Geography/World City/London

London
Capital of England and the United
Kingdom
London is located in the South East of England
on the Thames river. It is at least two thousand
years old. It was founded by the Romans.
London is an important world city for several
reasons. It is the capital city of England and the
United Kingdom. It is the largest city in the
United Kingdom and the ninth largest in the
world.

London is a world cultural capital. It plays an important role in many areas.

Some are art, business, education, entertainment, fashion, media, tourism,
transport. It is one of the top two financial centers in the world.

London has the third most international visitors in the world. It is the most
visited city in Europe. Heathrow is one of the world's busiest airports.
London has 43 universities. As the host of the 2012 Summer Olympic
Games, it is the first city in the world to host the games three times.

Finance is the largest industry in London. There are over 480 foreign banks
in London, more than any other city in the world. There are also many
media companies in London. The BBC is there. Other broadcasters and
newspapers have headquarters there.

Greater London has an area of 1,583 square kilometers (611 mi2). Its
population was 7,825,200 in 2010. London’s residents come from a variety
of peoples and cultures. English is London’s official language, but more
than 300 languages are spoken there.

History
London has a long history. It was founded by the Romans in 43 AD. Around
the year 61, it was attacked by the Iceni, a British tribe. They burned it to
the ground. The city was rebuilt and became the capital of the Roman
province of Britannia in 100. They named it Londinium. During the 2nd
century, about 60,000 people lived there.

Rome lost control in the 5th century and London was abandoned. In the 6th
century, an Anglo-Saxon town named Lundenwic was built to the west of
the old Roman city. It reached a population of around 10,000. Because of

©2012abcteach.com
Geography/World City/London

Name___________________________________________________ Date_________

Viking attacks in the 9th century, the town was moved to the original
location of Londinium, because it had walls that made it easier to defend.

Trade and finance became more important to London during the Tudor
period (1485-1603). Trade expanded to the New World and large trading
companies such as the East India Company were created. The population
of London grew from 50,000 in 1530 to 225,000 in 1605.

Like any big city, London has had plagues and catastrophes. The Great
Plague of 1665–1666 killed up to 100,000 people, a fifth of the population.
The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 and roared through the city’s
wooden buildings. Rebuilding took over ten years.

London was the world's largest city between about 1831 and 1925.
Overcrowding led to cholera epidemics, which killed 14,000 in 1848, and
6,000 in 1866. The world’s first urban rail network was built in London to
help solve the city’s problem with traffic congestion.

Many immigrants came to London beginning in the 1940s. Most of them

were from Commonwealth countries (former British colonies) such as
Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Because of this, London is a
very diverse city.

In the mid-1960s, London became a famous center for its youth culture.
The “Swinging London” subculture became famous around the world.
London was also a trendsetter during the punk era of the 1970s and 1980s.

In 2009 the ten most-visited attractions in London were: the British

Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Natural History Museum, London
Eye, Science Museum, Tower of London, National Maritime Museum,
Victoria and Albert Museum, and Madame
Tussaud’s wax museum.

Other famous London landmarks include

Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's
Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and
Wembley Stadium. London is also home to many
and other cultural institutions.

©2012abcteach.com
Geography/World City/London

Name___________________________________________________ Date_________

Spotlight – Transportation
London is a busy city with millions of visitors every year. It has five
international airports. Heathrow is the busiest airport in the world. London
has excellent public transport. So it is no surprise that three of its most
famous features involve transportation: red double-decker buses, black
taxis and the Underground.

The London Underground: also known as the Tube. It is the oldest, and
second longest subway system in the world (after Shanghai). It first opened
in 1863 to relieve horse and buggy traffic on the streets of London. It has
270 stations. Over three million journeys are made on the Underground
network every day. £7 billion (about $11 billion) of improvements are
planned to get ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

London's bus network is one of the world’s biggest. The bus system runs
24 hours a day. It has 8,000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million daily
passenger journeys. Its red double-decker buses are world famous.

Black Cabs: London’s taxi cabs used to be all black, and are called black
cabs, although they now come in other colors. There are about 21,000
black cabs in London. London cab drivers have to pass a test called The
Knowledge. They must prove that they know enough about London’s
streets and geography. The Knowledge was started in 1865. It is the
world's toughest test for taxi drivers.
©2012abcteach.com
Geography/World City/London

Name___________________________________________________ Date_________

Choose the best answer to each question below.

1. How long have people lived in London?

a. At least 10,000 years
b. About 2,000 years
c. 500 years
d. 200 years
2. What is the population of London?
a. About 7,825,200
b. Under 6 million
c. More than 15 million
d. The article does not say.

3. What is the Thames?

a. A museum
b. An airport
c. A mountain
d. A river

4. How many languages are spoken in London?

a. 1
b. 30
c. 100
d. 300
5. London is the first city to do what?
a. Be built on a river
b. Be moved
c. Host the Olympics three times
d. Suffer a fire
6. Why was an urban rail network built in London?
a. Because of a flood
b. Because of traffic problems
c. Because the King ordered it
d. There was a plague

©2012abcteach.com
Geography/World City/London

Name___________________________________________________ Date_________

Write complete sentences to answer the questions below.

1. Imagine you are visiting London. What sites would you want to see
most? Why?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

2. Tell how the story of London moving to escape Viking raids reminds
you of an experience you have had.
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
3. After reading the story what do you think is meant by media?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

4. What did you learn about London that you did not know? How will you
use that new information?
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

©2012abcteach.com
Geography/World City/London

Name___________________________________________________ Date_________

Answers to LONDON

Multiple-choice questions
1. b
2. a
3. d
4. d
5. c
6. b

Short-answer questions
1. Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
2. Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.
3. Media = television and radio broadcasting, newspapers,
magazines, publishing
4. Answers will vary. Accept logical, realistic answers.

©2012abcteach.com