London Facts

London is the capital of the United Kingdom and its largest city by far, with a population of about 7.2 million.
People have settled here for thousands of years, but the city of London began with the Roman city of Londinium.
Throughout the 1800s London was the world’s biggest city, with a million people, and the hub of the world’s largest empire, the British Empire.
London is based on two ancient cities: the City of London, which developed from the Roman and Saxon towns, and Westminster, which developed around the palaces of English kings around 1000 years ago.
London has 500,000 factory workers, but most people work in services, such as publishing and other media. London is one of the world’s major finance centers.
Eight million tourists visit London each year.
London’s tallest building is 244 m Canary Wharf tower.
The London Eye is the biggest wheel in the world, giving people a bird’s eye view over London.
London’s Houses of Parliament and its tower with its bell Big Ben were built in 1858 after a fire destroyed an earlier building.
London’s oldest large buildings are the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, both 1000 years old. The Tower of London was built for William the Conqueror.

This entry is filed under Interesting Facts.