Since at least the 19th century, the term London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The London region and the Greater London administrative area are governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.
London is one of the world's leading financial centres and has the fifth-or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement. With around 27 million overnight-0stay visitors every year, it is the world's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. London had an official population of 8,308,369 in 2012, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union, and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population. The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of 9,787,426 according to the 2011 census. The London metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with a total population of 13,614,409, while the Greater London Authority puts the population of London metropolitan region at 21 million. London had the largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to 1925.
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 Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT). The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.
Our apartment could not be in a better location, just 10 minutes walk to the Tower of London and 3 Tube (underground) stations within the same distance - and fortunately, the planned 3-day strike for the next 3 days has been cancelled, which is great news for us. After settling into the apartment, we did what we do best, and went exploring. Our first port of call was Greenwich and the Royal Observatory; while the observatory was closed, we had something to eat at the top of the park with great views over London and the redeveloped Canary Wharf district, and then went to check out the Prime Meridian. On our way back to the light rail, we stopped by the dinghy pub that Kim worked at 20 years ago, which is now a reasonably high-end pub in a UNESCO World Heritage & Grade 2 listed building! |
Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule (ie opening) and suspension bridge crossing the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London.
The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each tower. Originally painted a mid greenish-blue colour, the bridge's present colour scheme dates from 1977, when it was painted red, white and blue for Queen Elizabeth II's silver jubilee.