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LONDON - ENGLAND
London is the capital of the England and of England, and with over
seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most
populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium, the
capital of the Roman province of Britannia, it rose to become the centre of
the British Empire and today contributes 17% of the GDP of the UK's economy,
the world's fourth largest. London has been one of the world's most
important centres of commerce and politics for several centuries .
Location
The term "London" was used for hundreds of years to refer to the conurbation
centred on the small City of London in the historic county of Middlesex.
Today, it usually refers to the administrative area known as Greater London,
but is sometimes used to mean the area within the London postal district,
the area covered by the 020 phonecode (formerly 0171 and 0181; before that
071 and 081; even earlier 01), the area covered by an all-zone Transport for
London Travelcard, the area within the M25 motorway, or the larger London
commuter belt.
The coordinates of the centre of London (traditionally considered to be
Charing Cross, near Trafalgar Square) are approximately 51°30' N, 0°8' W.
History
The city of Londinium was founded by the Romans on the north bank of the
River Thames in around AD 50. Although there is no evidence of a large pre-Roman
settlement, the name is thought to be pre-Roman. It is believed to have
become the capital of the Roman province of Britannia in the early second
century. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman city was virtually
abandoned and a Saxon town named Lundenwic was established a mile or two
west in the Aldwych area in the 7th century AD. The fortified Roman City of
London was reoccupied around the late 9th or early 10th century, whereafter
it resumed its role as England's biggest city (although not its capital -
Winchester served as capital until the 12th century). In 1666, a devastating
fire swept through the city, destroying a large part of it. Re-building the
city took over 10 years but by the 18th century London was the biggest city
in the world.
Over the years, London has increased dramatically in size, absorbing meadows,
woodlands, villages and towns and spreading outwards in every direction.
Outward growth has been physically interrupted (though by no means halted)
through the definition of a Green Belt. In recent years development has been
concentrated in the London Docklands and Thames Gateway areas of East London.
Modern London
Today the Greater London administrative area comprises the City of London
and 32 London boroughs including the City of Westminster. The City of London,
also known as the "square mile", is predominantly the financial centre, and
geographically a very small area. Although bustling during the working week,
the City of London is usually much calmer on the weekends.
The London that most tourists see is Central London, which comprises the
historic City of London, the West End with all its theatres, shops and
restaurants, the City of Westminster and its Royal palaces, the Royal
Borough of Kensington and Chelsea with its museum quarter and Hyde Park and
the newly emerging Bankside area of Southwark with the Globe Theatre, Tate
Modern and other attractions.
In contrast, the East End has played host to successive waves of immigrants
for centuries and contains some of the UK's most deprived areas. The Isle of
Dogs is however witnessing unprecedented commercial change and many
restaurants, music and comedy clubs are injecting a more varied atmosphere.
See also gentrification. The East End is centred on the Borough of Tower
Hamlets and Hackney.
Government
Greater London is divided into 32 London boroughs which are responsible for
running most services in their respective areas.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) is the London-wide body responsible for
co-ordinating the boroughs, and is responsible for running London-wide
services such as emergency services, transport, and strategic planning.
The GLA consists of the elected Mayor of London and the elected London
Assembly which scrutinises the mayor. The assembly is elected by a
proportional voting system, which is unusual in the British political
context.
The current mayor of London Ken Livingstone was elected as an independent
candidate in 2000. Despite opposition from all the main political parties (and
the press), his enormous popularity with Londoners made the election a
foregone conclusion. Expelled from the Labour Party after standing against
the official Labour candidate in the 2000 election, he was re-admitted in
2004, and was re-elected as Mayor under the Labour banner in the election
later that year.
The GLA was established in 2000, and is a replacement body for the former
Greater London Council (GLC) which was established in 1965 and abolished in
1986 after several high-profile clashes between the GLC (also then lead by
Livingstone) and the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher.
Between 1986-2000 there was no central administrative body for London, and
it was governed in piecemeal fashion by the individual boroughs and
unelected agencies.
There is every likelihood that the Mayor and the Assembly will be in
conflict with one or more Boroughs from time to time: they had each enjoyed
"unitary status" and a fair degree of autonomy since the GLC was abolished.
Historically London was governed by the Metropolitan Board of Works
(1855-1889) and then the London County Council (1889-1965).
Population
London was the most populous city in the world from 1825 until 1925, when it
was overtaken by New York City.
Residents of London are known as 'Londoners'. On census day, 2001, the City
and the 32 boroughs (some 1579 km2 or 610 sq miles) had 7,172,036
inhabitants, making London one of the most populous cities in Europe
alongside Moscow, Istanbul and Paris.
In the 2001 census 71% of these seven million people classed their ethnic
group as white, 10% as Indian, Bangladeshi or Pakistani, 5% as black African,
5% as black Caribbean, 3% as mixed race and 1% as Chinese. The largest
religious groupings are Christian (58.2%) and No Religion (15.8%). 21.8% of
inhabitants were born outside the European Union.
The London metropolitan area (6,267 sq miles, 16,043 sq kilometers) had a
population of 13,945,000 - larger than the combined populations of Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland. It is the largest metropolitan area in Europe,
and one of the World's largest 20.
Transport
Airports
London City Airport, Heathrow, Biggin Hill, and Northolt lie within the
London boundary. Of these, Heathrow is the city's principal airport and is
also a major international hub. It is currently the busiest international
terminal in the world, and a fifth terminal (with a sixth being proposed) is
currently being built on the site.
Other airports, such as London Gatwick Airport, London Luton Airport, and
London Stansted Airport, as well as those at Manston and Southend,
incorporate "London" in their name, but the towns where they are situated (Crawley,
Luton and Stansted respectively) lie in the Home Counties at some distance
from London.
Special train stations built at Gatwick, Luton and Stansted help to offset
their distance from the capital and thus spread scheduled airline services
in a safe and manageable way across the region.
Rail
The London public transport system is one of the few systems in the world to
be a tourist attraction in its own right; its infrastructure, however, is,
and historically has been, financially stretched and under-resourced,
leading to frequent difficulties and delays in making journeys. However, in
recent years the London Rail/Tram network has seen substantial spending.
London has a vast rail network, primarily split into four sections:
Mainline
Underground (known as the 'Tube')
Tramlink
Docklands Light Rail
Transport for London runs the London Underground (the world's first metro or
underground rail network), also known as the Tube, Government proposals to
place the Underground network under a "public-private partnership"
arrangement have encountered widespread opposition.
All four parts of the rail network are being majorly upgraded and expanded
to counter London's congestion problems, major examples including the
Crossrail and Channel Tunnel Rail Link projects.
Road
The famous red double decker buses are now run by private companies,
although it is a requirement that the buses still be painted (mostly) red.
However the famous "Routemasters" have now mostly been taken out of service.
London is also famous for its black cabs.
Transport for London introduced a road pricing scheme called the Congestion
Charge in February 2003, which is levied on traffic entering Central London
during peak hours. The intention was to help alleviate chronic traffic
congestion and initial indications are that traffic levels have dropped by
over 10%.
Waterways
The River Thames flows through London on its way to the North Sea. The river
is easily navigable and so London has historically been a major port.
London has several smaller rivers which feed into the River Thames. However,
many of these rivers have been built over, and so now only exist in
underground pipes (see Subterranean rivers of London).
London also has an extensive canal network, with important routes such as
the Regent's Canal linking the Thames with other major rivers.
Sport
London is home to 11 professional football clubs, which are named after the
district in which they play (except for Arsenal, who play in Highbury).
Those currently in the top division (the Premier League) are Arsenal,
Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, and Tottenham Hotspur.
The clubs outside the Premier League are Brentford, Millwall, Queens Park
Rangers and West Ham United - all of whom have at one time played in the top
division - plus Leyton Orient. Wimbledon F.C., in an extremely controversial
move, left London in 2003 to play in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire,
changing their name to Milton Keynes Dons F.C., and the newly formed AFC
Wimbledon inherited most of their support, despite playing at a much lower
level in the football pyramid. London hosted the World Cup Final in 1966,
the European Football Championship in 1996 and the European Cup final in
1968 & 1978.
London is also home to many major sporting venues including Lord's, home of
Middlesex and the Marylebone Cricket Club, and The Oval, home of Surrey. The
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts the Wimbledon
Championships, is based in Wimbledon. Twickenham is the home of English
Rugby Union and Wembley Stadium, currently being rebuilt, is the home for
international football and Rugby League. London hosts one of the world's
largest mass-participation road races, the London Marathon.
London has twice hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1908 and 1948. It is one of
the cities bidding to host the 2012 Games.
Culture
Music
London has five professional symphony orchestras; the London Symphony
Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra, the Philharmonia and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It has the
world-famous Royal Opera House and is home to the English National Opera, as
well as boasting the Royal Festival Hall, the South Bank and Barbican Centre
complexes, and St. John's, Smith Square.
Theatre
There are over a dozen major theatres, most concentrated in the West End
(specifically, Theatreland) including the National Theatre, the London
Palladium, the Almeida Theatre, and The Globe, which was the home stage of
Shakespeare's troupe. London also boasts a vibrant fringe theatre culture
including places such as the Battersea Arts Centre, The UCL Bloomsbury, The
Place, and Tricycle Theatre.
Art
There are many art galleries, such as The National Gallery and The National
Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, Design Museum, White Cube,
Saatchi Gallery, ICA, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery.
Museums
The main museums include the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum,
the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, Sir John Soane's house, now
a museum of Georgian architecture, the Imperial War Museum, the National
Maritime Museum, and London's Transport Museum. There are over 260 museums
in London altogether.
Night-life
Apart from the ubiquitous pubs and generic clubs, there are a number of
famous music venues including Shepherds Bush Empire, Brixton Academy,
Hammersmith Apollo, Wembley Arena, The Marquee, The UCL Bloomsbury, Mean
Fiddler, Albert Hall and the London Astoria.
Business
The City of London or "Square Mile" is the financial centre of London, with
many banks and financial institutions.
While the Port of London is now only the third largest in the United
Kingdom, rather than largest in the world, it still handles 50 million
tonnes of cargo each year.
London's economy generates 116,444 million pounds annually, and accounts for
17% of the UK's Gross Domestic Product - see Economy of the England.
(external link London Development Authority (http://www.lda.gov.uk/)).
Tourism is one of the UK's largest industries, and in 2003 employed the
equivalent of 350,000 full time workers in London.
London tourist attractions
Bank of England
Buckingham Palace
British Museum
Charing Cross Road
Chinatown
Cleopatra's Needle
Covent Garden
Downing Street
Hampton Court Palace
Horse Guards
Imperial War Museum
Kensington Roof Gardens
Kew Gardens
Leicester Square
The London Dungeon
The London Eye
Madame Tussaud's
Monument to the Great Fire of London
Museum of London
National Gallery
Natural History Museum
Old Operating Theatre Museum
The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament and tower containing Big
Ben)
The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big
BenPiccadilly Circus
Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Greenwich Observatory
Royal Parks of London
St Paul's Cathedral
Science Museum
Soane Museum
Tate Britain
Tate Modern
Temple of Mithras
Theatreland
Tower Bridge
Tower of London
Trafalgar Square
Victoria & Albert Museum
Westminster Abbey
Other places of interest:
Tyburn was the location for many infamous executions by hanging.
Battersea Power Station and the Millennium Dome are two architecturally
interesting buildings which currently stand empty, as no permanent use has
been decided for them .
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