London

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and one of the
largest cities in Europe. From being the capital of Roman Britannia it rose
to become the centre of the British Empire and to contribute today 17% of
the GDP of the world's fourth largest economy. London and Londinium has been
one of the world's most important centres of commerce and politics for
almost two millennia.

History

Originally a Celtic town, it was settled by the Roman invaders who called it
Londinium and used it as a port on the River Thames. The Thames runs right
through the city and bisects it, north from south, although it is crossed by
a number of bridges and tunnels, the most famous of which is the neo-Gothic
Tower Bridge.

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 area.

Contemporary 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 the West End with all its theatres,
shops and restaurants. In contrast, the East End has played host to
successive waves of immigrants for centuries and contains some of the UK's
more 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 tourist sites in the
West End are mainly in South Kensington or the City of Westminster. The East
End is centred on the Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Government

The elected Mayor of London is Ken Livingstone, who was expelled from the
Labour Party after standing as an independent. He is regulated to some
extent by an Assembly elected by a proportional voting system, which is
unusual in the British political context. Improvements in public safety and
transport are his key priorities.

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 Greater London
(county) Council was abolished by the Conservative Government led by
Margaret Thatcher in 1986.

Population

The citizens of London are, and have been for many centuries, diverse in
most respects.

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 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) 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.

Airports

The airfields of London City Airport, Heathrow, Biggin Hill, Kenley
Aerodrome and Northolt lie within the London boundary.

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 of Gatwick, Luton and
Stansted where they are situated lie in the Home Counties at some distance
from London.

Special train stations built at Gatwick, Luton and Stansted help to offset
their physical remoteness from the capital and thus spread scheduled airline
services in a safe and manageable way across the region.

Public Transport System

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.

While Transport for London runs the London Underground, also known as the
Tube, the famous red double decker buses are now run by private companies,
although it is a requirement that the buses are still painted (mostly) red.
Government proposals to place the Underground network under a
"public-private partnership" arrangement have encountered widespread
opposition. Transport for London introduced a Congestion Charge levied on
traffic entering Central London during peak hours in mid-February 2003 in
order to alleviate chronic traffic congestion.

Sport

London is home to over ten professional football clubs, most of them named
after the district in which they play. Some of the more famous teams in the
top division (the Premier League) are Arsenal (who play in Highbury),
Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur (commonly known as
Spurs), and West Ham United. Less famous and proportionately less successful
clubs include Crystal Palace, Millwall, Queen's Park Rangers and Wimbledon,
although all these have at one time played in the top flight of English
league football. Wimbledon are soon to leave London to play in the town of
Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. Other minor clubs in London include
Brentford and Leyton Orient. London is also home to over major sporting
venues including Lord's home of MCC (Middlesex County Cricket) and the Oval
home Surrey's cricket club. Wimbledon is the home of the The All England
Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Twickenham is the home to English Rugby and
Wembley, currently being rebuilt, is the home to international Footbal and
Rugby League.

Culture

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.

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.

Tourism is one of the UK's largest industries, and in 2003 employed the
equivalent of 350,000 full time workers in London.

Prime London Tourist Attractions

   * Buckingham Palace
   * British Museum
   * Charing Cross Road
   * Chinatown
   * Cleopatra's Needle
   * Covent Garden
   * Downing Street
   * Hampton Court Palace
   * Imperial War Museum
   * Kew Gardens
   * London Bridge
   * The London Eye
   * Madame Tussaud's
   * Museum of London
   * National Gallery
   * Natural History Museum
   * The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament and tower of Big Ben)
   * Piccadilly Circus
   * Royal Parks of London
   * Science Museum
   * Soho
   * St Paul's Cathedral
   * Tate Britain
   * Tate Modern
   * Theatreland
   * Tower Bridge
   * Tower of London
   * Trafalgar Square
   * Victoria & Albert Museum
   * Westminster Abbey

Former London tourist attractions:

   * Millennium Dome
   * Crystal Palace

Other historical places:

   * Tyburn

Prominent Exhibitions

     1851 - Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations -- Crystal Palace
     1862 - International Exhibition (1862)
     1871 - First Annual International Exhibition (1871)
     1872 - Second Annual International Exhibition (1872)
     1873 - Third Annual International Exhibition (1873)
     1874 - Fourth Annual International Exhibition (1874)
     1886 - Colonial and Indian Exhibition (1886)
     1899 - Greater Britain Exhibition (1899)
     1908 - Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
     1924 - British Empire Exhibition at Wembley (1924)
     1951 - Festival of Britain

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