London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom and has been a major settlement for over two millennia. Londinium as it was called by the Romans, was founded about four years after the invasion of Britain in AD 43, at its height in the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of roughly 60,000 inhabitants. London is one of the world’s most important global cities and has been called: the world’s most desirable, most influential, most expensive and sustainable city. It exerts a considerable influence upon the arts, commerce, entertainment, fashion, finance and media. The city has a diverse range of people and cultures, as a result more than 300 languages are spoken across the metropolitan area. The estimated population of London in mid-2018 was 8,908,081, making it the third-most populous city in Europe.
London is home to many museums, theatres, galleries, and other institutions. Most of the museums are free of admission charges and are major tourist attractions.
Among the the most famous are: the British Museum, located in the renowned area of Bloomsbury. It was established in 1753 and it exhibits 7 million artefacts from around the world,these include: antiquities, art work and natural history specimens. Then there is the Natural History museum, with it’s 80 million items that compose the five main collections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. Next door there is the Science Museum that holds a collection of over 300,000 items, among which Stephenson’s famous Rocket Puffing Billy (the oldest surviving steam locomotive) and among other things the first jet engine, the Apollo 10 command module as well as hundreds of interactive exhibits. Lastly but not least, there is the Victoria and Albert Museum with it’s 145 galleries that span 5000 years of worldwide art and craftsmanship, in all it’s shapes and forms. The collection is considered to be one of the most comprehensive in the world. London is often called one of the “greenest city” in Europe with 35,000 acres of public parks, woodlands and gardens. The largest parks in the central area of London are Hyde Park and its neighbour Kensington Gardens. Hyde Park is popular for sports, and sometimes hosts open-air concerts. Nearby there are the smaller Royal Parks, Green Park and St Jameses’s Park in the west and Regent’s Park to the north. Regent’s Park contains the London Zoo, which is one of the world’s oldest scientific zoos. Primrose Hill, immediately to the north of Regent’s Park is a popular spot, from which to view the city skyline.
Leisure time activities, play a major role in the life and economy of London, with many bars, restaurants, cinemas and theatres. These are mainly concentrated in the West End also known as the theatre district close to Leicester square and Piccadilly Circus. Nearby there is Soho, with it’s many bars and clubs and just opposite there is the famous Chinatown and its great cussine. With so much to offer, it is no surprise that London is is one of the leading tourist destinations in the world. Visited by over 65 million tourists per year.