LONDON

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and one of the biggest cities in the world. In fact, Greater London has a population of over eight million people.

Behind the capital of the United Kingdom, the city houses the residence of the Queen (Buckingham Palace), and the Houses of Parliament with their famous clock, Big Ben. Near the Houses of Parliament there is Downing Street, where (at number 10) there is the residence of the Prime Minister .

Near the Houses of Parliament there is Westminster Abbey, a beautiful church which contains the tombs of England' s sovereigns and the most important poets.

Trafalgar Square is an important tourist spot in London, famous for its many pigeons, two fountains and the statue of Admiral Nelson on top of a very high column. In the square there is also the National Gallery which contains paintings by various famous artists. Not very far from Trafalgar Square there is Piccadilly Circus with many theatres and cinemas around. In that area there are also a lot of shops, especially situated in Oxford Street. 

London is very rich in parks; the largest is Hyde Park with its lake, the Serpentine, where you can swim and sail. In the park people can walk, ride horses, play and relax. In a part of the park, Speaker' s Comer, every Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning you can listen to anyone making speeches about what they like, generally religion and politics.

Another important London church is St. Paul' s, built by Sir Christopher Wren, a famous architect, in the 17th century .

Near this church there is the City, which is the financial part of London where the Stock Exchange and the Bank of England are situated. Another important tourist spot is the Tower of London, an old building which was used for different purposes during the centuries: royal residence, fortress, prison, and, at the moment, museum. In it there is the famous collection of the Crown Jewels. Near the Tower there is Tower Bridge, which can open to let ships pass. London is also rich in other museums, such as the British Museum, which houses many important monuments and documents, like the Rosetta Stone, the Magna Charta and Egyptian mummies. An important street in London is Fleet Street where there are the headquarters of the most important British newspapers. Another famous street is Portobello Road, where every Saturday an open-air market particularly important for antiques and second-hand clothes takes place.

Did you know

London is really three cities: the City of London the City of Westminster , the City of Southwark. London has got a population of about 7 million people. That' s 13% of Britain' s population. London stand on the river Thames. There are 27 bridges over the Thames in London and 8 tunnels under the river. London is 46 kilometres from north to south and 58 kilometres from east to west.