8/13/2019 London is the Capital City of England and of the United Kingdom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/london-is-the-capital-city-of-england-and-of-the-united-kingdom 1/5

London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom. It is the most populous region,

urban zone  and metropolitan area  in the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames,

ondon has been a ma!or settlement for t"o millennia, its history going bac# to its founding bythe Romans, "ho named it  Londinium.$%&  ondon's ancient core, the (ity of ondon, largely

retains its ).)*+suare+mile -*. #m*/ mediaeval  boundaries and in *0)) had a resident

 population of 1,21%, ma#ing it the smallest city in England. Since at least the )th century, theterm London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. $3& The bul# of this

conurbation  forms the ondon region $1&  and the  4reater ondon  administrative area,$5&$note )& 

governed by the 6ayor of ondon and the ondon 7ssembly.$&

ondon is a leading global city,$)0&$))&  "ith strengths in the arts, commerce, education,entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and

development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.$)*& It is one of the "orld's

leading financial centres $)2&  $)8&  $)%&  and has the fifth+ or si9th+largest metropolitan area 4:; in the "orld depending on measurement.$note *&$)3&$)1& ondon is a "orld cultural capital.$)5&$)&$*0&$*)& It is the

"orld's most+visited city as measured by international arrivals$**& and has the "orld's largest city 

airport system  measured by passenger traffic.

$*2&

  ondon's 82 universities form the largestconcentration of higher education in Europe.$*8& In *0)*, ondon became the first city to host the

modern Summer <lympic 4ames three times.$*%&

ondon has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 200 languages are spo#en

"ithin its boundaries.$*3& ondon had an official population of 5,205,23 in *0)*, $*& ma#ing it themost populous municipality in the European Union,$*1&  and accounting for )*.%= of the UK

 population.$*5& The 4reater ondon Urban 7rea is the second+largest in the EU "ith a population

of ,151,8*3 according to the *0)) census.$2& The ondon metropolitan area is the largest in the

EU "ith a total population of )2,3)8,80, $note 2&$8&$*& "hile the 4reater ondon 7uthority puts the population of ondon metropolitan region at *) million.$20& ondon had the largest population of

any city in the "orld from around )52) to )*%.

$2)&

ondon contains four >orld ?eritage Sites@ the  To"er of ondonA  Ke" 4ardensA the sitecomprising the ;alace of >estminster ,  >estminster 7bbey, and St 6argaret's (hurchA and the

historic settlement of 4reen"ich -in "hich the Royal <bservatory, 4reen"ich mar#s the ;rime 

6eridian, 0B longitude, and 46T/.$2*& <ther famous landmar#s include Cuc#ingham ;alace, the

ondon Eye, ;iccadilly (ircus,  St ;aul's (athedral, To"er Cridge, Trafalgar Suare, and The Shard. ondon is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries,  sporting events  and other

cultural institutions, including the Critish 6useum,  Dational 4allery,  Tate 6odern, Critish 

ibrary  and 80 >est End  theatres.$22&  The ondon Underground  is the oldest undergroundrail"ay net"or# in the "orld.$28&$2%&

History

The etymology of London  is uncertain.$23& It is an ancient name, found in sources from the *nd

century. It is recorded c. )*) as  Londinium, "hich points to Romano+Critish  origin.$23&  Theearliest attempted e9planation, no" disregarded, is attributed to 4eoffrey of 6onmouth  in

 Historia Regum Britanniae.$23& This had it that the name originated from a supposed King ud,

"ho had allegedly ta#en over the city and named it Kaerlud .$21&

8/13/2019 London is the Capital City of England and of the United Kingdom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/london-is-the-capital-city-of-england-and-of-the-united-kingdom 2/5

rom )55, it "as commonly accepted that the name "as of (eltic  origin and meant  place

belonging to a man called *LondinosA this e9planation has since been re!ected. $23& Richard (oates 

 put for"ard an e9planation in )5 that it is derived from the pre+(eltic <ld European *(p)lowonida, meaning 'river too "ide to ford', and suggested that this "as a name given to the

 part of the River Thames "hich flo"s through ondonA from this, the settlement gained the

(eltic form of its name, *LowonidonjonA$25&

 this reuires uite a serious amendment ho"ever.The ultimate difficulty lies in reconciling the atin form  Londinium "ith the modern >elsh

 Llundain, "hich should demand a form *(h)lōndinion -as opposed to FlondGnion/, from earlier

*loundiniom. The possibility cannot be ruled out that the >elsh name "as borro"ed bac# infrom English at a later date, and thus cannot be used as a basis from "hich to reconstruct the

original name.

Until )55, the name HondonH officially only applied to the (ity of ondon  but since then it has

also referred to the (ounty of ondon and no" 4reater ondon.$3&

Prehistory and antiquity

T"o recent discoveries indicate probable very early settlements near the Thames in the ondonarea. In ), the remains of a Cronze 7ge bridge "ere found on the foreshore north of au9hall 

Cridge.$2&  This bridge either crossed the Thames, or "ent to a -lost/ island in the river.

:endrology dated the timbers to )%00C(.$2& In *0)0 the foundations of a large timber structure,dated to 8%00C(, "ere found on the Thames foreshore, south of au9hall Cridge.$80&  The

function of the mesolithic structure is not #no"n. Coth structures are on South Can#, at a natural

crossing point "here the River Effra flo"s into the River Thames.$80&

7lthough there is evidence of scattered  Crythonic  settlements in the area, the first ma!orsettlement "as founded by the Romans in 82 7:.$8)& This lasted for !ust seventeen years and

around 3), the Iceni tribe led by Jueen Coudica stormed it, burning it to the ground.$8*&

 The ne9t,heavily planned, incarnation of ondinium prospered and superseded (olchester  as the capital of

the Roman province of Critannia in )00. 7t its height during the *nd century, Roman ondonhad a population of around 30,000.

Anglo-Saxon London

>ith the collapse of Roman rule in the early %th century, ondon ceased to be a capital and the

"alled city of ondinium "as effectively abandoned, although Roman civilisation hung on in the

St 6artin+in+the+ields area until around 8%0.$82& rom around %00, an 7nglo+Sa9on settlement

#no"n as unden"ic developed in the same area, slightly to the "est of the old Roman city. $88&

Cy about 350, it had revived sufficiently to become a ma!or port, although there is little evidenceof large+scale production of goods. rom the 5*0s the to"n declined because of repeated i#ing

attac#s, and the Anglo-a!on "hronicle recorded that it "as HrefoundedH by 7lfred the 4reat in553. 7rchaeological research sho"s that this involved abandonment of unden"ic and a revival

of life and trade "ithin the old Roman "alls. ondon then gre" slo"ly until about %0, after

"hich activity increased dramatically.$8%&

8/13/2019 London is the Capital City of England and of the United Kingdom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/london-is-the-capital-city-of-england-and-of-the-united-kingdom 3/5

Cy the ))th century, ondon "as beyond all comparison the largest to"n in England.

>estminster 7bbey, rebuilt in the Romanesue style by King Ed"ard the (onfessor , "as one of

the grandest churches in Europe. >inchester  had previously been the capital of 7nglo+Sa9onEngland, but from this time on, ondon became the main forum for foreign traders and the base

for defence in time of "ar. In the vie" of ran# Stenton@ HIt had the resources, and it "as rapidly

developing the dignity and the political self+consciousness appropriate to a national capital.H$83&$81&

Middle Ages

ollo"ing his victory in the Cattle of ?astings, >illiam, :u#e of Dormandy, "as cro"ned King of England  in the ne"ly finished >estminster 7bbey on (hristmas :ay )033. $85&  >illiam

constructed the To"er of ondon, the first of the many Dorman castles in England to be rebuilt

in stone, in the southeastern corner of the city, to intimidate the native inhabitants.$8& In )01,>illiam II began the building of >estminster ?all, close by the abbey of the same name. The

hall became the basis of a ne" ;alace of >estminster .$%0&$%)&

:uring the )*th century, the institutions of central government, "hich had hitherto accompaniedthe royal English court as it moved around the country, gre" in size and sophistication and became increasingly fi9ed in one place. In most cases this "as >estminster, although the royal

treasury, having been moved from >inchester, came to rest in the To"er. >hile the (ity of  

>estminster  developed into a true capital in governmental terms, its distinct neighbour, the (ityof ondon, remained England's largest city and principal commercial centre, and it flourished

under its o"n uniue administration, the (orporation of ondon. In ))00, its population "as

around )5,000A by )200 it had gro"n to nearly )00,000.$%*&

:isaster struc# during the Clac# :eath in the mid+)8th century, "hen ondon lost nearly a thirdof its population.$%2& ondon "as the focus of the ;easants' Revolt in )25).$%8&

Early modern

:uring the Tudor period the Reformation produced a gradual shift to ;rotestantism, "ith muchof ondon passing from church to private o"nership.$%%& The traffic in "oollen  cloths shipped

undyed and undressed from ondon to the nearby shores of the o" (ountries "here it "as

considered indespensable.$%3& Cut the tentacles of English maritime enterprise hardly e9tended beyond the seas of north+"est Europe. The commercial route to Italy and the 6editerranean Sea 

normally lay through  7nt"erp  and over the 7lpsA any ships passing through the Strait of  

4ibraltar   to or from England "ere li#ely to be Italian or Ragusan. Upon the re+opening of the

 Detherlands  to English shipping in anuary )%3% there at once ensued a strong outburst of

commercial activity.$%1&

 The Royal E9change "as founded.$%5&

 6ercantilism gre" and monopolytrading companies such as the East India (ompany "ere established, "ith trade e9panding to the

 De" >orld. ondon became the principal Dorth Sea port, "ith migrants arriving from Englandand abroad. The population rose from an estimated %0,000 in )%20 to about **%,000 in )30%. $%%&

In the )3th century >illiam Sha#espeare and his contemporaries lived in ondon at a time of

hostility to the development of the theatre. Cy the end of the Tudor period in )302, ondon "as

still very compact. There "as an assassination attempt on ames I  in >estminster, through the

8/13/2019 London is the Capital City of England and of the United Kingdom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/london-is-the-capital-city-of-england-and-of-the-united-kingdom 4/5

4unpo"der ;lot  on % Dovember )30%.$%&  ondon "as  plagued by disease in the early )1th

century,$30& culminating in the 4reat ;lague of )33%L)333, "hich #illed up to )00,000 people, or

a fifth of the population.$3)&

The  4reat ire of ondon bro#e out in )333 in ;udding ane in the city and uic#ly s"ept

through the "ooden buildings.$3*&

 Rebuilding too# over ten years and "as supervised by Robert ?oo#e$32&  $38&  $3%&  as Surveyor of ondon.$33&  In )105  (hristopher >ren's masterpiece, St ;aul's 

(athedral "as completed. :uring the 4eorgian era ne" districts such as 6ayfair  "ere formed inthe "estA and ne" bridges over the Thames encouraged development in South ondon. In the

east, the ;ort of ondon e9panded do"nstream.

In )13*, 4eorge III  acuired Cuc#ingham ?ouse  and it "as enlarged over the ne9t 1% years.:uring the )5th century, ondon "as dogged by crime and the Co" Street Runners  "ere

established in )1%0 as a professional police force. $31&  In total, more than *00 offences "ere

 punishable by death,$35& and "omen and children "ere hanged for petty theft. $3& <ver 18 per cent

of children born in ondon died before they "ere five. $10&  The coffeehouse  became a popular

 place to debate ideas, "ith gro"ing literacy and the development of the printing press ma#ingne"s "idely availableA and leet Street  became the centre of the Critish press.

7ccording to Samuel ohnson@

Mou find no man, at all intellectual, "ho is "illing to leave ondon. Do, Sir, "hen a man is tiredof ondon, he is tired of lifeA for there is in ondon all that life can afford.

 N Samuel ohnson, )111$1)&

Late modern and contemporary

ondon "as the "orld's largest city from about )52) to )*%.$1*&  ondon's overcro"ded

conditions led to cholera  epidemics,$12& claiming )8,000 lives in )585, and 3,000 in )533. $18&

Rising traffic congestion led to the creation of the "orld's first local urban rail net"or#. The6etropolitan Coard of >or#s oversa" infrastructure e9pansion in the capital and some of the

surrounding countiesA it "as abolished in )55 "hen the ondon (ounty (ouncil "as created out

of those areas of the counties surrounding the capital. ondon "as bombed by the 4ermans during the irst >orld >ar  "hile during the Second >orld >ar the Clitz and other bombing by

the 4erman Lu#twa##e #illed over 20,000 ondoners and destroyed large tracts of housing and

other buildings across the city. Immediately after the "ar, the )85 Summer <lympics "ere held

at the original >embley Stadium, at a time "hen ondon had barely recovered from the "ar.

In )%), the estival of Critain "as held on the South Can# . The 4reat Smog of )%* led to the

(lean 7ir 7ct )%3, "hich ended the H pea soup fogsH for "hich ondon had been notorious.

rom the )80s on"ards, ondon became home to a large number of immigrants, largely from(ommon"ealth countries such as amaica, India, Cangladesh and ;a#istan, ma#ing ondon one

of the most diverse cities in Europe.

8/13/2019 London is the Capital City of England and of the United Kingdom

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/london-is-the-capital-city-of-england-and-of-the-united-kingdom 5/5

;rimarily starting in the mid+)30s, ondon became a centre for the "orld"ide youth culture,

e9emplified by the S"inging ondon subculture associated "ith the King's Road, (helsea and

(arnaby Street.  The role of trendsetter "as revived during the  pun#  era. In )3% ondon's political boundaries "ere e9panded to ta#e into account the gro"th of the urban area and a ne"

4reater ondon (ouncil  "as created. :uring The Troubles  in Dorthern Ireland, ondon "as

sub!ected to bombing attac#s by the ;rovisional IR7. Racial ineuality "as highlighted by the)5) Cri9ton riot. 4reater ondon's population declined steadily in the decades after the Second

>orld >ar, from an estimated pea# of 5.3 million in )2 to around 3.5 million in the )50s.

The principal ports for ondon moved do"nstream to eli9sto"e and  Tilbury, "ith the ondon :oc#lands area becoming a focus for regeneration as the (anary >harf  development. This "as

 borne out of ondon's ever+increasing role as a ma!or international financial centre during the

)50s.

The Thames Carrier  "as completed in the )50s to protect ondon against tidal surges from the Dorth Sea. The 4reater ondon (ouncil "as abolished in )53, "hich left ondon as the only

large metropolis in the "orld "ithout a central administration. In *000, ondon+"ide

government "as restored, "ith the creation of the 4reater ondon 7uthority. To celebrate thestart of the *)st century, the 6illennium :ome,  ondon Eye  and 6illennium Cridge  "ere

constructed. <n 3 uly *00% ondon "as a"arded the *0)* Summer <lympics, ma#ing ondon

the first city to stage the <lympic 4ames three times.$1%&