Location

LOCATION

 

 

London is the capital and largest urban area of both England and the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London’s history goes back to its founding by the Romans in AD 43. Since its foundation, London has been part of many movements and phenomena throughout history, including the English Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Gothic Revival.

 

The city's core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries, but since at least the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the whole metropolis that has developed around it. Today the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region of England and the Greather London administrative area, with its own elected Mayor and assembly.

 

London is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion and the arts contribute to its status as a major global city. Central London is the headquarters of more than half of the UK's top 100 listed companies and over 100 of Europe's 500 largest companies. The city is a major tourist destination both for domestic and overseas visitors, with annual expenditure by tourists of around £15 billion.

 

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 Botanical Gardens. London's population draws from a wide range of people, cultures and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city. As of 2006, it had an official population of 7,512,400 within the boundaries of Greater London and is the most populous municipality in the European Union. As of 2001, the Greater London Urban Area had a population of 8,278,251 and the metropolitan area is estimated to have a total population of between 12 and 14 million.

At London's core is the small, ancient City of London which is commonly known as 'the City' or 'the Square Mile'. 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 the area has been largely static since.

London's vast urban area is often described using a set of district names (e.g. Bloomsbury, Knightsbridge, Mayfair, Whitechapel, Fitzrovia). These are either informal designations or reflect the names of superseded villages, parishes and city wards.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 official boundaries. Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32 London boroughs in addition to the ancient City of London. These different areas are shown below: