London is the:
- capital city of the United Kingdom;
- largest capital city in Europe;
- has a population (2015 data) of 8,673,713 – that is Greater London;
- only city in the world that has hosted 3 summer olympic games (in 1908, 1948 and in 2012);
- city with the most bridges in Europe (33 over the River Thames).
Some of its icons are:
- the double-decker buses;
- black cabs (= taxis);
- red phone booths;
- the Beefeaters (yeomen warders of the Tower of London).
You can see the iconic sights here.
London (named Londinium by the Romans) has been an imortant trading centre since Roman times. Boudicca, the warrior queen of the Iceni and her men destroyed Londinium in 61 CE (Common Era). The Romans rebuilt the city to make it a fort by 100 CE (Common Era). Some ruins of the Roman wall can be still seen nowadays.
The population of London grew because:
- of the River Thames (ships and vessels reached a city making it a busy trading port);
- roads in the Middle Ages;
- the railway in the 19th century.
London “swallowed” nearby towns and Greater London was formed.
How London’s population has grown from 100 CE
GREAT BRITANNIA 