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Revision as of 03:36, 5 September 2002 by Andre Engels (talk | contribs) (Moved back from London, England)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)This is about London in England. For other cities named London please click here.
London, capital of the United Kingdom and of England, is one of the great world cities, mentioned in the same breath as Paris, Tokyo, New York, Berlin and Moscow.
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, prior to 1940, spread outwards in every direction. The Greater London administrative area covers 1579 km with a population of around seven million. For more detail on the historical development of London see the history of London. Outward growth was halted through the definition of a Green Belt.
Today Greater London 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 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. The airfields of London City Airport, Heathrow, Biggin Hill, Kenley and Northolt lie within the London boundary. Other airports at Gatwick, Luton, Manston, Southend and Stansted incorporate "London" in their name, but they are situated in the Home Counties at some distance. 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.
The elected Mayor of London is Ken Livingstone MP, who was expelled from the Labour Party following his election 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 1985.
Prime London Tourist Attractions:
- Buckingham Palace
- British Museum
- Charing Cross Road
- Chinatown
- Cleopatra's Needle
- Covent Garden Market
- Downing Street
- Hampton Court Palace
- Imperial War Museum
- Kew Gardens
- The London Eye
- Madame Tussaud's
- Museum of London
- National Gallery
- Natural History Museum
- Piccadilly Circus
- 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:
Other historical places:
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 Tube, also known as the Underground, 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.
London is home to a number of football clubs. Some of the more famous ones in the top division are: Arsenal F.C., Charlton Athletic F.C., Chelsea F.C., Fulham F.C., Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (Spurs), and West Ham United F.C.. Less famous and proportionately less successful clubs include Crystal Palace F.C., Millwall F.C., Queen's Park Rangers F.C., Wimbledon F.C., and Leyton Orient F.C..
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.
See also: