley ( is a London borough in south east Greater London which forms with other boroughs part of Outer London. The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham ( is a London borough in East London and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Redbridge ( is a London borough in north east London, England and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Newham ( is a London borough in East London, within Greater London. The London Borough of Waltham Forest is a London borough in East London England and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Haringey (ˈhærɪŋgeɪ) is a Borough of North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by The London Borough of Barnet ( is a London borough in North London and forms part of Outer London. The London Borough of Harrow ( is a London borough of outer north-west London. The London Borough of Hillingdon ( is the westernmost Borough in Greater London, England. For a wider coverage of London, visit the '''London Portal'''. For London as a whole see the main article London. For a wider coverage of London, visit the '''London Portal'''. The City of New York Its population peaked at 8,615,245 in 1939. There were an estimated 7,512,400 official residents in Greater London as of mid-2006. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ^[2] However, London's continuous urban area extends beyond the borders of Greater London and was home to 8,278,251 people in 2001,^[3] while its wider metropolitan area has a population of between 12 and 14 million depending on the definition used. A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large Metropolis and its adjacent zone of influence or of more than one closely adjoining neighboring central ^[106] According to Eurostat, London is the most populous city and metropolitan area of the European Union and the second most populous in Europe (or third if Istanbul is considered European). The Statistical Office of the European Communities ( Eurostat) is the Statistical arm of the European Commission, producing data for the European Union This is a list of the largest Metropolitan areas of Europe. The population figures for both the metropolitan area and central city are given Istanbul (historically Byzantium and later Constantinople; see the other Names of Istanbul) is the largest city of Turkey

Country of Birth	Population (2001)
United Kingdom	5,230,155
India	172,162
Republic of Ireland	157,285
Pakistan	120,900
Bangladesh	84,565
Jamaica	80,319
Nigeria	68,907
Kenya	66,311
Sri Lanka	49,932
Ghana	46,513
Cyprus	45,888
South Africa	45,506
United States	44,622
Australia	41,488
Germany	39,818
Turkey	39,128
Italy	38,694
France	38,130
Somalia	33,831
Uganda	32,082
New Zealand	27,494

The region covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal The Republic of Kenya is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia to the north Somalia to the northeast Tanzania to the south Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The Republic of Ghana is a country in West Africa. It borders Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast to the west Burkina Faso to the north Togo to the Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Turkey (Türkiye known officially as the Republic of Turkey ( is a Eurasian Country that stretches Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Somalia ( Soomaaliya; الصومال) officially the Somali Republic ( Jamhuuriyadda Soomaaliya, جمهورية الصومال) and formerly known The Republic of Uganda is a Landlocked country in East Africa. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The population density is 12,331 people per square mile (4,761/km²), more than ten times that of any other British region. The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS in the United Kingdom is a subdivision of the UK devised by Eurostat. ^[107] In terms of population, London is the 25th largest city and the 17th largest metropolitan region in the world. This is a list of the most populous cities of the World defined according to the concept of city proper. The question of which are the World's largest cities is a complex one to which there is no single correct answer simply because there are many different ways of defining a "city" It is also ranked 4th in the world in number of billionaires (United States Dollars) residing in the city. ^[108] London ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world, alongside Tokyo and Moscow. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of ^[109]

Ethnic groups

According to 2005 estimates,^[110] 69. 6% of these seven and a half million people are classed as white, including White British (58. " White British " was a racially -based classification used by the 2001 census. 2%), White Irish (2. Irish migration to Britain (also known as the Br[[Irish people|irish]]) has a lengthy history due to the close proximity of and complex relationship between 6%) and "Other White" (8. " White Other " is a term used in the UK census to describe white persons of non- British and non- Irish descent in 8%), the majority of whom are other Europeans. 12. 9% of people are of South Asian descent, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other Southern Asian ethnicities). British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding 10. 8% of people are Black (around 5. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political 5% are Black African, 4. 4% as Black Caribbean, 0. The British African Caribbean community are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were indigenous to Africa 8% as "Other Black"). 3. 4% are of mixed race; 1. Mixed Race was included as an ethnic classification on the UK Census from 2001. 4% are Chinese; and 1. British Chinese, including British-born Chinese (often informally referred to as BBC) are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in or have migrated 9% of people belong to another ethnic group (mostly Latin American - an estimated 60,000 Brazilians reside in London,^[111] Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other East Asians). The 2001 UK Census ethnic groups include White British, White Other, Mixed Race, Asian British, Black British and Chinese Latin American Britons are British people who were either born in Latin America or who have Latin American Ancestors Significant migration This article is about British people of Brazilian descent For Brazilian people of British descent see English Brazilian, Scottish Brazilian Japanese British people (or Japanese Britons) are citizens or full time residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in the The Vietnamese people (người Việt or vi ''người Kinh'' are an Ethnic group originating from what is now northern Vietnam and southern China. Since the 17th century there have been East Asian people in Britain. 21. 8% of inhabitants were born outside the European Union. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in The Irish born, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, number approximately 250,000 and are the largest group born outside of Britain. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. Northern Ireland (Tuaisceart Éireann Ulster Scots: Norlin Airlann) is a Country within the United Kingdom, lying in the northeast of

In January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and more than 50 non-indigenous communities which have a population of more than 10,000 in London. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London was inaugurated on August 20 1995 by his holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Neasden is an area of Brent, London, England. History The area was recorded as Neasdun in 939 AD and the name is derived ^[112] Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that, as of 2006, London's foreign-born population is 2,288,000 (31%), up from 1,630,000 in 1997. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly ^[113] The 2001 census showed that 27. 1% of Greater London's population were born outside the UK, and a slightly higher proportion were classed as non-white. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England. ^[114]

The table to the right shows the 'Country of Birth' of London residents in 2001, the date of the last UK Census. The United Kingdom has taken a Census of its population every ten years since 1801 with the exception of 1941 ( during the Second World War) (Top 21). ^[115] Note that a portion of the German-born population are likely to be British nationals born to parents serving in the British armed forces in Germany. ^[116]

As of 2008, 40% of London's total population is from an ethnic minority group. Across London, Black and Asian children outnumber White British children by about three to two. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka " White British " was a racially -based classification used by the 2001 census. ^[117]

Religion

See also: List of churches and cathedrals of London

The largest religious groupings in London are Christian (57. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings 8%), No Religion (15. Irreligion is a lack of religion indifference to religion or hostility to religion 5%), Muslim (7. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. 9%), Hindu (4. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. 1%), Jewish (3. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut 1%), and Sikh (1. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century 5%). ^[118] London has traditionally been dominated by Christianity, and has a large number of churches, particularly in the City. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings London is the location of many famous churches chapels and cathedrals, in a density unmatched anywhere else in England. The well-known St Paul's Cathedral in the City and Southwark Cathedral south of the river are Anglican administrative centres,^[119] while the principle bishop of the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of Canterbury has his main residence at Lambeth Palace in the London Borough of Lambeth. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. Southwark Cathedral or The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, Southwark, London, lies on the south bank of the Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches The Archbishop of Canterbury is the chief bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The London Borough of Lambeth ( is a London borough in South London, England and forms part of Inner London. ^[120] Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, which is almost always referred to by its original name of Westminster Abbey, is a large mainly Gothic church ^[121] The Abbey is not to be confused with nearby Westminster Cathedral, which is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales. Westminster Cathedral in London, England, is the Mother church of the Roman Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan History The Roman occupation of Britain was the first period in which the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit (with the exception ^[122] Religious practice is lower in London than any other part of the UK or Western Europe and is around seven times lower than American averages. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[123] Despite the prevalence of Anglican churches, observance is very low within the Anglican denomination, although church attendance, particularly at evangelical Anglican churches in London, has started to increase. Evangelicalism is a theological movement tradition and system of beliefs most closely associated with Protestant Christianity, which identifies with the Gospel ^[124]

London is also home to sizeable Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Many Muslims live in Tower Hamlets and Newham; the most important Muslim edifice is London Central Mosque on the edge of Regent's Park. The London Borough of Tower Hamlets ( is a London borough to the east of the City of London, England and north of the River Thames in East The London Borough of Newham ( is a London borough in East London, within Greater London. The London Central Mosque (also known as the Islamic Cultural Centre ICC or Regent's Park Mosque is located near Marylebone station, the Baker Street For other meanings see Regent's Park (disambiguation Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks ^[125] London's large Hindu community is found in the north-western boroughs of Harrow and Brent, the latter of which is home to one of Europe's largest Hindu temples, Neasden Temple. The London Borough of Harrow ( is a London borough of outer north-west London. The London Borough of Brent ( is a London borough in north west London, UK and forms part of Outer London. A Hindu temple or Mandir ( Sanskrit: मंदिर is a house of worship for Hindus followers of Hinduism. BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London was inaugurated on August 20 1995 by his holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj. ^[126] Sikh communities are located in East and West London, which is also home to the largest Sikh temple in the world, outside India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ^[127] The majority of British Jews live in London, with significant Jewish communities in Stamford Hill, St. John's Wood, Golders Green, and Edgware in North London. British Jews (often referred to collectively but imprecisely as Anglo-Jewry) are British subjects of Jewish descent or religion who maintain a connection to Stamford Hill is a place in the north of the London Borough of Hackney, England near the border with Haringey. For the rock band please see St John's Wood (band For the Australian locality St Johns Wood see main article St John's Wood Queensland Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Edgware is a suburb of North London situated north-west of Charing Cross. North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes ^[128]

Economy

Further information: Economy of the United Kingdom, Economy of London, and Media in London

London is a major centre for international business and commerce and is one of three "command centres" for the world economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). The economy of the United Kingdom is the fifth largest in the world in terms of market Exchange rates and the sixth largest by Purchasing power parity London is a major centre for international business and commerce and is one of three "command centres" for the global economy (along with New York City For London as a whole see the main article London. London is a major international communications centre with a virtually unrivalled For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks The Isle of Dogs is a former island in the East End of London that is surrounded on three sides (east south and west by one of the largest Meanders in International business is a term used to collectively describe topics relating to the operations of Firms with interests in multiple countries. The world economy can be evaluated in various ways depending on the model used and this valuation can then be represented in various ways (for example in 2006 US dollars) The City of New York officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. ^[129] London is one of the largest centres for finance in the world, and has the 6th largest city economy in the world after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Paris. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ^[130] As the world's largest international banking centre with a 50% share of all European activity and Europe's second largest city economy, year-by-year London generates approximately 20% of the UK's GDP^[131] (or $446 billion in 2005); while the economy of the London metropolitan area (the largest in Europe)^[132] generates approximately 30% of UK's GDP (or an estimated $669 billion in 2005. The London commuter belt is the Metropolitan area surrounding London, England from which it is possible to commute to work in the capital )^[133]

London shifted to a mostly service-based economy earlier than other European cities, particularly following World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including London's success is as a service industry and business centre. ^[134]

This can be attributed to factors such as English being the lingua franca, its former position as the capital of the British Empire, close relationship with the U. A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. S. and various countries in Asia. ^[134] Other factors include English law being the most important and most used contract law in international business and the multi-cultural infrastructure. English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of Common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countriesand the A contract is an exchange of promises between two or more parties to do or refrain from doing an act which is enforceable in a court of law The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified ^[134] Government policies such as low taxes, particularly for foreigners (non-UK domiciled residents do not get taxed on their foreign earnings), a business friendly environment, good transport infrastructure, particularly its aviation industry; and a deregulated economy with little intervention by the government have all contributed to London's economy becoming more service based. ^[134] Over 85% (3. 2 million) of the employed population of greater London works in service industries. Another half a million employees resident in Greater London work in manufacturing and construction, almost equally divided between both. ^[135] There has been a significant fall in the number of people working in manufacturing industries in London over the last three decades, largely as a result of competition from lower cost regions but also as a consequence of technology and process improvements. ^[136] Even so, there are still more than 15,000 manufacturing businesses in London such as clothing, printing, fabricated metal, furniture and wood/products and food and drink. ^[136] There is also strong growth in the recycling/environmental sector. ^[136] A strong manufacturing base still thrives in London because of its geographic location and access to huge markets, its large science and knowledge base, its physical assets, its diversity and its role as a centre of design and creative industries. ^[136]

London's largest industry remains finance, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK's balance of payments. A financial export is a business service provided by a domestic firm (regardless of ownership to a foreign firm within the scope of financial services In Economics, the balance of payments, (or BOP) measures the Payments that flow between any individual Country and all other countries Over 300,000 people are employed in financial services in London. London has over 480 overseas banks, more than any other city in the world. More funds are invested in the City of London than in the next top ten European cities combined, and more international telephone calls are made to and from London than any other point on the planet. ^[137] The City is the largest financial and business centre in Europe and, has begun to once more overtake New York City, partly due to strict accounting following the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and a tightening of market regulations in the United States. The City of New York The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ( also known as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 and commonly called SOX or Sarbox The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[138] Due to New York's tightening of market regulations, London stock exchanges had approximately 20% more initial public offerings in 2006. ^[139]

London is home to banks, brokers, insurers and legal and accounting firms. A second, smaller financial district is developing at Canary Wharf to the east of the City which includes the global headquarters of HSBC, Reuters, Barclays and the Magic Circle, which includes Clifford Chance, the largest law firm in the world. Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks HSBC Holdings plc ( (,,,) is a Public limited company incorporated in England and Wales, headquartered in London. This article is primarily about Reuters prior to its 2008 merger with Thomson Barclays PLC is a major global financial services provider operating in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Latin America, Australia The Magic Circle is an informal term used to describe collectively what are considered to be either the five or possibly six leading London -based Law firms all of Clifford Chance LLP is the largest Law firm in the world both by number of lawyers and revenue and a component of the UK's " Magic Circle " of leading law London handled 31% of global currency transactions in 2005—an average daily turnover of US$753 billion—with more US dollars traded in London than New York, and more euros traded than in every other city in Europe combined. In the Foreign exchange market and International finance, a world currency or global currency refers to a Currency in which the vast majority Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e ^[140][141]

More than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies (the FTSE 100) and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies are headquartered in central London. The FTSE 100 Index (ˈfʊtsiː footsie, abbreviated Financial Times Stock Exchange Index) is a Share index of the 100 most highly capitalised Over 70% of the FTSE 100 are located within London's metropolitan area, and 75% of Fortune 500 companies have offices in London. Please do not add the complete list of fortune 500 companies The list is copyrighted by Fortune which makes money by selling the content ^[142]

Along with professional services, media companies are concentrated in London (see Media in London) and the media distribution industry is London's second most competitive sector (after central banking, the most competitive sector). Professional services are infrequent technical or unique functions performed by independent contractors or consultants whose occupation is the rendering of such services For London as a whole see the main article London. London is a major international communications centre with a virtually unrivalled ^[143] The BBC is a key employer, while other broadcasters also have headquarters around the city. Many national newspapers are edited in London, having traditionally been associated with Fleet Street in the City, they are now primarily based around Canary Wharf. This article is a list of Newspapers in the United Kingdom. UK daily newspapers Traditionally newspapers could be split into serious-minded newspapers usually referred Fleet Street is a street in London, England named after the River Fleet. Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks ^[144] Soho is the centre of London's post-production industry. This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho. See also Filmmaking Post-production occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, Videos audio recordings ^[145]

Tourism is one of London's prime industries and employed the equivalent of 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003,^[146] while annual expenditure by tourists is around £15 billion. London is one of the world's leading destinations for Tourists and the city is home to an array of famous tourist attractions ^[147] London is a popular destination for tourists, attracting 27 million overnight-stay visitors every year, second only to Paris, the most popular destination for tourists. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city ^[148]

From being the largest port in the world, the Port of London is now only the third-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 50 million tonnes of cargo each year. The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. This article is about the tonne or metric ton For other tons see Ton. ^[149] Most of this actually passes through Tilbury, outside the boundary of Greater London. Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering London, England.

Architecture

See also: Architecture in London and List of tallest structures in London

London is too diverse to be characterised by any particular architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long period of time and drawn on a wide range of influences. The O2 is a large entertainment district including an indoor arena a music club a cinema an exhibition space piazzas and bars and restaurants built within a large dome-shaped The term architecture (from Greek αρχιτεκτονικήarchitektoniki) can be used to mean a process a profession or documentation It is, however, mainly brick built, most commonly the yellow London stock brick or a warm orange-red variety, often decorated with carvings and white plaster mouldings. A brick is a block of Ceramic material used in Masonry construction laid using mortar. London stock brick is the most commonly used type of building Brick in London. Molding (USA or moulding (AUS CAN UK is a strip of material with various Cross sections used to cover transitions between surfaces ^[150] Many grand houses and public buildings (such as the National Gallery) are constructed from Portland stone. Portland stone is a Limestone from the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. ^[151] Some areas of the city, particularly those just west of the centre, are characterised by white stucco or whitewashed buildings. Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water Few structures pre-date the Great Fire of 1666, except for a few trace Roman remains, the Tower of London and a few scattered Tudor survivors in the City. This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London The Tudor style in architecture is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period (1485&ndash1603 and even beyond for conservative college A majority of buildings in London date from the Edwardian or Victorian periods. Class and society Socially the Edwardian era was a period during which the British Class system was very rigid The term Victorian architecture can refer to one of a number of Architectural styles predominantly employed during the Victorian era. ^[150] The disused (but soon to be rejuvenated) 1939 Battersea Power Station by the river in the south-west is a local landmark,^[152] while some railway termini are excellent examples of Victorian architecture, most notably St Pancras and Paddington (at least internally). Battersea Power Station is a defunct coal-fired power station in Battersea, London, that was the first in a series of large coal-fired electrical generating St Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the St Pancras area of Central London between the British Library and King's Cross London Paddington station, also known as London Paddington, or just simply Paddington, is a major National Rail and London Underground station ^[153]

The density of London varies, with high employment density in the central area, high residential densities in inner London and lower densities in the suburbs. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. Outer London is the name for the group of London Boroughs that form a ring around Inner London. In the dense areas, most of the concentration is achieved with medium-rise and high-rise buildings. A high-rise is a tall Building or structure Normally the function of the building is added for example high-rise Apartment building or London's skyscrapers such as the notable "Gherkin", Tower 42 and One Canada Square are usually found in the two financial districts, the City of London and Canary Wharf. 30 St Mary Axe is a Skyscraper in London 's main financial district the City of London. Tower 42 is the tallest Skyscraper in the City of London and the fifth tallest in London as a whole One Canada Square (also known as the Canary Wharf Tower) is a Skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. For London as a whole see the main article London. The City of London is a geographically Canary Wharf is a large business and shopping development in London, located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, centred on the old West India Docks ^{[154][155][156]} Other notable modern buildings include City Hall in Southwark with its distinctive oval shape,^[157] the British Library in Somers Town/Kings Cross,^[158] and the Great Court of the British Museum. City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority which comprises the Mayor of London and London Assembly. Southwark or The Borough is an area of south-east London in the London Borough of Southwark, situated 1 The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. Somers Town, named after the Somers family who owned the land is an area of London south of Camden Town. Kings Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. ^[159] What was formerly the Millennium Dome, located by the Thames to the east of Canary Wharf, is now used as an entertainment venue known as The O₂. The Millennium Dome, often referred to simply as The Dome, is the original name of a large Dome -shaped building originally used to house ^[160]

The development of tall buildings has been encouraged in the London Plan, which will lead to the erection of many new skyscrapers over the next decade, particularly in the City of London and Canary Wharf. This list of the tallest buildings and structures in London ranks Skyscrapers and Towers in the city of London, United Kingdom by height The London Plan is a planning document written by the Mayor of London in the United Kingdom and published by the Greater London Authority. This list of the tallest buildings and structures in London ranks Skyscrapers and Towers in the city of London, United Kingdom by height ^[161] The 72-storey, 1,017 feet (310 m) "Shard London Bridge" by London Bridge station,^[162] the 945 feet (288 m) Bishopsgate Tower and around 20 other skyscrapers over 500 feet (150 m) are either proposed or approved and could transform the city's skyline. Shard London Bridge, also known as London Bridge Tower, the Shard of Glass and 32 London Bridge is a Supertall Skyscraper soon to London Bridge station is a National Rail and London Underground station in the London Borough of Southwark, which occupies a large area on two levels immediately The Bishopsgate Tower, also known as The Pinnacle or The Helter-Skelter, is a 288-metre (945 ft 63-storey Skyscraper currently under construction in the ^[163]

A great many monuments pay homage to people and events in the city. The Monument in the City of London provides views of the surrounding area while commemorating the Great Fire of London, which originated nearby. The Monument to the Great Fire of London, more commonly known as The Monument, is a 61 metre (202 ft tall stone Roman doric column in the City of London, near This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. ^[164] Marble Arch and Wellington Arch, at the north and south ends of Park Lane respectively, have royal connections, as do the Albert Memorial and Royal Albert Hall in Kensington. Marble Arch is a white Carrara Marble monument near Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, at the western end of Oxford Street in Wellington Arch, also known as Constitution Arch or (originally the Green Park Arch, is a Triumphal arch located to the south of Hyde Park Park Lane is a major Road (designated A4202) in the City of Westminster, in Central London. The Albert Memorial is situated in Kensington Gardens, London, England, directly to the north of the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known Kensington is a district of West London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, located west of Charing Cross. ^[165] Nelson's Column is a nationally-recognised monument in Trafalgar Square, one of the focal points of the centre. Nelson's Column is a Monument in Trafalgar Square, London, England. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London, England. With its position in the heart of London it is a tourist attraction its trademark is Nelson's ^[166]

Parks and gardens

Main articles: Parks and open spaces in London and Royal Parks of London

The largest parks in the central area of London are the Royal Parks of Hyde Park and its neighbour Kensington Gardens at the western edge of central London and Regent's Park on the northern edge. St Paul's Cathedral, is the Anglican Cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. For London as a whole see the main article London. London is well endowed with open spaces The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of England or the United Kingdom for the recreation (mostly hunting of the royal The Royal Parks of London are lands originally owned by the monarchy of England or the United Kingdom for the recreation (mostly hunting of the royal Hyde Park is one of the largest Parks in central London, England and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner See also Kensington Gardens South Australia, a suburb of Adelaide, Australia Kensington Gardens, once the private gardens of Kensington The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre For other meanings see Regent's Park (disambiguation Regent's Park (officially The Regent's Park) is one of the Royal Parks ^[167] This park contains London Zoo, the world's oldest scientific zoo, and is located near the tourist attraction of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. ZSL London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific Zoo. It was opened in London on April 27 1828, and was originally intended to be used ^[168][169] Closer to central London are the smaller Royal Parks of Green Park and St. James's Park. Green Park (officially The Green Park) is one of the Royal Parks of London. For the football stadium in Newcastle upon Tyne, see St James' Park; for the football stadium in Exeter, see St James Park ^[170] Hyde Park in particular is popular for sports and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

A number of large parks lie outside the city centre, including the remaining Royal Parks of Greenwich Park to the south-east,^[171] Bushy Park and Richmond Park to the south-west^[172][173] and Victoria Park, East London to the east. Greenwich Park is a former Hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south east London. Bushy Park is the second largest of the Royal Parks of London. Richmond Park is a 955 hectare (2360 acre urban park near central London UK Victoria Park (or 'Vicky' Park as locally known is a large open space that stretches out across part of the East End of London, England bordering parts of Bethnal ^[174] Primrose Hill to the north of Regent's Park is a popular spot to view the city skyline. Primrose Hill is a hill of located on the north side of Regent's Park in North London, England, and also the name for the surrounding district ^[175][176] Some more informal, semi-natural open spaces also exist, including the 791-acre (3. 2 km²) Hampstead Heath of North London. Hampstead Heath (locally known as "the Heath" is London 's largest ancient parkland covering 3 North London is the northern part of London, England. The area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes ^[177] This incorporates Kenwood House, the former stately home and a popular location in the summer months where classical musical concerts are held by the lake, attracting thousands of people every weekend to enjoy the music, scenery and fireworks. Kenwood House (also known as the Iveagh Bequest) is a former Stately home, in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath A stately home is strictly speaking one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century as well as converted ^[178]

Society and culture

Main articles: Culture of London, Tourism in London, and Hotels in London

Leisure and entertainment

Within the City of Westminster, the entertainment district of the West End has its focus around Leicester Square, where London and world film premieres are held, and Piccadilly Circus, with its giant electronic advertisements. The Royal Observatory Greenwich (formerly the Royal Greenwich Observatory or RGO) was commissioned in 1675 by King Charles II, with the For a wider coverage of London visit the '''London Portal'''. London is one of the world's leading destinations for Tourists and the city is home to an array of famous tourist attractions This article describes the hotels in London England. Hotels are an important part of London 's tourism industry Bond Street is a major shopping street in London which runs through Mayfair from Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster. The West End of London is an area of Central London, England, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions businesses headquarters and the commercial For the British guitarist see Lester Square. Leicester Square (ˈlɛstɚ is a Pedestrianised square in the West End The word premiere (or première, from the French première, "first" generally means "a first performance" Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of London 's West End in the City of Westminster,built in 1819 to connect Regent ^[31] London's theatre district is here, as are many cinemas, bars, clubs and restaurants, including the city's Chinatown district, and just to the east is Covent Garden, an area housing speciality shops. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" The name Chinatown has been used at different times to describe different places in London. Covent Garden (Pronunciation kɒvʌnt is a district in London, England, located on the easternmost parts of the City of Westminster and the southwest Specialty stores (British Speciality shops are small stores which specialize in a specific range of merchandise and related items The United Kingdom's Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet are based in London and perform at the Royal Opera House, the Coliseum, Sadler's Wells Theatre and the Royal Albert Hall. The Royal Ballet is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England English National Ballet is a renowned Classical ballet company based at Markova House in London, England. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing Sadler's Wells Theatre is the name of six theatres that have been built since 1683 at a site on Rosebery Avenue Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known ^[179] Shoreditch and Hoxton in the East End contain a plethora of bars, nightclubs, restaurants and galleries. Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney. Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, immediately north of the financial district of the City of London. ^[31] Islington's one mile (2 km) long Upper Street, extending northwards from The Angel, has more bars and restaurants than any other street in the UK. Islington is the central district of the London Borough of Islington. The Angel was originally an Inn near a Toll gate on the Great North Road (at what is now the corner of Islington High Street and Pentonville Road ^[180]

Europe's busiest shopping area is Oxford Street, a shopping street nearly one mile (2 km) long—which makes it the longest shopping street in the world—and home to many shops and department stores including Selfridges. Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in London, England in the City of Westminster. Selfridges is a chain of Department stores in the United Kingdom. ^[31] The adjoining Bond Street in Mayfair is an extremely upmarket location, home to fashion, jewellery, and accessories design houses. Bond Street is a major shopping street in London which runs through Mayfair from Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster. ^[31] Knightsbridge—home to the Harrods department store— lies just to the southwest. Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. Harrods is a Department store located on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. A department store is a Retail establishment which specializes in selling a wide range of products without a single predominant merchandise line. Together with these, the fashionable shopping areas of Sloane Street, and Kings Road represent London's prestigious role in the world of fashion. Sloane Street is a street in London which runs north to south from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, crossing Pont Street about half way along The Kings Road is a major well-known street in west London, England. London is home to designers Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, and Jimmy Choo among others; its renowned art and fashion schools make it an international centre of fashion alongside Paris, Milan and New York. Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI, (born 8 April, 1941) is an English Fashion designer largely responsible for bringing Juan Carlos Antonio Galliano Guillén, CBE, RDI (born November 28 1960) professionally known as John Galliano, is a Gibraltarian Stella Nina McCartney (born September 13 1971) is an English Fashion designer. Manolo Blahnik CBE (born 27 November 1942 in Santa Cruz de La Palma, Canary Islands) is a Spanish Fashion designer Dato' Jimmy Choo OBE, born Jimmy Choo Yeang Keat (周仰杰 iuis a London -based luxury fashion designer best known for his hand-made women's ^[31] London also has a high number of street markets, including Camden Market for fashions and alternative products, Portobello Road for antiques, and vintage and one-off clothes, and Borough Market for organic and specialist foods. The Camden Markets are a number of adjoining large markets in Camden Town near the Hampstead Road Lock of the Regent's Canal (which is usually Portobello Road is a road in the Notting Hill district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. Borough Market is a Wholesale and Retail food market in Southwark, South East London, England. ^[31]

London offers a great variety of cuisine as a result of its ethnically diverse population. Gastronomic centres include the Bangladeshi restaurants of Brick Lane and the Chinese food restaurants of Chinatown. Brick Lane ( Bangla: ব্রিক লেন is a long street in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. A Chinatown is a section of an urban area with a large number of Chinese outside the majority-Chinese countries of Greater China. ^[181] Soho's variety of restaurants includes Italian- and Greek-influenced establishments among others, as well as all manner of novelties and oddities. This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho. More upmarket restaurants are scattered around central London, with concentrations in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Notting Hill. Mayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster. Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of Central London. Notting Hill is an area in West London, England close to the north-western corner of Hyde Park, and lying within the Royal Borough of Kensington and

There are a variety of regular annual events. List of major annual events in London, England by month The Caribbean-descended community in Notting Hill in West London organizes the colourful Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street carnival, every summer. The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting Notting Hill is an area in West London, England close to the north-western corner of Hyde Park, and lying within the Royal Borough of Kensington and West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place on the streets of Notting Hill, London, UK each August over two days (Sunday ^[182] The beginning of the year is celebrated with the relatively new New Year's Day Parade, while traditional parades include November's Lord Mayor's Show, a centuries-old event celebrating the annual appointment of a new Lord Mayor of the City of London with a procession along the streets of the City, and June's Trooping the Colour, a very formal military pageant to celebrate the Queen's Official Birthday. The New Year's Day Parade is a parade of 10000 performers through the streets of the West End of London which takes place annually on 1 January. The Lord Mayor's Show is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London which dates back to 1215 The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of (and head of the City of London Corporation. Trooping the Colour is a military ceremony performed by Regiments of the Commonwealth and the British Army. "The Queen" in this article means the monarch of the Commonwealth Realms The Queen's Official Birthday (sometimes known as "the ^[31]

Literature and film

See also: London in fiction, London in film, List of films set in London, and List of television shows set in London

London has been the setting for many works of literature. Many works of fiction are set in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. List of films set in London London has been used both as a Filming location and as a Film setting more times than almost any other city in the world at least London in film The following is a list of films set primarily in London, England. This is a list of Television shows set in London Absolute Power Absolutely Fabulous Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Two writers closely associated with the city are the diarist Samuel Pepys, noted for his eyewitness account of the Great Fire, and Charles Dickens, whose representation of a foggy, snowy, grimy London of street sweepers and pickpockets has been a major influence on people's vision of early Victorian London. Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703 was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament, who is now most famous for This article is about the Great Fire of 1666 For other great fires in London see Early fires of London or Second Great Fire of London. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities ^[183] James Boswell's biographical Life of Johnson mostly takes place in London, and is the source of Johnson's well-known aphorism: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. James Boswell 9th Laird of Auchinleck ( October 29, 1740 - May 19, 1795) was a lawyer diarist and Author born in Edinburgh Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson) (18 September " The earlier (1722) A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe is a fictionalisation of the events of the 1665 Great Plague. A Journal of the Daniel Defoe (1659/1661 — April 24, 1731 was an English Writer, Journalist, and Pamphleteer, who gained enduring fame for The Great Plague (1665-1666 was a massive outbreak of Disease in England that killed 75000 to 100000 people up to a fifth of London 's population ^[183] William Shakespeare spent a large part of his life living and working in London; his contemporary Ben Jonson was also based in London, and some of his work - most notably his play The Alchemist - was set in the city. William Shakespeare ( baptised Benjamin Jonson ( c 11 June 1572 &ndash 6 August 1637) was an English Renaissance Dramatist The Alchemist is a Comedy by English playwright Ben Jonson. First performed in 1610 by the King's Men, it is generally ^[183] Later important depictions of London from the 19th and early 20th centuries are the afore-mentioned Dickens novels, and Arthur Conan Doyle's illustrious Sherlock Holmes stories. Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle, DL (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930 was an Anglo-Scottish Author most noted for his stories about the Sherlock Holmes is a famous fictional detective of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries who first appeared in Publication in 1887 ^[183] Trollope's Palliser novels are largely set in London, vividly depicting Westminster and its surrounds. The name Trollope is derived from the place-name Troughburn in Northumberland. The "Palliser novels" are six novels by Anthony Trollope. The 1933 novel Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell describes life in poverty in both cities. Down and Out in Paris and London is George Orwell 's semi-autobiographical account of living in Poverty in both cities Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950 who used the Pseudonym George Orwell, was an English writer ^[183] A modern writer pervasively influenced by the city is Peter Ackroyd, in works such as London: The Biography, The Lambs of London and Hawksmoor. Peter Ackroyd (born 5 October 1949, East Acton, London) is an English Author. Academic Bloomsbury and hilly Hampstead have traditionally been the liberal, literary heartlands of the city. Bloomsbury is an area of central London in the south of the London Borough of Camden, developed by the Russell family in the 17th and 18th centuries into Hampstead is an area of London, England, located north-west of Charing Cross.

London has played a significant role in the film industry, and has major studios at Pinewood, Shepperton, Elstree and Leavesden, as well as an important special effects and post-production community centred in Soho in central London. Pinewood Studios is a major British Film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. Shepperton Studios, located in Shepperton, Surrey, England is a film studio with a long history of film making Historically the name " Elstree Studios " refers to any of several Film studios that were based in the towns of Borehamwood and Elstree in Leavesden Film Studios is a Film and media complex constructed on the site of the former Rolls-Royce factory at Leavesden Aerodrome which was an important The illusions used in the Film, Television, Theater, or Entertainment industries to simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called This article is about an area of Manhattan, New York City. For the area in London UK see Soho. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre Working Title Films has its headquarters in London. Working Title Films is a British film production company based in London, England. ^[184] Many films have also used London as a location and have done much to shape international perceptions of the city. See main article London in film. List of films set in London London has been used both as a Filming location and as a Film setting more times than almost any other city in the world at least

The city also hosts a number of performing arts schools, including the Central School of Speech and Drama (alumni: Judi Dench and Laurence Olivier), the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (alumni: Jim Broadbent and Donald Sutherland) and the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (alumni: Joan Collins and Roger Moore). The performing arts are those forms of Art which differ from the Plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own Body, Face and presence The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young Actors and other students Dame Judith Olivia Dench, CH, DBE, FRSA, (born 9 December, 1934) usually known as Judi Dench, is an English Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art ( LAMDA) founded 1861, is a leading British Drama school in west London. James "Jim" Broadbent (born 24 May 1949 is an English Academy Award -winning theatre film and television Actor. Donald McNicol Sutherland OC (born July 17, 1935) is a Canadian Actor with a film career spanning over 50 years The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ( RADA) in Bloomsbury, London, is generally regarded as one of the most prestigious Drama schools in the world Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE (born 23 May 1933) is a Golden Globe Award -winning English actress and bestselling Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English Actor. The London Film Festival is held each year in October. The Times BFI London Film Festival is the UK 's largest public film event screening over 300 films from 60 countries ^[185]

Music

London is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to major music corporations, such as EMI and Decca Records, as well as countless bands, musicians and industry professionals. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis.

London is home to many orchestras and concert halls such as the Barbican Arts Centre (principal base of the London Symphony Orchestra), Cadogan Hall (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra), the Royal Albert Hall (BBC Promenade Concerts), the Royal Festival Hall (Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta) and Wigmore Hall. Barbican Centre is the largest Performing arts centre in Europe The London Symphony Orchestra ( LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. Cadogan Hall is a 900-seat Concert hall on Sloane Terrace in Chelsea London, in the United Kingdom. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ( RPO) is a British Orchestra based in London. The Royal Albert Hall is an Arts venue situated in the Knightsbridge area of the City of Westminster, London, England, best known The Proms, more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily Orchestral Royal Festival Hall is a concert dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. The Philharmonia is an Orchestra based in London. Since 1995 it has been based in the Royal Festival Hall. The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( LPO) based in London, is one of the major Orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber Orchestra based in London that specializes in the performance of Contemporary classical music Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of Chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano song and instrumental ^[179] London's two main opera houses are the Royal Opera House and the Coliseum Theatre. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing The Coliseum Theatre (also known as the London Coliseum) is on St ^[179]

As a cultural centre for the United Kingdom, London has had a major role in many popular music movements. It has numerous renowned venues for rock and pop concerts, including large arenas such as Earls Court and Wembley Arena, as well as more intimate venues, such as Brixton Academy and Hammersmith Apollo. The Earls Court Exhibition Centre (also known as Earls Court Arena or often simply Earls Court) is an entertainment venue located in West London, Wembley Arena is a famous Entertainment venue located in Wembley, London, UK. The Brixton Academy or Brixton is one of London 's leading music venues The Hammersmith Apollo is a major entertainments and concert venue located in Hammersmith, London, England. ^[179] The area around the northern part of Charing Cross Road in Westminster is well-known for its shops that sell modern musical instruments and audio equipment. Charing Cross Road is a London street which runs immediately north of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Giles' Circus (the intersection with Oxford Street London was home of one of the legs for both the Live Aid and Live 8 concerts. Live Aid was a multi-venue rock music concert held on. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia Live 8 was a string of Benefit concerts that took place on 2 July, 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa.

London and its surrounding Home Counties have spawned iconic and popular artists. " Home counties " is an informal phrase used to designate the group of counties that border or surround London, England. London is home to the first and original Hard Rock Cafe and the illustrious Abbey Road Studios where The Beatles created many of their hits. Hard Rock Cafe was founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, and their first Hard Rock Cafe opened near Hyde Park Corner in London, Abbey Road Studios, established in November 1931 by EMI in London, England, is a Recording studio located at number 3 Abbey Road, The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Musicians such as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Freddie Mercury have lived in London. Robert "Bob" Nesta Marley OM (February 6 1945 – May 11 1981 was a Jamaican Musician, Singer-songwriter and Rastafarian James Marshall Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix) (November 27 1942 – September 18 1970 was an American Guitarist, Singer and Songwriter Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991 was a Zanzibar -born British Musician, best known as the lead ^[186] Notable musicians and groups associated with London include The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Iron Maiden, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Cliff Richard, John Lennon, Queen, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The primary lineup consisted of guitarist Pete Townshend Fleetwood Mac are a British / American For other uses see Iron maiden. Sir Elton Hercules John CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947 is an English pop / rock Singer, Composer Elvis Costello (born Declan Patrick MacManus 25 August 1954 is an English Musician and Singer-songwriter, with Irish ancestry Sir Cliff Richard, OBE, (born Harry Roger Webb on 14 October 1940 is an English Singer, Actor and Businessman. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Queen were an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist born in Tokyo on February 18 1933 is a Japanese Artist and Musician. Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Pink Floyd are Led Zeppelin were London was instrumental in the development of punk music, with figures such as the Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Jam, and Vivienne Westwood all based in the city. The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 For the debut album by The Clash see The Clash (album The Clash were The Jam were an English Mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s Dame Vivienne Westwood, DBE, RDI, (born 8 April, 1941) is an English Fashion designer largely responsible for bringing

As Britain's largest urban area, London has played a key role in the development of most British-born strains of "urban" and electronic music, such as drum and bass, UK garage, grime and dubstep, and is home to many UK hip hop artists. The O2 is a large entertainment district including an indoor arena a music club a cinema an exhibition space piazzas and bars and restaurants built within a large dome-shaped Urban contemporary is a music Radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s Grime is a genre of music which emerged in London, UK, primarily a development of UK garage, Dancehall, and hip hop. Dubstep is a Genre of Electronic music that has its roots in London 's early 2000s UK garage scene British hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of Hip hop music made in the United Kingdom.

The largest entertainment venture of all time, The Phantom of the Opera, a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, premiered here at Her Majesty's Theatre, and emerged as the highest grossing entertainment event with US $3. The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the book written by the French novelist Gaston Leroux Andrew Lloyd Webber Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948 is a British Composer of Musical theatre, the elder son of William Lloyd Webber Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre, located on The Haymarket, in the City of Westminster. 3 billion, and attendance of 80 million worldwide.

Sport

Main article: Sport in London

London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948. For wider coverage of London visit the London Portal. London is the prime and capital city of both England and the Wembley Stadium is a Stadium in Wembley, located in the London Borough of Brent in London, England. The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an International Multi-sport event, usually quadrennial organised by the International The 1908 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the IV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1908 in London The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in London ^[188][189] In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Games in 2012, which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. ^[190] London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934. The Commonwealth Games is a multinational Multi-sport event. Held every four years it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. The 1934 British Empire Games were the second of what we now know of as the Commonwealth Games. ^[191]

London's most popular sport (for both participants and spectators) is football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered ^[192] London has thirteen League football clubs, including five in the Premier League (Chelsea, Arsenal, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United ). The Football League, also known as the Coca-Cola Football League for sponsorship reasons is a league competition featuring professional football clubs The Premier League, colloquially referred to as the Premiership, is an English professional league for football clubs Fulham Football Club is an English football team based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Tottenham Hotspur, ˈtɒʔnəm is an English professional football club which currently plays in the Premier League. } West Ham United Football Club is an English football club based in Upton Park, London Borough of Newham, East London, who have played ^[193] London also has four rugby union teams in the Guinness Premiership (London Irish, Saracens, Wasps and Harlequins), although only the Harlequins play in London (all the other three now play outside Greater London). Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short The English Premiership (known as the Guinness Premiership because of the league's sponsorship by Guinness) is a professional league competition for Rugby For the British Army regiment see London Irish Rifles London Irish (also known as The Exiles) is an English Rugby The Saracens Rugby Football Club, also known as Saracens FC or usually just Saracens, are a professional Rugby union team based in Watford, London Wasps is an English professional Rugby union team The men's first team which forms London Wasps was derived from Wasps Football Club who The Harlequin Football Club (The Harlequins or Quins for short is an English Rugby union team who play in the top level of English rugby ^[194] London also has many other rugby union clubs in lower leagues, including Richmond F.C., Blackheath R.C., Rosslyn Park F.C. and Barnes R.F.C.. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Richmond Football Club is a Rugby union club from Richmond, London. Rosslyn Park Football Club is a Rugby union team The club was founded in 1879 when a group of young cricketers decided to form a football club in order to stay Barnes Rugby Football Club, formerly known simply as the Barnes Club, is a Rugby union club which is claimed by some sources to be the world's first and oldest

Since 1924, the original Wembley Stadium was the home of the English national football team, and served as the venue for the FA Cup final as well as rugby league's Challenge Cup final. original Wembley Stadium was a football Stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the The English national football team represents England in international football and is controlled by The Football Association, the governing body for football The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football, run by and named after History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games The Challenge Cup (as of 2008 known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons is a knockout cup competition for Rugby league clubs across Europe ^[195] The new Wembley Stadium serves exactly the same purposes and has a capacity of 94,000. Wembley Stadium is a Stadium in Wembley, located in the London Borough of Brent in London, England. ^[196] Twickenham Stadium in west London is the national rugby union stadium, and has a capacity of 84,000 now that the new south stand has been completed. Twickenham Stadium (usually known as just Twickenham or Twickers) is a Stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short ^[197]

Cricket in London centres on its two Test cricket grounds at Lord's (home of Middlesex C.C.C) in St John's Wood,^[198] and The Oval (home of Surrey C.C.C) in Kennington. Twickenham Stadium (usually known as just Twickenham or Twickers) is a Stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Test cricket is the longest form of the Sport of Cricket. It has long been considered the ultimate test of playing ability between cricketing nations Lord's Cricket Ground (generally known as Lord's) is a cricket Middlesex County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic Cricket structure representing the historic county For the rock band please see St John's Wood (band For the Australian locality St Johns Wood see main article St John's Wood Queensland The Oval PavilionJPG|250px|right|thumb|The Members Pavilion]] The Oval is an international Cricket ground in Kennington, London Surrey County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English domestic Cricket structure representing the historic county of Kennington is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth. ^[199] One of London's best-known annual sports competitions is the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, held at the All England Club in the south-western suburb of Wimbledon. The Championships Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon, is the oldest Tennis tournament in the world and is widely considered as the most prestigious The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club is based at Wimbledon in London, England, at grid reference. Wimbledon is a Suburb of London, part of the London Borough of Merton and located south west of Charing Cross. ^[200] Other key events are the annual mass-participation London Marathon which sees some 35,000 runners attempt a 26. The London Marathon is a popular road marathon that has been held each year in London since 1981 usually in April 2 mile (~42 km) course around the city,^[201] and the Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race on the River Thames between Putney and Mortlake. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Oxbridge was originally a fictional composite of the University of '''Ox'''ford and the University of Cam'''bridge''' in England, and the term is now The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the The Boat Race, also known as the University Boat Race and The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, is a rowing race in England between the Oxford University The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Putney is a district of south-west London in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Mortlake is a district of London, England and part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. ^[202]

Transport

Main articles: Transport in London, Walking in London, and Cycling in London

Transport is one of the four areas of policy administered by the Mayor of London,^[203] however the mayor's financial control is limited and he does not control the heavy rail network. London 's transport forms the hub of the road rail and air networks in the United Kingdom. London is a large but congested city The public transport system is well developed and world-famous but operates at capacity can be unpleasant to use and is relatively expensive Cycling in London has enjoyed a renaissance particularly since the turn of the millennium Although In November 2007 he assumed responsibility for the North London Railway as well as several other lines, to form London Overground). The North London Railway (NLR was a railway company that opened various lines connecting the north of London to the East and West India Docks, the core London Overground (LO is a Commuter rail service in London UK. ^[204] The public transport network, administered by Transport for London (TfL), is one of the most extensive in the world, but faces congestion and reliability issues, which a large investment programme is attempting to address, including £7 billion (€10 billion) of improvements planned for the Olympics. Transport for London ( TfL) is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the Transport system in Greater London in England. ^[205] London has been commended as the city with the best public transport. ^[206] Cycling is an increasingly popular way to get around London. Cycling in London has enjoyed a renaissance particularly since the turn of the millennium The London Cycling Campaign lobbies for better provision. The London Cycling Campaign (LCC is a campaign group pursuing better conditions for Cyclists in London. ^[207]

Railways

The centrepiece of the public transport network is the London Underground—commonly referred to as The Tube—which has eleven interconnecting lines. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire It is the oldest, longest, and most expansive metro system in the world, dating from 1863. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway ^[50][208] The system was home to the world's first underground electric line, the City & South London Railway, which began service in 1890. ^[209] Over three million journeys a day are made on the Underground network, nearly 1 billion journeys each year. ^[210] The Underground serves the central area and most suburbs to the north of the Thames, while those to the south are served by an extensive suburban rail surface network. Various terms are used for Passenger rail lines and equipment

The Docklands Light Railway is a second metro system using smaller and lighter trains, which opened in 1987, serving East London and Greenwich on both sides of the Thames. The Docklands Light Railway (DLR is a Light rail system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of East London England. East London is the name commonly given to the north eastern part of London, England on the north side of the River Thames. The Thames ( is a major River flowing through southern England. Commuter and intercity railways generally do not cross the city, instead running into fourteen terminal stations scattered around its historic centre; the exception is the Thameslink route operated by First Capital Connect, with terminus stations at Bedford, Brighton and Moorgate. For the VIA Rail station in London Ontario Canada see London Ontario railway station. Thameslink is a fifty-station line in the British railway system running north to south from Bedford to Brighton through the Snow Hill tunnel First Capital Connect (FCC is a passenger train operating company in England that began operations on the National Rail network on 1 April 2006 Bedford is the County town of Bedfordshire, England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the Bedford borough Brighton ( is a town on the south coast of England and with its neighbour Hove, forms the city of Brighton and Hove. Moorgate station is a London Underground and National Rail station in the City of London, on Moorgate, north of London Wall. ^[211] Since the early 1990s, increasing pressures on the commuter rail and Underground networks have led to increasing demands—particularly from businesses and the City of London Corporation—for Crossrail: a £10 billion east–west heavy rail connection under central London, which was given the green light in early October 2007. The City of London Corporation (formerly known as the Corporation of London)is the municipal governing body of the City of London. Crossrail is a project to build major new Railway connections under central London. ^[205]

High-speed Eurostar trains link St Pancras International with Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium. Eurostar is a High-speed train service in Western Europe connecting London and Kent in the United Kingdom, with Paris St Pancras railway station is a major railway station situated in the St Pancras area of Central London between the British Library and King's Cross Lille (lil Rijsel is a city in northern France. It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest Metropolitan area in the country Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Brussels (Bruxelles pronounced; Brussel pronounced) officially the Brussels Capital-Region, is The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Journey times to Paris and Brussels of 2h 15 and 1h 51 respectively make London closer to continental Europe than the rest of Britain by virtue of the newly completed High Speed 1 rail link to the Channel Tunnel. The Channel Tunnel (Le tunnel sous la Manche also known as the Chunnel, is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in England with ^[212] From 2009 this line will also allow for high speed domestic travel from Kent into London. The redevelopment of St. Pancras was key to London's Olympic bid, as the station also serves two international airports through Thameslink, and will also provide direct rail links to the Olympic site at Stratford using British Rail Class 395 trains running under the Olympic Javelin name; these will be based on Japanese Shinkansen high-speed trains. Stratford, historically Stratford Langthorne, is a place in the London Borough of Newham in East London. Class 395 is the designation of new dual-voltage EMUs being built for Southeastern to operate new high speed domestic services on High Speed 1. The Olympic Javelin is a planned high-speed train shuttle service announced as part of the successful London 2012 Olympic bid. The is a Network of High-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies ^[213]

Buses

London's bus network is one of the biggest in the world, running 24 hours, with 8,000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million passenger journeys made every weekday. This article is a general one on buses in London For a specific article on the organization responsible for running most buses in London see London Buses. In 2003, the network's ridership was estimated at over 1. 5 billion passenger trips per annum which is more than the Underground. ^[214] Around £850 m is taken in revenue each year and London has the largest wheelchair accessible network in the world and, from the 3rd quarter of 2007, became more accessible to hearing and visually impaired passengers as audio-visual announcements were introduced. The buses are internationally recognised, and are a trademark of London transport along with black cabs and the Tube. See also Taxicab ||-||-||}A hackney or hackney carriage (also called a cab or hack) is a Carriage or Automobile ^[215][216]

Air

London is a major international air transport hub. The following is a list of the world's busiest airports by international passenger traffic. No fewer than eight airports use the words London Airport in their name, but most traffic passes through one of five major airports. London Heathrow Airport is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation's flag carrier, British Airways. World's busiest airport is a claim that is fiercely fought over by the owners of the world's largest Airports The definition of busiest has been specified by the Airports Council British Airways plc ( is the national Airline and Flag carrier of the United Kingdom and one of the largest in Europe ^[217] In March 2008 its fifth terminal was opened,^[218] and plans are already being considered for a sixth terminal. ^[219] Similar traffic, with the addition of some low-cost short-haul flights, is also handled at London Gatwick Airport. In Aviation, the flight length is defined as the time airborne during a flight Gatwick Airport is London 's second largest Airport and the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. ^[220] London Stansted Airport and London Luton Airport cater mostly for low-cost short-haul flights. London Stansted Airport is a passenger Airport located in the Uttlesford District of the English County of Essex about 38 miles (61 London Luton Airport (previously called Luton International Airport) is an International airport located on the edge of the Town of Luton ^[221][222] London City Airport, the smallest and most central airport, is focused on business travellers, with a mixture of full service short-haul scheduled flights and considerable business jet traffic. London City Airport is a single-runway Airport, intended for use by STOL (Short Take Off and Landing Airliners and principally serving the financial Business jet, private jet or colloquially bizjet is a term describing a Jet aircraft, usually of smaller size designed for transporting groups of ^[223]

Roads

Although the majority of journeys involving central London are made by public transport, travel in outer London is car-dominated. To see information about the M25 motorway under construction in Ireland, see N25 road. The term Central London refers to the districts of London England which are considered closest to the centre The inner ring road (around the city centre), the North and South Circular roads (in the suburbs), and the outer orbital motorway (the M25, outside the built-up area) encircle the city and are intersected by a number of busy radial routes—but very few motorways penetrate into inner London. The London Inner Ring Road is the name commonly given to a route formed from a number of major Roads that encircle the centremost part of London. Motorway is a term for both a type of Road and a classification or designation To see information about the M25 motorway under construction in Ireland, see N25 road. Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. A plan for a comprehensive network of motorways throughout the city (the Ringways Plan) was prepared in the 1960s but was mostly cancelled in the early 1970s. The London Ringways were a series of four ring roads planned in the 1960s to circle London at various distances from the city centre ^[224] In 2003, a congestion charge was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in the city centre. The London congestion charge is a fee for some motorists travelling within those parts of London designated as the Congestion Charge Zone (CCZ With a few exceptions, motorists are required to pay £8 per day to drive within a defined zone encompassing much of congested central London. ^[225][226] Motorists who are residents of the defined zone can buy a vastly reduced season pass which is renewed monthly and is cheaper than a corresponding bus fare. ^[227]

London also has two central Park & Ride sites for the convenience of shoppers on Oxford Street and Bond Street, Westminster City Council car parks run a courtesy bus service from its Park Lane and Marble Arch car parks.

Education

Main article: Education in London

Home to a range of universities, colleges and schools, London has a student population of about 378,000. Senate House, the administrative centre of the University of London, lies in the heart of Bloomsbury between the School of Oriental and African Studies The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. ^[228] and is a centre of research and development. The phrase research and development (also R and D or more often R&D) according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers Most primary and secondary schools in London follow the same system as the rest of England. Education in England is the responsibility of the Department for Children Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation Universities and Skills of the

With 125,000 students, the University of London is the largest contact teaching university in the United Kingdom and in Europe. The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. ^[229] It comprises 20 colleges as well as several smaller institutes, each with a high degree of autonomy. Constituent colleges have their own admissions procedures, and are effectively universities in their own right, although most degrees are awarded by the University of London rather than the individual colleges. University admission or college admissions is the process through which students enter Tertiary education at universities and Colleges Systems Its constituents include multi-disciplinary colleges such as UCL,^[230] King's^[231] and Royal Holloway^[232] and more specialised institutions such as the London School of Economics,^[233] SOAS,^[234] the Royal Academy of Music^[235] and the Institute of Education. University College London ( UCL) is a multi-faculty university institution based in the United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London King's College London is a British Higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the federal University of London. Royal Holloway University of London ( RHUL) is a constituent college of the University of London. The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a well known conservatoire and one of the leading music institutions in the world The Institute of Education ( IoE) is a constituent college of the University of London, dedicated to Postgraduate study and research in the field of ^[236]

Imperial College London and University College London have been ranked among the top ten universities in the world by The Times Higher Education Supplement: in 2007 Imperial was ranked the 5th best and UCL the 9th best university in the world. Imperial College London (officially The Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine as given in its Royal Charter It is one of only three universities to have reached University College London ( UCL) is a multi-faculty university institution based in the United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London Times Higher Education ( THE) formerly The Times Higher Education Supplement ( THES) is a magazine based Imperial College London (officially The Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine as given in its Royal Charter It is one of only three universities to have reached University College London ( UCL) is a multi-faculty university institution based in the United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London ^[237]

In addition, the LSE is considered the world‘s leading social science institution for teaching and research, plus has the most international student body of any university in the world today. The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the ^[238]

London's other universities, such as Brunel University, City University, London Metropolitan University, Imperial College London, Middlesex University, University of East London, the University of Westminster and London South Bank University are not part of the University of London but still leaders in their field and popular choices among students both nationally and internationally. Brunel University is a University situated in West London, England. City University London ( CUL) is a British University based in Northampton Square, Islington, London. The London Metropolitan University, sometimes referred to as London Met or LMU, located in London, England, was formed on 1 August Middlesex University is a University in north London, England, located in the historic county boundaries of Middlesex (from which The University of East London ( UEL) is a British New University based on two campuses in East London. The University of Westminster is a university in London, England, formed in 1992 as a result of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, which allowed London South Bank University (LSBU is one of the oldest universities in central London with over 23000 students and 1700 staff based in the Some were polytechnics until these were granted university status in 1992, and others which were founded much earlier. Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable The Further and Higher Education Acts 1992 made changes in the funding and administration of Further education and Higher education within the United Kingdom Imperial College London left the University of London in 2007. London is also known globally for its business education, with the London Business School (ranked 1st in Europe - Business Week)^[239][240] and Cass Business School (Europe's largest finance school) both being top world-rated business schools. London Business School is a leading international Business school and a constituent college of the University of London. The Cass Business School of London (officially the Sir John Cass Business School City of London) is a leading Business school located in the City of London ^[241] In addition there are three international universities: Schiller International University, Richmond University and Regent's College. Schiller International University is a private American university with seven campuses in six countries Richmond The American International University in London is a private liberal arts and professional studies university Regent's College is located in Regent's Park, London, England.

London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions which are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. A tourist attraction is a place of interest where Tourists visit typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value historical significance natural or built beauty or The Natural History Museum (biology and geology), Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum (fashion and design) are clustered in South Kensington's "museum quarter", while the British Museum houses historic artefacts from around the world. The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum For science museums in general check out Science museum. The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design housing a permanent collection South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London. ^[242] The British Library at St Pancras is the UK's national library, housing 150 million items. The British Library ( BL) is the National library of the United Kingdom. St Pancras is an area of London. Historically the name has been used for various officially designated areas but today it is only an informal term and is rarely used A national library is a Library specifically established by the Government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country The city also houses extensive art collections, primarily in the National Gallery,^[243] Tate Britain^[244] and Tate Modern. Tate Britain is a part of the Tate gallery network in Britain, with Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. The Tate Modern in London is Britain 's national museum of international Modern art and is with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, ^[245] See the list of museums in London. There are over 240 museums in London, England, a number of them in Museum Mile.

Sister cities

Main article: List of twin towns in the United Kingdom#London

As well as London's twinning, the Boroughs of London have twinnings with parts of other cities across the world. This is a list of places in the United Kingdom having standing links to local communities in other countries The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Shown below is the list of cities that the Greater London Authority is twinned with. The Greater London Authority ( GLA) is the city-wide governing body for London, England.

• Berlin, Germany
• Beijing, China
• Moscow, Russia
• New York City, USA
• Paris, France
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Tehran, Iran
• Tokyo, Japan
• Bogotá, Colombia

See also

References