Travel Historic City Of London  Introduction:
London, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom today is one of the world's leading business, financial and cultural centres. This historic city has a recorded history that goes back over 2,000 years. London is the most populous city within city limits in the European Union with an official population of 7.5 million (as of mid-2006) and has a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million people. It is an international transport hub, with five international airports and a large port. It serves as the largest aviation hub in the world, and its main airport, the multi terminal Heathrow, carries more international passengers than any other airport in the world. It also has Europe's largest underground railway system when measured by route length. Its main geographical feature is the River Thames which runs through the city from the south-west to the east.
History:
According to the legendary Historia Regum Britanniae, of Geoffrey of Monmouth, London was founded by Brutus of Troy after he defeated the incumbent giants Gog and Magog and was known as Caer Troia, Troia Nova, or New Troy. During prehistoric times, London was most likely a rural area with scattered settlement.However, Londinium (as London was called during the RomanTimes) was established as a civilian town by the Romans about seven years after the invasion of AD 43.Following the decline of the Roman Empire in the 5th Century , the Anglo-Saxons began to inhabit the area from the 6th Century. The Norman invasion of Britain in 1066 is usually considered to be the beginning of the Medieval period. In 1097 William Rufus, the son of William the Conqueror began the construction of 'Westminster Hall'. The hall was to become the basis of the Palace of Westminster which, throughout the Mediæval period, was the prime royal residence. In 1176 construction began of the most famous incarnation of London Bridge (completed in 1209) which was built on the site of several earlier wooden bridges. This bridge would last for 600 years, and remained the only bridge across the River Thames until 1739. Trade and commerce grew steadily during the Middle Ages, and London grew rapidly as a result. However between 1348 and the Great Plague of 1666, due to poor sanitation there were sixteen outbreaks of plague in the city as a result of which London lost half its population.
The Tudor period from 1485 until 1603 was a dramatic period of English history. Three of the monarchs of the Tudor dynasty (Henry VII, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I) played important roles in transforming England from a comparatively weak European backwater into a powerful state that in the coming centuries would dominate much of the world. The late 16th century, when William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived and worked in London, was one of the most lustrous periods in the city’s cultural history. When the last of the Tudors died in 1603, London was still very compact.
During the period of Stuart London (1603–1714), the City of London was becoming the world's leading financial centre, superseding Amsterdam in primacy. The Bank of England was founded in 1694, and the British East India Company was expanding its influence. The 18th century was a period of rapid growth for London, reflecting an increasing national population, the early stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, and London's role at the centre of the evolving British Empire. In 1762 George III acquired Buckingham Palace (then known as "house") from the Duke of Buckingham. It was enlarged over the next 75 years by architects such as John Nash. It would not be until the 19th century, however, that the palace would become the principle London royal residence.
During the 19th century, London was transformed into the world's largest city and capital of the British Empire. Its population expanded from 1 million in 1800 to 6.7 million a century later. During this period, London became a global political, financial, and trading capital. In this position, it was largely unrivaled until the latter part of the century, when Paris and New York began to threaten its dominance. The first railway to be built in London was a line from London Bridge to Greenwich, which opened in 1836.After the Parliament gave its consent, Joseph Bazalgette oversaw the construction of The London Seweragw System which is in use till date.Post WWI and WWII, London had to start rebuilding its houses destroyed during war.Thus highrises were constructed which changed the skyline of London. At the turn of the 21st century, London hosted the much derided Millennium Dome at Greenwich, to mark the new century. The London Plan, published by the Mayor of London in 2004, estimated that the population would reach 8.1 million by 2016, and continue to rise thereafter. This was reflected in a move towards denser, more urban styles of building, including a greatly increased number of tall buildings. Definition:
The London region of England, also commonly known as Greater London, is the area administered by the Greater London Authority. The name "London" originally referred only to the once-walled "Square Mile" of the original Roman (and later medieval) city (now confusingly called the City of London, or just "The City"). "London", however, has taken on a much larger meaning, to include all of the vast central part of the modern metropolis, the city having absorbed numerous surrounding towns and villages over the centuries. Reflecting the massive size of the metropolis, therefore, the term "Greater London" embraces central London, together with all the outlying suburbs that lie in one continuous urban sprawl within the lower Thames valley.  Geographical Information:
Location:
London is the capital and largest city of both the United Kingdom and of England, and the largest city in western Europe. It is situated on the River Thames in South-East England.
Topography:
Greater London covers an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²), making it the 37th largest urban area in the world.Its primary geographical feature is the Thames, a navigable river which crosses the city from the south-west to the east. The Thames Valley is a floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills such as Parliament Hill, Addington Hills, and Primrose Hill. These hills presented no significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the river, and therefore London is roughly circular. Climate:
London has a temperate climate with regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year—unlike the rest of the UK and even the nearby coast. London is in fact among the driest of Europe's capitals, with water resources per head of population equivalent to Israel. The warmest month is July, with an average temperature range at Greenwich of 13.6 °C to 22.8 °C (56.5 to 73.0 °F). Record high temperatures of up to 38.1 °C (101 °F) were recorded in different parts of London on 10 August 2003. The coolest month is January, averaging 2.4 °C to 7.9 °C (35.6 to 46.2 °F). Average annual precipitation is 583.6 mm (22.98 in), with February on average the driest month.Snow is relatively uncommon, particularly because heat from the urban area can make London up to 5 °C (9 °F) hotter than the surrounding areas in winter. However light snowfall is seen on some days most winters. General Information:
1.Population(2006): City - 7,512,400.
2.Area: City - 1.00 sq mi (2.6 km²)
Greater London - 609 sq mi (1,577.3 km²)
3.Language: Official language is English.
4.Time Zone: GMT(UTC0)
5.Currency: Despite being a member of the EU, the UK has not signed up to the euro so the pound sterling is still the unit of currency. ********************************************* | |
