london cultural development

7/29/2019 London Cultural Development

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London is the capital city of England and the UnitedKingdom, and the largest city, urbanzone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, andthe European Unionby most measures.Located onthe River Thames, London has been a major settlement

for two millennia, its history going back to its founding bythe Romans, who named it Londinium.London's ancientcore, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19thcentury, the name London has also referred to the

metropolis developed around this core.The bulk ofthis conurbation forms the London region andthe Greater London administrative area,governed by theelected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.


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London is a leading global city,

with strengths in the arts,

commerce, education,

entertainment, fashion,

finance, healthcare, media,

professional services, research

and development, tourism and

transport all contributing to its

prominence. London has been

described as a world cultural

capital. London became thefirst city to host the

modern Summer Olympic

Games three times.


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London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.The 2011 censusrevealed that around three quarters of Londoners were Britons and60% of inhabitants were white,and that 45% of residents were whiteBritons, making them a minority in the city for the first time.Londonhad an official population of 8,174,100, making it the most populous

municipality in the European Union,and accounting for 12.5% of theUK population. The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of 8,278,251,while theLondonmetropolitan area is the largest in the EU with an estimated totalpopulation of between 12 million and 14 million.London hadthe largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to1925.


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London contains four World

Heritage Sites: the Tower of

London; Kew Gardens; the site

comprising the Palace of

Westminster,Westminster

Abbey, and St Margaret's

Church; and the historic

settlement of Greenwich (in

which the Royal

Observatorymarks the Prime

Meridian, 0 longitude,and GMT).


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Other famous landmarksinclude Buckingham Palace,the London Eye,PiccadillyCircus, St Paul'sCathedral, TowerBridge, Trafalgar Square,

and The Shard.London ishome to numerous museums,galleries, libraries, sportingevents and other culturalinstitutions, includingthe British Museum, NationalGallery, Tate Modern,BritishLibrary and 40 WestEnd theatres.The LondonUnderground is the oldestunderground railway networkin the world.


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london cultural development

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