London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom.

Its situated in the South East of England with a population of 14 million people.

London is one of the oldest cities in the world, and it was founded by the Romans in 43 A.D. and called Londinium.

Since 1965 Greater London has been divided into 32 districts in addition to the ancient City of London.

 Thames flows through London and divides the city in two parts. The River Thames is 338 km long. It is 245 m wide here. Even big seaships can visit London.

THE CITY OF LONDON is the worlds largest financial centre alongside New York. It is home to the London stock Exchange and Lloyds of London.

London public transport include: London Underground, London Buses, River Services and the National Rail.

The Underground is also called tube, because of the cylindrical shape of the tunnels. It has 276 stations and runs over 243 miles (408km) of line, making it the longest railway in the world. It is the oldest one, too, because it started in 1863 as the METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.

The buses known as the red double decker buses and rail network in London is very well developed, frequent and efficient. With the red phone box, The red double decker bus is one of the symbols of the city, where you can sit downstairs and upstairs.

The parks are a real part of the Londoners life. People often have lunch in the parks, spend their free time and children can enjoy themselves in many pools and little lakes. The Royal parks in the west are HYDE PARK, ST JAMESS PARK, GREEN PARK, KENSINGTON GARDENS; in the North there is REGENTS PARK. In the suburb we can find GREENWICH PARK, BUSHY PARK AND RICHMOND PARK.

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in the central London, where there are many concerts each year; it is famous for its Speakers Corner, in which everyone can do lawful public speaking. Its divided by the Serpentine Lake, where you can have a swim or go rowing

St. James Park is the oldest Royal Park in London and it is surrounded by three palaces. The most ancient one is Westminster Palace, but there are St. James Palace and of course, the best known Buckingham Palace, too.

Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in South East London.

This big palace is the most famous building in the world the British Parliament. The building is 280 metres long. There are more than 1000 rooms. The palace is where the two Houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Houses of Commons and Lords) meet for political purposes. The oldest part of the building dates back to 1907.

Big Ben isnt the clock on the tower, but just the bell inside it. People all over the world can hear its sound on the radio and TV programmes. Its always right, never too fast or too slow. There is some debate over why Big Ben is called Big Ben. Some believe it was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Commissioner of Works in 1858, when the tower was completed. Others believe it was named after boxing's English Heavyweight Champion Benjamin Caunt.

The Tower of London is a historic tower in the centre of London, near the river Thames. The Towers primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison. Many prisoners were executed in this tower, for example Anne Boleyn and Thomas More.

 The Towers greatest treasure is the Imperial State Crown. There are 2 800 diamonds on it.

 The guards of the Tower are called Beefeaters. The legend says that if the ravens leave, the Tower and the country will fall.

The Tower Bridge is a bridge close to the Tower of London which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol in London, and its situated over the River Thames.

Buckingham Palace is the official home of the British Monarch in London. It was built in 1703. There is a great collection of paintings. When the flag is put up on the pole, it means that the Monarch is in the palace. It is also a famous tourist attraction because of the Queens Royal guards.

 Every morning at half past

eleven people all over the world come to see the changing of the guards, which ends at noon. All the guards taking part in the ceremony are dressed in traditional red tunics and bearskin hats, and the ceremony is set to music.

The London Eye, also known as the Millennium wheel was built in 1999, and since then it is the biggest observation wheel in the world. It is 170m high and you can see the beautiful London skyline from the top.

Westminster Abbey was begun by Henry III in 1245, but its oldest part dates back to 1050. Its one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country with the medieval shrine of an AngloSaxon saint still at its heart. It is next to the Houses of Parliament, in the Westminster neighbourhood of London All English kings have been crowned and buried in the church since 1308

Many important people are buried here, too, such as Shakespeare and Dickens(in the so-called Poets Corner), Darwin.
William and Kate married here on April 29, 2011

 It was built between 1895 and 1903. This is the seat of the Cardinal Archbishop and the leading Roman Catholic Church in England. Its bell tower is 84 metres high.

St.Pauls Cathedral is a famous building too. Prince Charles and Princess Diana married here in 1981. It is one of the most visited sites of the city of London. It dates back to the XVII century because the old one was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The new building was designed by Christopher Wren and completed in 1708, in a Renaissance style, but its cross-shape is medieval: it has got a beautiful dome at the top.

THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM Its a science museum full of interesting exhibitions about the Earth and its inhabitants, even dinosaurs species.

The famous Diplodocus at the Natural History Museum, London.

The British Museum contains Egyptian collections of mummified skeletons found in the Pyramids, Greek sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens and two of the four existing original copies of the Magna Carta(1215)

The National Gallery is one of the most important art galleries in the world. It is in Trafalgar Square and it contains a collection of beautiful paintings from the XIII century to the XIX century. It also includes a collection of Italian paintings by Michelangelo, Caravaggio and Leonardo.

Madame Tussauds is a museum in which you can visit wax sculptures of the worlds most famous people of past and present times.It was created by Marie Tussauds in 1835. Nowadays it is one of the most visited places in London, because a lot of tourists take pictures near the wax sculptures, sometimes looking like the real famous people.

Some of them were built as public open spaces, like TRAFALGAR SQUARE but most of them originally had private communal gardens for the inhabitants of the nearby houses. Apart from TRAFALGAR SQUARE, we can remember
PARLIAMENT SQUARE, an open green area on the north-western side of the

Westminster Palace, created to improve traffic flows. There are statues of some important people like Churchill, Lincoln and recently one of Mandela;
LEICESTER SQUARE: built in 1635 by the Earl of Leicester it is now

pedestrianized. There is a small park there with a statue of Shakespeare sourrounded by Dolphins. The film premieres are done here.
COVENT GARDEN, it was a market until 1974, then it has been transformed in a

pedestrian area.

Built in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson to celebrate his victory against Napoleon in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 Every winter there is a big Christmas tree which is a gift from Norway in the middle of the square. On New Years Eve people gather around the tree. In the middle of the square there is Admiral Nelsons Column, with his statue on the top. It is sourrounded by four lions.

There are a lot of covered, outdoor and street markets, they are the mirror of the city life and Londons history. PORTOBELLO AND PETTICOAT are the most famous ones , with many antiquarians and junk dealers; PORTOBELLO is in Notting Hill it is a colourful, dynamic stretch of London. For those who have the patience to search, there are some fantastic bargains. PETTICOAT LANE is London's world famous Sunday market and sells mainly clothes for men, women and children. COVENT GARDEN has been a famous fruit, flowers and vegetables market until 1974, when it was transformed in a pedestrian square with cafs, shops, art galleries, restaurants, stalls and street entertainers. CAMDEN MARKET is for young people, and you can find music, clothes and jewellery in it; LEADENHALL MARKET is a famous food market in the City. It dates back to the XIV century. Its buildings are attractive with their roofs painted, and the cobbled floor. BRICK LANE MARKET : you can find from antique books to ornaments here; RIVERSIDE WALK MARKET is the ideal place to find good books, magazines, maps.

Piccadilly Circus is a famous road junction and public space of Londons West End in the City of Westminster. It was built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly.

 OXFORD STRRET is Europes largest shopping street, it

has got an extent of a mile and a half from Marble Arch to Hyde Park REGENT STREET it is full of elegant buildings, art galleries. It was for rich people. CARNABY STREET, in the Soho district of London, you can find clothes shops and music shops here; it is famous because The Beatles records could be bought here. There is a large banner at the entrance, CARNABY STREET WELCOMES THE WORLD; FLEET STREET It is named after the river FLEET and it runs from the City to Westminster. It was an important site for newspapers and journalists in the past. Nowadays there are Law firms and Banks here.

 Theatres are an important part of life in London.

Most of London best known theatres are in the West-End, like

THE LONDON PALLADIUM, The faade dates back to the 19th century. Formerly it was a wooden building, then it becomes a circus venue that included an aquatic area. Next it became a skating rink with real ice. In the 60s the theatre started out as The Palladium, a premier venue for variety performances.
is an opera house. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. Originally called the Theatre Royal, it served primarily as a playhouse for the first hundred years of its history. In 1734, the first ballet was presented.

THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE

 HARRODS is an

upmarket department store located in Knightsbridge.

Starting as a small grocery store

SELFRIDGES
The UK's second-biggest shop, it is a little over half the Harrods size. It is dated 1909 and it is in Oxford Street. It is a very elegant department store, with its windows and architectural excellence and it is a famous tourist destination

in 1834, now it occupies a 5-acre of selling space in over 330 departments making it the biggest department store in Europe. The Harrods motto is Omnia Omnibus UbiqueAll Things for All People, Everywhere. It is famous for its quality, but because it is expensive, too.