What is the capital of london
What is the capital of london
London
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London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. It is the U.K.’s largest metropolis and its economic, transportation, and cultural centre. London is also among the oldest of the world’s great cities, with its history spanning nearly two millennia.
London’s founding can be traced to 43 CE, when the Roman armies began their occupation of Britain under Emperor Claudius. At a point just north of the marshy valley of the River Thames, where two low hills were sited, they established a settlement they called Londinium. The first definite mention of London occurs in 60 CE by the Roman historian Tacitus.
During World War II London suffered intense aerial bombardment by Nazi forces during the Blitz, a campaign from September 1940 to May 1941 that devastated the city. An estimated 43,000 Londoners died, and a further 50,000 were injured. More than 70,000 buildings were destroyed, and many more were damaged. The Blitz failed to break Britain, however, and Nazi Germany abandoned the attacks.
London is one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities. It is the largest metropolis in the United Kingdom, and it is also the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre. In addition to its history, art, and politics, London is a popular tourist destination for its wide variety of museums, shops, restaurants, and sports teams.
London is situated in southeastern England, lying on both sides of the River Thames some 50 miles (80 km) upstream from its estuary on the North Sea.
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London, city, capital of the United Kingdom. It is among the oldest of the world’s great cities—its history spanning nearly two millennia—and one of the most cosmopolitan. By far Britain’s largest metropolis, it is also the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre.
London is situated in southeastern England, lying astride the River Thames some 50 miles (80 km) upstream from its estuary on the North Sea. In satellite photographs the metropolis can be seen to sit compactly in a Green Belt of open land, with its principal ring highway (the M25 motorway) threaded around it at a radius of about 20 miles (30 km) from the city centre. The growth of the built-up area was halted by strict town planning controls in the mid-1950s. Its physical limits more or less correspond to the administrative and statistical boundaries separating the metropolitan county of Greater London from the “home counties” of Kent, Surrey, and Berkshire (in clockwise order) to the south of the river and Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex to the north. The historic counties of Kent, Hertfordshire, and Essex extend in area beyond the current administrative counties with the same names to include substantial parts of the metropolitan county of Greater London, which was formed in 1965. Most of Greater London south of the Thames belongs to the historic county of Surrey, while most of Greater London north of the Thames belongs historically to the county of Middlesex. Area Greater London, 607 square miles (1,572 square km). Pop. (2001) Greater London, 7,172,091; (2011 prelim.) Greater London, 8,173,941.
London is the biggest city in Britain and one of the biggest in the world. More than eight million people live and work there. London is one of the most important cities in the world. It is the centre for business and for tourism.
In London you can find some of the best theatres, cinemas and museums. There are many beautiful old churches in London.
There are about 10 thousand streets in London. Most of the streets are not very wide. There are a lot of shops in London. The main shopping centre is Oxford Street. You can buy nearly everything here. People from all over the world do shopping in Oxford Street.
You can find many old and new beautiful parks in the city. The largest park in London is Hyde Park. It is one of the most popular places of Londoners on hot summer days. There are many other pleasant parks and green squares there too.
The Romans came to the island Great Britain long, long time ago. They built a town on the River Thames. The called the town Londinium. The place for the town was very good. Soon the Romans built a bridge over the River Thames.
Londinium got bigger and bigger. The Romans built houses, palaces, roads, bridges. But in 410 the Roman legions were withdrawn from Great Britain, as the Goths were at the gates of Rome and the Romans rushed to defend their Empire. After them, Anglo-Saxon tribes came to Great Britain.
The river Thames has always been part of London’s history. In Roman times Londinium was a small town with the Thames in the centre. Now London is a very large city but the river Thames is still in the centre of London as the city has grown in both sides of it.
Until 1749, there was only one bridge over the river: London Bridge. The old London Bridge looked very strange. There were houses and shops on it.
In the 19-th century there were already many new bridges in London. Now there are twenty seven bridges over the Thames.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
London is in fact three cities: the City of London, the East End and the West End.
There are 27 bridges over the Thames in London and 8 tunnels under the river.
London is 46 kilometres from north to south and 58 kilometres from east to west.
London has got more than 8 million people and that’s 13% of Britain’s population.
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR.
At the beginning of the 11-th century England was already a big country and London was a very important city.
In 1066 William from Normandy came with his people to England. They were French. William thought that he had right to become King of England. After the battle at Hastings he got the name of William the Conqueror and became King of England. The King lived in London. A lot of his people lived in London too. But William was afraid of the English, of Londoners and he built the White Tower to live in it. It was the beginning of the Tower of London and now it is one of the most important and beautiful buildings in it.
All Kings and Queens of England lived in London. It became the biggest city in the country. By 1600 there were more than 200,000 people in London.
THE GRATE FIRE OF LONDON.
In those days people usually built houses of wood, and they were very close to one another. Sometimes there were fires in the city, but they were usually very small. Then came 1666, the year of the Great Fire of London.
On Saturday, on the second of September 1666 there was a strong wind from the river and a big fire began. You should know that the summer of that year was unusually dry and hot in London, and wooden houses became very dry too, and the wind was very strong and blew from the river. All these caused a very big fire. It started in the house of the king’s baker, near London Bridge.
The baker’s wife woke up in the middle of the night because the house was on fire. Soon the next house started burning and than the next and the next: Houses burnt like matches:
London’s burning, London’s burning.
Fetch the engines. Fetch the engines.
Fire, fire! Fire, fire!
Pour on water, pour on water.
The fire burnt until Thursday. The fire burnt for four days and destroyed 80% of the city. More than 250,000 people didn’t have home any more. But, in spite of everything, not anybody died in that fire!
One more very important thing. In 1665 plague broke in England. It was called the Great Plague. It covered all the country. The Plague crawled from town to town, from village to village, killing people and not knowing any mercy. People were in terror. They left their houses trying to run away from Black Death. It came into London. 75,000 Londoners died from the plague. The Great Fire ruined crooked streets, but The Great Fire put the end to The Great Plague.
After the Great Fire people built a new city. The city was becoming larger and larger. By 1830 there were more than one and a half million people in London. The railways came and London was becoming richer and richer. New houses of stone or brick, not wood, were built. Streets became wider and straight. But the city was still rather dirty.
THE PLACES TO VISIT.
London is the capital of England. It is its political, business and cultural centre. The heart of London is the City. It is the oldest part of London. Many people work in the City but very few live here. There are many banks and offices here. You can visit some interesting places in the City or near it.
One of them is the Tower of London. In different times of the history of London the Tower was a fortress, a palace, a prison and even the King’s Zoo. A lot of people lost their heads here.
Now it is the museum. You can see a lot of interesting things in the halls of the White Tower. The Crown Jewels are kept at it. Its square walls are white and very tall.
One of the old English legends says that London can be the capital of the country, rich and great until 12 black ravens live in the Tower. Each has its name and some special people, the keepers of ravens, carefully look after them. If one of the birds dies, another younger raven takes its place. Londoners believe this legend and every time they come to the Tower they count the ravens and never forget to bring food for them. The keepers cut the birds’ wings as they are afraid that they may fly away.
One of the greatest English churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, is not far from the Tower of London. Old St. Paul’s Cathedral was made of wood and burnt in the Great Fire of London. The famous architect Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt it in the 17-th century. He started in 1675. It took him 35 years. It is a very beautiful building with many tall columns and towers. In ne of its towers there is one of the largest bells in the world.
The centre of London is Trafalgar Square. Some people say that it is the most beautiful place in London. Tastes differ! In the middle of the square stands a tall column. It is a monument to Admiral Nelson. Four bronze lions look at the square from the monument. There are 2 splendid fountains in the square. They are in front of the National Gallery which is one of the best picture galleries in the world.
The Thames is behind the Houses of Parliament and the bridge across it is Westminster Bridge.
On the other side of Parliament Square is Westminster Abbey. It is very beautiful and very famous. It is also very old. It is more than 900 years old. It is built in gothic style. There are a lot of monuments and statues there. Many English kings and queens are buried here. Westminster Abbey is famous for the Poet’s Corner where great English poets and writers are also buried.
The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace. It is a wonderful large building with a golden monument in front of it. It is the Queen Victoria Memorial.
All these interesting places are quite near one another. It takes only 20 minutes to get from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square.
Of course, there are so many other places of interest to see and visit in London.
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
Bloomsbury Square is one of the oldest in London. It is more than 300 years old. It is the literary part of the city. A lot of writers and critics live there.
The British Museum is not far from Bloomsbury Square and the square is famous for the Museum. The British Museum is very old. It was founded in 1753. It is in Great Russell Street. The British Museum has a large Reading Hall. A lot of famous people worked there. The Library of the Museum has one of the best collections of books and manuscripts in the world.
One of the best and famous London cinemas is the «Odeon».
One of the oldest churches in London is St. Paul’s Cathedral.
One of the most famous London theatres, the Royal Opera House or Covent Garden, is : in the centre of the vegetable market.
Piccadilly Circus is the centre of night life in the West End. This is one of the most popular meeting places of London.
London buses are of 2 kinds: the double-decker and the single-decker. But London buses are always red. Double-deckers have seats for 65 people. Only 5 people are allowed to stand when the seats are full.
MODERN SIGHTS OF LONDON.
London is growing and developing. Some modern buildings and interesting places appeared. The most remarkable are: the Cucumber of London and the London Eye.
What Is the Capital of England?
The skyline of London, England at dusk.
England is often mistakenly referred to as the United Kingdom or Great Britain. However, it is a constituent country of the UK, sharing its borders with other countries, including Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. England covers 12.5% of the island of Great Britain and includes several other smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly. The country has a population of over 53 million people, which accounts for over 83% of the population of the UK. The majority of the population is concentrated around London and other major industrial regions in the country. London is the capital of England and the largest metropolitan area of both the UK and the European Union.
London
London is not only the capital of England, but also the most populous city in the UK. It is located on River Thames and has been a major settlement for more than two thousand years. London is one of the leading global cities in art, education, entertainment, finance, commerce, and media. It is considered the largest financial center in the world and among the top five largest metropolitan areas by GDP in the world. It also receives the highest number of international visitors of any city in the world. London is also a preferred investment destination, boasting more international businesses and billionaires than any other city in the world. London has a diverse population, and over 300 languages are spoken in the region.
Geography of London
Economy
London accounts for about 20% of the UK’s total GDP, while the Greater London metropolitan area accounts for approximately 30% of the UK’s GDP. The city has five major business districts. The finance industry is based in two districts: the City and Canary Warf. London has been the world’s leading financial center since 1795, following the collapse of the Dutch Republic. The finance industry is the largest in London, with financial exports making the industry the largest contributor to the UK’s balance of payment. London is also a leading tourist destination and was ranked the most visited city in the world in 2015. The tourism industry in the UK employs over 400,000 people in London. London is also a leading city in art, commerce, and education, which contribute significantly to its economic growth.
Administration
The administration of London has two tiers: citywide and local tiers. The Greater London Authority is responsible for citywide administration, while the local administration is managed by the 33 unit authorities. The Greater London Authority is made up of the mayor, who exercises executive authority, and the London Assembly, which supervises activities of the executive. The Local Authority consists of the 32 London boroughs and the London City Corporation. The Local Authority is responsible for the management of the local services, such as planning, garbage collection, and social services.
London
Top: City of London skyline, Middle: Palace of Westminster, Bottom left: Tower Bridge, Bottom right: Tower of London.
London region in the United Kingdom
— London Assembly
— European Parliament
14 constituencies
London constituency
London, situated in south-eastern England at the head of the River Thames estuary, is the largest urban area and capital of England and the United Kingdom. An important settlement for two millennia, London’s history goes back to its founding by the Romans. 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 city’s core, the ancient City of London, still retains its limited medieval boundaries; but since at least the nineteenth century, the name «London» has also referred to the whole metropolis which has developed around it.
London is one of the world’s leading business, financial, and cultural centers, and its influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts all contribute to its status as a major global city. Its diverse population draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, and over 300 languages are spoken within the city. The city is home to a plethora of nationalities that have over time molded and shaped the city’s culture into what it is today. While London can claim to be a major influence in many areas, it is weak in religious practice. It is lower than any other part of the United Kingdom or Western Europe and is approximately seven times lower than American averages.
Contents
The city 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. The city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and its popularity has increased over the years due to economic growth.
Geography
The term “City of London,” or “the City,” applies to a small area known as the Square Mile (2.59 square kilometers) that was the original settlement (ancient Londinium) and is now part of the financial and business district of the metropolis. Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1579 square kilometers), making it the 37th largest urban area in the world.
London lies within the bowl of the London Basin, 50 miles (80km) upriver from its mouth at the Nore, where the English Channel joins the North Sea. The center of the basin is dominated by the modern valley of the Thames, which forms a level corridor running from west to east. The modern floodplain is around half a mile wide to the west of Greater London, expanding to two miles wide to the east. This is bordered by slightly higher and older terraces often extending several miles from the floodplain, for example in Hounslow and Southwark.
London has a temperate marine climate, like much of the British Isles, with regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year—unlike the rest of the United Kingdom and even the nearby coast. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range of 56.5 to 73.0 °F (13.6 °C to 22.8 °C).
The Thames, a navigable river flowing west to east across the London Basin, is tidal, rendering London vulnerable to flooding. Larger left bank tributaries include the Colne, Crane, Brent, Lea or Lee, Roding, Rom and Ingrebourne. Significant right bank tributaries include the Mole, Wandle, Ravensbourne, and the Darent and its tributary the Cray.
A number of canals or canalized rivers have been constructed in the London area, mostly in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, originally for goods traffic.
London began on the Thames’ north bank and for many centuries London Bridge was the only bridge, keeping most of the city on the north bank. When additional bridges were built in the 18th century, the city expanded in all directions.
The City of London is on the site where the Roman fort of Londinium, founded in the first century C.E., stood. St. Paul’s Cathedral stands on the western edge of the City, while the Tower of London, the repository of the Crown Jewels, lies to the south-east. West of Tower Bridge is London Bridge.
To the east and northeast of the City are the working-class districts of the East End. London’s new financial and commercial hub is the Docklands area to the east of the City, on the north bank of the Thames, dominated by the Canary Wharf complex. West of the City lie the Inns of Court, the legal district, and Fleet Street, once the home of Britain’s press. Other businesses located in the City of Westminster, the home of the UK’s national government and the well-known Westminster Abbey. The West End contains most of the best-known theaters and shopping districts. West London is also known for fashionable and expensive residential areas such as Notting Hill, Knightsbridge, and Chelsea.
History
Roman rule
During prehistoric times, London was most likely a rural area with scattered settlement. Londinium was established as a civilian town by the Romans about seven years after the Roman invasion of Britain in 43 C.E. In around 60 C.E., it was sacked by the Iceni, led by their queen Boudica, but rebuilt as a planned Roman town. During the second century, Londinium reached its height and replaced Colchester as the capital of Roman Britain (Britannia). Its population was around 60,000 inhabitants. It boasted major public buildings, including the largest basilica north of the Alps, a governor’s palace, temples, bath houses, amphitheatre and a large fort for the city garrison.
Anglo-Saxons
In 410 C.E., the Roman occupation of Britain came to an end. From the sixth century, Anglo-Saxons began to inhabit the area. By the 600s, the Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called Lundenwic approximately 1000 yards (1km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden. London revived, and by the eighth century, trade was prospering again across the English Channel and the North Sea.
A Viking raid in 851 destroyed that city. A Viking occupation 20 years later was short-lived. Alfred the Great, the new King of England, established peace and moved the settlement within the defensive walls of the old Roman city (then called Lundenburgh). 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.
Subsequently, under the control of various English kings, London once again prospered as an international trading center and political arena. Viking raids began again in the late tenth 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. 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.
Medieval 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. William granted the citizens of London special privileges, while building a castle in the southeast 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.
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. However disaster struck during the Black Death in the mid-fourteenth century, when London lost nearly a third of its population. Apart from the invasion of London during the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, London remained relatively untouched by the various civil wars during the Middle Ages.
Tudor London
The Tudor period, from 1485 until 1603, was a dramatic period of English history, when Henry VII, Henry VIII, and Elizabeth I transformed England from a comparatively weak European backwater into a powerful state.
The Reformation produced little bloodshed in London. Before the Reformation, more than half of the area of London was occupied by monasteries, nunneries and other religious houses, and about a third of the inhabitants were monks, nuns and friars. Thus, Henry VIII’s “Dissolution of the Monasteries” meant nearly all of this property changed hands. The Crown redistributed Catholic Church property into the hands of royal supporters, who sold them, turned them into spectacular dwellings, or redeveloped them for industrial and commercial purposes.
During this period, trade expanded to Russia, the Levant, and the Americas. London boomed from a population of about 50,000 in 1500 to perhaps 140,000 in 1600, and to about 750,000 by 1700.
Plague and fire
The «Great Plague» occurred in 1665 and 1666, and killed around 60,000 people, which was one fifth of the population. The Great Fire of London broke out in the original City and quickly swept through London’s wooden buildings, destroying about 60 percent of the City, including Old St Paul’s Cathedral, 87 parish churches, 44 livery company halls, and the Royal Exchange. Only 16 died.
Rebuilding took over 10 years largely under direction of a Commission appointed by King Charles II and chaired by Sir Christopher Wren, and followed the street plan of the old city. Many aristocratic residents never returned, preferring to take new houses in the West End, where fashionable new districts such as St. James’s were built close to the main royal residence, which was Whitehall Palace until it was destroyed by fire in the 1690s, and thereafter St. James’s Palace.
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, led to a large migration on Huguenots to London. At this time the City of London was becoming the world’s leading financial center, superseding Amsterdam. In 1700, London handled 80 percent of England’s imports, 69 percent of its exports and 86 percent of its re-exports.
Eighteenth century
The eighteenth century was a period of rapid growth for London. New districts, such as Mayfair, were built for the rich in the West End, new bridges over the Thames encouraged an acceleration of development in South London and in the East End, the Port of London expanded downstream from the City. During this period was also the uprising of the American colonies.
Eighteenth century London was dogged by crime, and the Bow Street Runners were established in 1750, as a professional police force. Penalties for crime were harsh, with the death penalty being applied for fairly minor infractions. Public hangings were common in London, and were popular public events.
Nineteenth century
During the nineteenth century, London was transformed into the world’s largest city and capital of the British Empire. Its population expanded from one million in 1800 to 6.7 million a century later. While the city grew wealthy as Britain’s holdings expanded, nineteenth century London was also a city of poverty, where millions lived in overcrowded and unsanitary slums. Life for the poor was immortalized by Charles Dickens in such novels as Oliver Twist.
In 1829, the prime minister Robert Peel established the Metropolitan Police as a police force covering the entire urban area. The force gained the nickname of «bobbies» or «peelers,» named after Robert Peel.
Nineteenth century London was transformed by the coming of the railways. A new network of metropolitan railways allowed for the development of suburbs in neighboring counties, from which middle-class and wealthy people could commute to the city’s center.
As the capital of a massive empire, London became a magnet for immigrants from the colonies and poorer parts of Europe. A large Irish population settled there, with many of the newcomers refugees from the Great Famine (1845-1849). London also became home to a sizable Jewish community, and small communities of Chinese and South Asians settled in the city.
The first railway to be built in London was a line from London Bridge to Greenwich, which opened in 1836. This was soon followed by the opening of great rail termini, which linked London to every corner of Britain.
One of the most famous events of nineteenth century London was the Great Exhibition of 1851. Held at The Crystal Palace, the fair attracted visitors from across the world and displayed Britain at the height of its Imperial dominance.
Twentieth century
London’s population continued to grow rapidly in the early decades of the twentieth century, and public transport was greatly expanded. A large tram network was constructed by the London County Council, through the LCC Tramways. And the first motorbus service began in the 1900s. Improvements to London’s overground and underground rail network, including large scale electrification were progressively carried out.
During World War I, London experienced its first bombing raids carried out by German zeppelin airships; these killed around 700 people and caused great terror, but were merely a foretaste of what was to come. The largest explosion in London occurred during World War I: The Silvertown explosion, when a munitions factory containing 50 tons of TNT exploded, killing 73 and injuring 400.
London suffered severe unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s. In the East End during that same decade, politically extreme parties of both the right and left flourished. The Communist Party of Great Britain won a seat in the House of Commons, and the far-right British Union of Fascists received extensive support. Clashes between right and left culminated in the Battle of Cable Street in 1936. The population of London reached an all time peak of 8.6 million in 1939.
Large numbers of Jewish immigrants fleeing from Nazi Germany, settled in London during the 1930s, mostly in the city’s West End.
During World War II, London was bombed extensively by the Luftwaffe as a part of The Blitz. Hundreds of thousands of children were evacuated to the countryside to avoid the bombing. Civilians took shelter from the air raids in underground stations. Between September 1940, and May 10, 1941, London was subjected to 71 separate raids receiving over 18,000 tonnes of high explosive. Towards the end of the war, during 1944 and 1945, London came under heavy attack again by pilot-less V-1 and V-2 rockets, fired from Nazi occupied Europe. By the war’s end, just under 30,000 Londoners had been killed by the bombing, and over 50,000 seriously injured, tens of thousands of buildings were destroyed, and hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless.
Rebuilding
London’s rebuilding was slow to begin. In the immediate postwar years housing was a major issue, due to the large amount of housing destroyed in the war. The authorities decided upon high-rise blocks of flats (apartments). During the 1950s and 1960s, the skyline of London altered dramatically as tower blocks were erected, although these later proved unpopular.
Large-scale immigration from Commonwealth countries and beyond transformed London into one of the most racially and culturally diverse cities in Europe. 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 organizations.
An economic revival from the 1980s onward re-established London’s position. However, it has been subjected to bouts of terrorism. Provisional Irish Republican Army bombers sought to pressure the government into negotiations over Northern Ireland. More recently, a series of coordinated bomb attacks were carried out by Islamic extremist suicide bombers on the public transportation network on July 7, 2005, just 24 hours after London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Government and politics
London is the home of the Government of the United Kingdom which is located around the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. Many government departments are located close to Parliament, particularly along Whitehall, including the Prime Minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street.
London is represented in the national Parliament by 74 Members of Parliament (MPs) who correspond to local parliamentary constituencies. The City has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a status as the only completely autonomous local authority in London.
The administration of London takes place in two tiers—a city-wide, strategic tier and a local tier. City-wide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority, while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities. The Greater London Authority consists of two elected parts; the Mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the London Assembly, who scrutinizes the mayor’s decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The Greater London Authority was set up in 2000 to replace the similar Greater London Council which had been abolished in 1986. The 33 local authorities are the councils of the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation. They are responsible for local services not overseen by the Greater London Authority, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection.
Economy
Financial and business services sector accounts for about 85 per cent of London’s employment. London’s banking sector accounts for about 20 per cent of total international bank lending. London has one of the largest international insurance markets, the world’s largest center for trading overseas equities, the largest foreign exchange market, one of the biggest financial derivatives markets, the greatest concentration of international bond dealers, and major markets for transactions in commodities. London also has a vast range of legal, accountancy, management, property, computer, and advertising consultancy services.
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.
Tourism employed the equivalent of 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003. Annual expenditure by tourists is around £15-billion, and overseas visitors accounted for 70 percent of this spending. London has about 480 hotels. The most popular attractions are the British Museum (five million visitors in 2001), the National Gallery, Westminster Abbey (where the sovereign is crowned), Madame Tussaud’s waxworks, the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel near Westminster Bridge), and the Tower of London.
Another half a million employees resident in Greater London work in manufacturing and construction, almost equally divided between both. Heavy industry has declined since World War II, and between 1982 and 1994, the numbers employed in manufacturing almost halved to approximately 328,000. Printing and publishing accounts for over a quarter of London’s manufacturing employment, reflecting London’s role as an administrative, financial, and media center. Other sectors include electrical and electronic engineering; food, drink, and tobacco; and chemicals and synthetic fibers. There is strong growth in the recycling/environmental sector.
The centerpiece of the public transport network is the London Underground—commonly referred to as The Tube—which has 11 interconnecting lines. It is the oldest, longest, and most expansive metro system in the world, dating from 1863. The Docklands Light Railway is a second metro system, which opened in 1987, serving East London and Greenwich on both sides of the Thames. High-speed Eurostar trains link St. Pancras International with Lille and Paris in France, and Brussels in Belgium.
London’s bus network runs 24 hours, with 8000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over six million passenger journeys made every weekday.
Travel in outer London is automobile-dominated. The inner ring road (around the city center), 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. In 2003, a congestion charge of £8 per day was introduced to reduce traffic volumes in the city center.
London is a major international air transport hub. 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.
The Port of London is now only the third-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 50 million tonnes of cargo each year.
London is the capital of Great Britain. Что посмотреть в британской столице
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Мы собрали для вас рассказы пользователей Драйва2 о нетуристическом Лондоне.
Сегодня вы узнаете:
— где расположен и чем знаменит исторический Дом Мишлен в центре Лондона;
— в какие районы отправиться, чтобы увидеть множество редких и дорогих тачек;
— как электростанцию с легендарного альбома Pink Floyd перестраивают в элитный ЖК, но сохраняют при этом даже трубы;
— какие сложности вас ждут при покупке билетов на игру футбольных грандов и каково это — побывать на матче «Челси».
Michelin House на 81 Fulham Road в Челси был построен как первая постоянная штаб-квартира в Великобритании и склад шин для Michelin Tire Company Ltd. Здание открылось 20 января 1911 года. На фасаде — три больших витража, основанных на рекламе Мишлена того времени, на всех изображён «Бибендум». Заходящих внутрь встречает мозаика на полу, на которой Бибендум держит в руках стакан с гайками, болтами и другими деталями, провозглашая «Nunc Est Bibendum» (на латыни «Пора пить»).
Тут, в общем-то, без сюрпризов: чтобы увидеть коллекционные авто, отправляйтесь в самые зажиточные районы Лондона: Челси, Кенсингтон и Белгравию. Там найдёт себе объекты для созерцания поклонник любого автопрома, кроме, пожалуй, отечественного.
В Лондоне чтят историю и архитектуру, причем не только старую (от XIX века и далее в глубь веков), но и ту, что у нас ценить не принято. Вот, к примеру, стоит в центре Лондона угольная электростанция, в эру зелёных технологий уже не коптящая небо. Что бы с ней сделали у нас? Правильно, снесли бы и поставили на её месте жилой комплекс премиум-класса. Вот и в Лондоне решили построить жильё, однако не вместо электростанции, а вместе с ней.
Кстати, станция Баттерси попала на обложку альбома группы Pink Floyd (там над ней ещё летал поросёнок).
Напоследок — пара лайфхаков, как заполучить билеты на футбольный матч топовых английских клубов. Как оказалось, иностранцу сделать это не так-то просто.
• Выборы Машины дня — кто победит?
• Новые машины в вашем городе и не только.
С любовью к машинам и людям,
Редакция DRIVE2