I.

OTHER ALTERNATIVE NAMES:

- Home of the Big Ben (Big Ben is the most iconic landmark in London)

- Shoreditch (Shoreditch is a district in London located in the east end.)

- The Great Wen (wen = sebaceous cyst) (– disparaging nickname for London. The term was
coined in the 1820s by William Cobbett, the radical pamphleteer and champion of rural England.
Cobbett saw the rapidly growing city as a pathological swelling on the face of the nation.)

- Reykjavik (another disparaging nickname for London - Reykjavik is the capital of

Iceland. Their banking system suffered a substantial financial crisis between 2008 and
2011. According to some economists, the United Kingdom had the same banking system at
that time.)

- The Big Smoke/ The Old Smoke/ The Smoke (air pollution in London regularly gave
rise to pea soup fogs, most notably the Great Smog of 1952, and a nickname that persists to
this day.)

- The Square Mile (The City of London is called The Square Mile in reference to as a
financial hub.)

- The Swinging City (The term “Swinging” is used for the sense of fashion that flourished a
lot during the cultural revolution.)

- Where Royalty Lives (London is a residence of the British Royal Family that comprises of
Queen Elizabeth 2 and her close relations.)

II. ORIGIN:

- The area was originally settled by early hunter gatherers around 6,000 B.C., and
researchers have found evidence of Bronze Age bridges and Iron Age forts near the
River Thames.
 - Ancient Romans founded a port and trading settlement called Londinium in 43
A.D., and a few years later a bridge was constructed across the Thames to facilitate
commerce and troop movements. 

III. 10 HISTORICAL EVENTS THAT SHAPED LONDON

1. The city of London was founded by the Romans and their rule extended from 43 AD to the
fifth century AD, when the Empire fell.
2. The tower of London was first built in 1078 by the Norman emperor, William the
Conqueror to demonstrate the strength of his rule to the British people.
3. Bubonic plague sporadically threatened Londoners from 1347-1665.
4. The Great Fire of London burned nearly 70% of the city in 1666.
5. In 1863, London introduced the world’s first underground railway.
6. Suffragettes stood their ground at the Houses of Parliament in 1907
7. Bombing raids during WWI and WWII drastically changed London’s landscape.
8. In 1948, the Empire Windrush brought British citizens from the Caribbean to London,
prompting a new conversation about ‘Britishness’
9. A series of coordinated Tube bombings on 7 July 2005 had the potential to fracture
London’s sense of community.
10. The 2012 Olympic Games made London shine as an international metropolis.
IV. GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES:
1. Location:

- London is the largest urban area and capital city of the United Kingdom. It is located in

the southeast of Great Britain, Standing on the River Thames and located in South England,
London covers 1,579 square km (610 sq. mi).

- The River Thames cuts London in half, creating northern and southern halves.

- Because the city was built on the flood plain of the River Thames, London resulted to being
a lowland, meaning the city is generally flat. Much of England's population is concentrated in
London. 

2. Climate:

- London has a temperate oceanic climate and is one of the warmest places in the UK due to the
heat stored in buildings and pavement.
- Winter in London: from December to March. Coldest Month: January (42 F / 5 C)

- Summer in London: The summers are usually warm and sometimes can be hot: July and
August. Hottest Month: July (66 F / 19 C)

- Wettest Month: November (2.8 inches) in Spring.

=> Rain is frequent during the whole year, so it’s a good idea to always carry an umbrella or
raincoat when visiting the city.

=> The best time to visit London is March through May when the temperatures are mild and
the city's parks are green and blooming.

V. LONDON HAS A LOCAL, REGIONAL AND EVEN WORLD IMPORTANCE.

1. Internal and international accessibility - London has great importance due to its high
connectivity. It has an orbital motorway (M25) and a series of motorways linking it with the
other major centres in the UK (M1 to Leeds, M4 to Bristol and the M2 to Dover) and the rail
network with major rail termini: Waterloo and Paddington; 5 international airports and the
business airport of Heathrow has five terminals. It is also the terminus of the international
Eurostar rail service.

The M25 is one of the most important roads in Britain and one of the busiest. 

Leed: the UK’s third biggest city.

Bristol: one of the top ten most visited cities by international and domestic tourists in the UK,
have the strongest regional market in the UK.

Dover: Dover is the UK’s busiest passenger port and the busiest roll-on roll-off ferry port in
Europe. 

2. World network of financial centres - London has become the international financial centre
for Europe and is one of three world financial cities alongside New York and Tokyo. Many
global banks have headquarters here.

3. Transnational corporations (TNCs) - London has become the place where TNCs prefer to
locate. Of the 500 transnational companies in the UK, 271 have their headquarters in London
and a further 28% are located along the M4 corridor. This provides opportunities for other
business services to locate near their clients.
 The M4 corridor is an area in the United Kingdom adjacent to the M4 motorway, which runs
from London to South Wales.[1] It is a major high-technology hub
including Amazon, Dell, Huawei, LG, Microsoft,  Panasonic, SAP, etc. For this reason this part
of the M4 corridor is sometimes described as England's "Silicon Valley".
VI. HOW PEOPLE GOT TO KNOW ABOUT LONDON?
32 London boroughs. 
Lon don Fashion week – Big 4 Fashion Weeks
Famous destinations:
- The London Eye:
- Big Ben:
- Tower Bridge:
- River Thames:
- Sherlock Holmes Museum at 221b Baker Street:
- Harrods - The famous Knightsbridge store:  
- Buckingham Palace:
- The Houses of Parliament—also known as the Palace of Westminster
- Soccer: Wembley Stadium (national football team), Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham
Hotspur), Emirates Stadium (arsenal), Stanford Bridge (Chelsea)
- Harry Potter: Warner Bros. Studio Tour London The Making of Harry Potter, visit King's Cross
Station to “find” Platform 9 ¾
- Diagon Alley - can be found at 42 Bull’s Head Passage
- Millennium Bridge:
- SEA LIFE London.: 
- Shakespeare’s Globe:
Celebrity:
- The royal family
*Hometown of:
- Author: William Shakespeare 
- Music: Adele, Amy Winehouse, David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Coldplay
- Actor/ actress: Charlie Chaplin, Tom Hardy, Elizabeth Taylor, Tome Hiddleston, Keira
Knightley, Tom Felton, Anna Wintour, Emilia Clarke
- Billionaire: Richard Branson
- Model: Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss
VI. SIX THINGS MUST DO IN LONDON
- try red double decker bus: the symbol of London
- make a call at red phone booth: While the age of the smartphone might render these
classics obsolete in one sense, they are an ingrained part of British culture. It’ll be a long
time before the red telephone box loses its novelty factor.
- shop at Boots: the nation’s chemist: a vast selection of cosmetics, beauty products,
fragrances, toiletries and healthcare products, with friendly, expert staff on hand to help
you find what you need. There’s a great range of snacks for lunchtime too – plus useful
services like photograph processing and an optician.
- enjoy afternoon tea at Bea’s: The Signature Afternoon Tea includes baked goods
featuring Bea's elaborate signature design, including choux buns filled with strawberry
creme, mini lemon berry tarts, pistachio & raspberry loaves and a decadent chocolate
mousse brownie covered with gold lustre dust.
- check in at Platform 9 ¾: Take your photo on Platform 9¾ and enter the magical shop
inside it, at King's Cross Station in Central London, where Harry's big wizard adventure
began, reminiscent of Ollivander's wand shop from the Harry Potter books.
- visit Harrods Egyptian Escalator:
The most significant of the modern ‘concept interiors’, with the original elevator door
openings at each level retained as feature balconies. Columns have reliefs of Egyptian
warriors, and cast glass lotus capitals with concealed lighting. At 5th floor level columns
have mask capitals, tops of walls lined with deep relief frieze of procession of warriors
and chariots, deep coved ceiling with lotus leaf cornices, and recessed centre with reliefs
of lotus leaves, stars and animals on a blank background