[280] The BBC is a significant employer, while other broadcasters also have headquarters around the city. [237], The median age of London in 2017 is 36.5 years old. London is home to many museums, galleries, and other institutions, many of which are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions as well as playing a research role. Note that some of the German-born population, in 18th position, are British citizens from birth born to parents serving in the British Armed Forces in Germany. Eight airports use the word London in their name, but most traffic passes through six of these. [96] In 1708 Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral was completed. [46] London's urban area is the third most populous in Europe, after Moscow and Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census. [363] It includes five multi-faculty universities – City, King's College London, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway and UCL – and a number of smaller and more specialised institutions including Birkbeck, the Courtauld Institute of Art, Goldsmiths, the London Business School, the London School of Economics, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the Royal Academy of Music, the Central School of Speech and Drama, the Royal Veterinary College and the School of Oriental and African Studies. [176] The wettest year on record is 1903, with a total fall of 38.1 inches (969 mm) and the driest is 1921, with a total fall of 12.1 inches (308 mm). [194][better source needed] The absence of heavy winter rainfall leads to many climates around the Mediterranean having more annual precipitation than London. [411], Walking is a popular recreational activity in London. [citation needed] It cost £60 million to build and carries more than 3,500 passengers every day. The commercial route to Italy and the Mediterranean Sea normally lay through Antwerp and over the Alps; any ships passing through the Strait of Gibraltar to or from England were likely to be Italian or Ragusan. "An Historical Geography of Europe 450 B.C.-A.D. 1330, Part 1330". Indians account for 6.6 per cent of the population, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis at 2.7 per cent each. A number of world-leading education institutions are based in London. During the 2003 European heat wave there were 14 consecutive days above 30 °C (86.0 °F) and 2 consecutive days when temperatures reached 38 °C (100 °F), leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths. One way to get an idea of their relative importance is to look at relative amounts of office space: Greater London had 27 million m2 of office space in 2001, and the City contains the most space, with 8 million m2 of office space. [248], Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and Westminster Abbey. [citation needed], London's coach hub is based at Victoria Coach Station. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [citation needed] London has the largest wheelchair-accessible network in the world[333] and, from the third quarter of 2007, became more accessible to hearing and visually impaired passengers as audio-visual announcements were introduced. [341], Cycling has become an increasingly popular way to get around London. Brookings-Wharton Papers on Urban Affairs. Although rail freight levels are far down compared to their height, significant quantities of cargo are also carried into and out of London by rail; chiefly building materials and landfill waste. [64], With the collapse of Roman rule in the early 5th century, London ceased to be a capital, and the walled city of Londinium was effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation continued in the area of St Martin-in-the-Fields until around 450. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. around 8.8 million,[338] this means that just around 7% of Greater London's population use a bike on an average day. [80], In the 16th century William Shakespeare and his contemporaries lived in London at a time of hostility to the development of the theatre. [14], Greater London encompasses a total area of 1,583 square kilometres (611 sq mi), an area which had a population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 4,542 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,760/sq mi). The earliest attested appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written around 1136. ", "Government Offices for the English Regions, Fact Files: London", "London: the everything capital of the world", "The Global Property Handbook a collaboration with Warburg Realty and Barnes International Realty – Wealth-X Report", "London the most influential city in the world according to Forbes", "London Retains Crown in 2015 MasterCard Global Destinations Cities Index", "London is World's Most Expensive City | PropertyTime", "London Ranked Most Expensive to Live and Work, But Sydney & Los Angeles Offer Best Value", "Citizen Centric Cities | 2018 Arcadis Sustainable Cities Index", "London triumphs as world's most attractive city for foreign investment", "London is crowned most popular city in the world for work", "The World's Most Influential Cities 2014", "London is 'the most desirable city in the world to work in', study finds", "London is on fire as the West's fastest growing city", "London is the world capital of the 21st century ... says New York", "London is world capital of culture says LSE expert", "London tops ranking of destination cities", "Beijing to overtake London as world's largest aviation hub", "London Top Target for Global Investors, Secondary Markets Gain Popularity", "London retains title as world's most international shopping destination", "World's Richest Cities: The Top 10 Cities Billionaires Call Home", "Number of international students in London continues to grow", "Times Higher Education World University Rankings", "Top Universities: Imperial College London", "IOC elects London as the Host City of the Games of the XXX Olympiad in 2012", "Largest EU City. Each suite is individually designed, and they come at various price points and sizes depending on your needs. [43] The city was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934. [143] There are 73 members of Parliament (MPs) from London, elected from local parliamentary constituencies in the national Parliament. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Originally containing antiquities, natural history specimens, and the national library, the museum now has 7 million artefacts from around the globe. In 1762, George III acquired Buckingham House and it was enlarged over the next 75 years. The London Natural History Society suggest that London is "one of the World's Greenest Cities" with more than 40 per cent green space or open water. [281] The Port of London is the second-largest in the United Kingdom, handling 45 million tonnes of cargo each year. While Londoners are accustomed to wildlife such as birds and foxes sharing the city, more recently urban deer have started becoming a regular feature, and whole herds of fallow deer come into residential areas at night to take advantage of London's green spaces. The hall became the basis of a new Palace of Westminster. On average each year, London experiences 31 days above 25 °C (77.0 °F) and 4.2 days above 30.0 °C (86.0 °F) every year. What was formerly the Millennium Dome, by the Thames to the east of Canary Wharf, is now an entertainment venue called the O2 Arena. They indicate that 2000 species of flowering plant have been found growing there and that the tidal Thames supports 120 species of fish. [239], 15.6 per cent of London's population are of Black and mixed-Black descent. Beyond this is the vast London commuter belt. London's largest industry is finance, and its financial exports make it a large contributor to the UK's balance of payments. [230][231] According to Eurostat, London is the most populous city and metropolitan area of the European Union and the second most populous in Europe. [177] The average annual precipitation amounts to about 600 mm, a value inferior to cities such as Rome, Lisbon, New York City and Sydney. [112], Primarily starting in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for the worldwide youth culture, exemplified by the Swinging London subculture[113] associated with the King's Road, Chelsea[114] and Carnaby Street. There are more than 360 railway stations in the London Travelcard Zones on an extensive above-ground suburban railway network. [425][426][427], London has two Test cricket grounds, Lord's (home of Middlesex C.C.C.) [213] They also state that over 60 species of bird nest in central London and that their members have recorded 47 species of butterfly, 1173 moths and more than 270 kinds of spider around London. in Kennington. [270] The city has the highest property prices of any European city according to the Office for National Statistics and the European Office of Statistics. A further 4.9 per cent are classified as "Other Asian". The Hoxton opened recently in 2006, but it has already solidified its reputation as one of the coolest hotels in the area. [324] It will be a new railway line running east to west through London and into the Home Counties with a branch to Heathrow Airport. [89], London was plagued by disease in the early 17th century,[90] culminating in the Great Plague of 1665–1666, which killed up to 100,000 people, or a fifth of the population.[91]. The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with extensive marshlands; at high tide, its shores reached five times their present width. London's most popular sport is football and it has six clubs in the English Premier League as of the 2020–21 season: Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United. [190] However, the most consecutive days without rain was 73 days in the spring of 1893. A fourth police force in London, the Ministry of Defence Police, do not generally become involved with policing the general public. [54], The toponymy of the Common Brythonic form is much debated.