The City
London is one of the most famous and well recognised cities in the world. A leader in finance, commerce, educatio
n, tourism, the arts and a host of other industries. London is a truly global city.
The capital of England in the United Kingdom, Metropolitan London is home to nearly 14 million people - the most populous city in the European Union. With the city dating back to the Roman Empire and a rich recent history of immigration, London is a melting pot of culture, religions and languages.
Landmarks
London is jam-packed with some of the world's most iconic landmarks. It is home to four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church; and Greenwich.
Other famous sites include Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and more recently, the London Eye.
Transport
The London Underground, or "the tube" as it is more commonly known, is the oldest underground railway network in the world and connects the majority of London servicing over 3 million journeys each day. London's bus network is one of the largest in the world, with over 8,000 buses and 700 bus routes - and most notably the famous double decker red buses, recognised the world over. London is also well known for being home to Heathrow airport, the busiest airport in the world.
Government
Elizabeth II is the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom. Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since 1837 and today is the administrative headquarters of the Monarch.
David Cameron is the present Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and his residence is the famous 10 Downing Street, located in the heart of London.
Sport
London is the first city in the world to host the Olympic Games three times, following earlier editions in 1908 and 1948. Read more about London's previous Olympics here
Londoners are mad about sport with many of the city’s top annual events being sport-based. Cricket was born and developed in England and Lord’s Cricket Ground is more fondly known as “The home of cricket”. The hallowed turf is home every year to some tough fought cricket matches between England and Australia as well as other countries such as India, Sri Lanka and the West Indies to name a few. Lord’s will host the Games archery competition.
Every London summer there is the highly revered grand slam tennis championship – Wimbledon. Held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon is in its 125th year with a rich history of tennis champions. Wimbledon will host the 2012 Olympic tennis competition, as it did in 1908.
One of London’s key sporting spectacles of recent times is the London Marathon, which was born out of two men’s dreams over a pint of bitter at the pub – how very English! John Disley and Chris Brasher were inspired by their running club mates to enter the New York marathon and saw the amazing camaraderie of the competitors and also the spectacle of the famous sites and cheering spectators the event encompassed. The marathon was first held in London in 1981 and is now a stalwart on the annual marathon circuit.
It would be remiss of any sporting blurb about London to not mention football, the city’s religion – the most popular sport in terms of participants and spectators. London is home to several of the country’s leading football clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Fulham – London’s oldest club still playing professionally. Wembley Stadium, England's national stadium is in London. It is the home venue of the England national football team and has traditionally hosted the FA Cup Final since 1923.