London England

Description: London is the capital and largest city of England, and the United Kingdom, with a population of around 8.8 million, and the largest city in Western Europe by metropolitan area, with a population of 14.8 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea and has been a major settlement for nearly two millennia.

The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament.

Population: 8,800,000

Demographics: According to the Office for National Statistics, based on the 2021 census, 53.8 per cent of the 8,173,941 inhabitants of London were White, with 36.8% White British, 1.8% White Irish, 0.1% Gypsy/Irish Traveler, 0.4 Roma and 14.7% classified as Other White.

 Meanwhile, 22.2% of Londoners were of Asian or mixed-Asian descent, with 20.8% being of full Asian descents and 1.4% being of mixed-Asian heritage. Indians accounted for 7.5% of the population, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis at 3.3% and 3.7% respectively. Chinese people accounted for 1.7%, and Arabs for 1.6%. A further 4.6% were classified as “Other Asian”. 15.9% of London’s population were of Black or mixed-Black descent. 13.5% were of full Black descent, with persons of mixed-Black heritage comprising 2.4%. Black Africans accounted for 7.9% of London’s population; 3.9% identified as Black Caribbean, and 1.7% as “Other Black”. 5.7% were of mixed race.

History: In 1993, remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the south foreshore upstream from Vauxhall Bridge. Two of the timbers were radiocarbon dated to 1750–1285 BC. In 2010, foundations of a large timber structure, dated to 4800 BC, were found on the Thames’s south foreshore downstream from Vauxhall Bridge. Both structures are on the south bank of the Thames, where the now-underground River Effra flows into the Thames.

Despite the evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans around 47 AD, about four years after their invasion of 43 AD. This only lasted until about 61 AD, when the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it and burnt it to the ground. The next planned incarnation of Londinium prospered, superseding Colchester as the principal city of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of about 60,000. By the 11th century, London was clearly the largest town in England. During the Tudor period, the Reformation produced a gradual shift to Protestantism.

Much of London property passed from church to private ownership, which accelerated trade and business in the city. In 1475, the Hanseatic League set up a main trading base (kontor) of England in London, called the Stalhof or Steelyard. It remained until 1853, when the Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Bremen and Hamburg sold the property to South Eastern Railway.

In the 16th century, William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London during English Renaissance theatre. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was constructed in 1599 in Southwark. Stage performances came to a halt in London when Puritan authorities shut down the theatres in the 1640s. The ban on theatre was lifted during the Restoration in 1660, and London’s oldest operating theatre, Drury Lane, opened in 1663 in what is now the West End theatre district.

From the early years of the 20th century onwards, teashops were found on High Streets across London and the rest of Britain, with Lyons, who opened the first of their chain of teashops in Piccadilly in 1894, leading the way. Starting mainly in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide youth culture, exemplified by the Swinging London sub-culture associated with the King’s Road, Chelsea and Carnaby Street.

In 2008, Time named London alongside New York City and Hong Kong as Nylonkong, hailing them as the world’s three most influential global cities. In January 2015, Greater London’s population was estimated to be 8.63 million, its highest since 1939.

Elevation: 11 m

Climate: Temperate oceanic climate. Average annual temperature in London is 11 C (51 F), the average for July is 19 C (66 F), the average for January is 5 C (41 F).

Attractions: Tower Of London, British Museum, London Eye, National Gallery, Tower Bridge, National History Museum, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park

Airports: London Heathrow Airport LHR, London City Airport LCY, London Gatwick Airport LGW, London Stansted Airport STY, London International Airport YXU, London Luton Airport LTN

Distance To City Centre: 30 km

Commute Length: 40 min

Average Transportation Cost: 75 GBP

Traffic Hours: 7:30 am – 10 am, 4 pm – 7 pm