London is the capital city of the United Kingdom. It is also the industrial, commercial, and political centre of the country. London lies on either side of the River Thames and only 60 km from the North Sea. The population of Greater London, i.e. including the suburbs, is about 8 million. Greater London covers an area of some 1600 sq km. The history of London goes back to the Roman period or even earlier. In 1665, London was hit by a terrible plague, and a year later, in 1666, a small fire which began in a baker's shop burnt down nearly all buildings in the City of London. Today London is a conglomerate of many towns and villages which have been incorporated into Greater London over the centuries.

London does not have one centre. The two main cities are the City of London, the banking and commercial centre, and the City of Westminster, which contains the seat of government, shopping and entertainment areas, museums and residential districts. Both cities have their own Lord Mayor.

The City of London is one of the most important financial and banking centres in the world. It includes such institutions as the Bank of England, the Stock Exchange, the foreign exchange, the commodities market and Lloyds, the famous insurance company. The Old Bailey in the western part of the City is the heart of the British judicial system. Fleet Street was until recently the traditional centre of major London newspapers.

St Paul's Cathedral, one of the finest churches in London, designed after the Great Fire of London by the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, is a blend of Italian baroque and Classical styles.

At the southeast corner of the City is The Tower of London which houses the Crown Jewels, guarded by men who wear 16th century costumes and are called 'Yeomen of the Guard' or 'Beefeaters' The Tower has been both a palace and a prison for kings, queens and other important people, many of whom were executed there, including two of Henry VIII's six wives, Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, as well as the great writer and statesman, Sir Thomas More. The Victorian-Gothic Tower Bridge, designed by Horace Jones and John Wolfe-Barry, was opened in 1894.

Westminster is the seat of British government. It includes the Houses of Parliament which was designed in the 1860s to replace the old Westminster Palace built by King Edward the Confessor. On the north flank stands the tower clock, known as Big Ben. Debates in the House of Commons can be watched from the Visitors' Gallery. Westminster Abbey is a collegiate church where British monarchs have been crowned since the 13th century. Whitehall is a street on which many government offices are located, e.g. the Foreign Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the Treasury. Off Whitehall is Downing Street, where the British Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have their official residences.

Westminster Abbey is one of the most visited churches in Christendom. It has played a privotal role in the history of both England and the Anglican church and, with the exception of Edward V and Edward VIII, every sovereign has been crowned here since William the Conqueror in 1066. All the monarchs from Henry III (died 1272) to George II (1760) were buried here as well, but since the death of George III in 1820 they have been laid to rest in St George's Chapel in Windsor.

Unlike St Paul's, Westminster Abbey has never been a cathedral but is a 'royal peculiar', administered directly by the Crown.

St Paul's Cathedral was built, amid much controversy, by Sir Christopher Wren between 1675 and 1710. It stands on the site of four previous cathedrals, the first of which dated from 604.

St Paul's was one of the 50 commissions that Wren was given after the Great Fire of London. Plans for the alterations had already been made, but the fire presented him with the opportunity to build from scratch. Several plans were spurned before the authorities accepted the current design.

The dome still dominates the City and the only church dome that exceed it in size is that of St Peter's in Rome. Pictures of the cathedral miraculously surviving the devastation of World War II bombing can be seen in a glass case in the south choir aisle; fortunately, the dome survived virtually unharmed, althouth other parts of the cathedral were not entirely unscathed. The windows were blown out and various other parts were also damaged.

Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Royal Family, was built in the early 18th century for the Duke of Buckingham. Later it was bought by King George III who however preferred to live in St James's Palace. Queen Victoria made it her official residence in London. Visitors can watch the changing of the Guards in front of the Palace on alternate days, and recently part of its interior has been open to the public, too. Near Buckingham Palace are St lames's Park with a lovely lake and Green Park. Hyde Park is perhaps the most famous London park. The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in west London are both a public park and a scientific institution. Their 300 acres contain hundreds of unusual flowers and trees. Regent's Park is a lasting memorial to George IV who, while Prince Regent, supported plans for its development in the early 19th century.

The West End, perhaps the best known part of Westminster, covers an area from The Mall to Oxford Street, and from Cambridge Circus to Kensington. It contains a large number of places of interest, including Trafalgar Square which is a popular meeting place for Londoners, especially during important national events and on the last day of the year. It was laid out in 1829 by Sir Charles Barry to commemo­rate the great victory of Admiral Nelson over Napoleon. The Square is dominated by the 164-foot (50-meter) Nelson's Column. Nearby are the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. St Martin's-in-the-Fields church is the oldest building in the Square. Oxford Street, Regent Street, and Bond Street are the busiest shopping streets in London.

Covent Garden, Soho, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square and Shaftesbury Avenue provide most of London's best entertainment. There are numerous theatres, cinemas, restaurants, cafes and pubs. Gerrard Street in Soho, generally acknowledged as the centre of Chinatown, is a pedestrian precinct with gateways at both ends and street signs in Chinese. There are numerous Chinese restaurants and shops in the surrounding streets.

The East End, near the City of London, is a largely working-class district, once famous as the home of the Cockneys. This area has a colourful history, having been the home of both famous people and well­known criminals at different times in the past. From the late 19th century until the fifties, the London Docks here handled more cargo than any other port in Europe, both for import and transshipment. However, union pressure for higher wages and for the retention of restrictive working practices increased costs until the ship-owners moved their business, most of it going to Rotterdam. Now some of the docks have fallen into disuse, and are the home of wild birds, whilst others have been filled in and built on; the huge new commercial development of Canary Wharf and the new London City Airport have both risen over the graves of the London Docks.

Hampton Court is a splendid palace on the Thames, to the west. It combines fine Tudor architecture with lovely additions made by Christopher Wren.

Windsor Castle is the oldest royal residence in England. There has been a fortress on the site since 1080. Its appearance owes much to George IV who reigned between 1820-1830.

Of the 400 museums in and around London the most important are the British Museum (established in 1753), the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Nat­ural History Museum and the Science Museum. Greenwich in south-east London is associated with the Royal Observatory built by King Charles II.