London

With a population of nearly 9 million, London is not only the capital but also the largest metropolis in England and the United Kingdom. The city of London, England, has been a major population center for almost 2000 years. It is located on the Thames River in south-east England, at the beginning of an estuary that extends for 50 miles (80 kilometers) to the North Sea.  The City of London, the original settlement and modern financial hub, dates back to Roman times when it was known as Londinium and now lies within boundaries largely unchanged since medieval times. Westminster, a district to the west of the City of London, has been the seat of administration and parliament for hundreds of years. Since the 19th century, "London" has also been used to refer to the metropolitan area around this center, which is called Greater London and is mostly made up of the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire and is managed by the Greater London Authority.

London's prominence as a global city means that it has an outsized impact on many different industries, including the visual and performing arts, the fashion industry, the business sector, the healthcare industry, the media, the sciences, the travel industry, and the means of transportation and communication.

In terms of gross domestic product (€801.66 billion in 2017), it is the largest urban economy in Europe and one of the world's main financial centers. In 2021, London surpassed all other cities in terms of the number of its rich residents. University College London, Imperial College London, and London School of Economics are just a few of the world-class schools located in Europe's most densely populated area, which also boasts the largest concentration of other types of universities. The London airport system is the busiest in the world, while the London subway system is the oldest in the world. When it comes to 5-star hotels, London easily tops the list as the most-visited city in the world.

More than three hundred languages are spoken in London's incredibly varied cultural community.

Greater London's [about 9 million people as of mid-2018] made it Europe's third-most populated city, accounting for 13.4 percent of the United Kingdom's population and more than 16 percent of England's. Approximately 9.8 million people called the Greater London Built-up Area home as of the 2011 census, making it the fourth most populated in Europe. London is considered a megacity due to its metropolitan area's 2016 population of about 14 million people, ranking it third most populated in Europe.

The historic settlement in Greenwich, where the Royal Observatory, Greenwich defines the prime meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time, is one of London's four World Heritage Sites along with the Tower of London, Kew Gardens, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St. Margaret's Church. Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, and Trafalgar Square are also popular tourist destinations in London. The British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, the British Library, and countless West End theaters are just a few of London's many museums, galleries, libraries, and cultural sites. Wembley Stadium hosts the annual FA Cup Final, the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and the London Marathon are also notable sports events that take place in London. When London hosted the Summer Olympics in 2012, it set a record by being the first city to ever hold three Olympic Games.

Geography

London, commonly known as Greater London, is the largest subregion of the city of London and one of England's nine regions. At one time, "London" referred to the entire city, which was centered on the City of London. However, the Corporation of London rejected attempts to merge the City with its suburbs as the metropolitan area expanded, leading to many definitions of "London."

The London post town encompasses 40 percent of Greater London; addresses in this area often include the word "LONDON." While some outside districts are not included and some are just outside the London area code's coverage, the London area code (020) covers a broader area, roughly the same size as Greater London. Greater London's border now generally follows the M25 highway.

The Metropolitan Green Belt presently prevents any further urban expansion, while some of the built-up region now stretches outside the boundary, creating the uniquely designated Greater London Urban Area. The large London commuting area lies beyond this. Inner London and Outer London are two distinct parts of Greater London, with a core London area that is more of a loose designation than a legal one. Approximately 51°30′26′′N 00°07′39′′W, the ancient Eleanor Cross at Charing Cross between the confluence of Trafalgar Square and Whitehall is considered the notional center of London. The geographic heart of London can be found in the borough of Lambeth, specifically 0.1 miles (150 m) north-east of Lambeth North Tube Station.

Climate

London enjoys a mild, pleasant, oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). Since at least 1697, when records were first kept at Kew, the city's rainfall has been meticulously documented. In November 1755, Kew had 7.4 inches (189 mm) of precipitation, while December 1788 and July 1800 received zero inches (0.0 mm) of precipitation each. The April 1893 rainfall total for Mile End was also zero inches. We have recorded a total rainfall of 38.1 inches (969 mm) in the wettest year of 1903 and a total rainfall of 12.1 inches (308 mm) in the driest year of 1921. About 600 millimeters of rain falls each year; that's less than half the annual precipitation of New York City and less than Rome, Lisbon, and Sydney, Australia, combined. London may only average 39.2 inches of rain per year, but it still has 109.6 days of rain per year (defined as at least one millimeter of rain). While the United Kingdom as a whole is susceptible to climate change, London in particular is particularly at risk, and hydrological specialists are growing increasingly concerned that London residents may run out of water before 2050.

London's hottest day on record was July 19, 2022, when Heathrow Airport registered a scorching 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.4 degrees Fahrenheit); the coldest day on record was January 1, 1962, when Northolt Airport registered a frigid 16.1 degrees Celsius (30.0 degrees Fahrenheit). Atmospheric pressure readings have been recorded in London since 1692. For the record, on January 20, 2020, the pressure reached 1,049.8 mbars (31.00 inHg).

It gets warm to hot in the summers. A typical high temperature in London for the month of July is 23.5 degrees Celsius (74.3 degrees Fahrenheit). On average, London has 31 days a year with temperatures at or above 25 degrees Celsius (77.0 degrees Fahrenheit), and 4.2 days with temperatures at or over 30.0 degrees Celsius (86.0 degrees Fahrenheit). As a result of the persistent heat that plagued Europe in 2003, hundreds of people perished. Many deaths were attributed to the heat in 1976 when England saw a similar run of 15 days above 32.2 °C (90.0 °F). A prior August 1911 reading of 37.8 °C (100.0 °F) at the Greenwich station was later rejected as abnormal. Infrequent but significant summertime droughts are also a concern, as was the case in 2018's sweltering heatwave and the subsequent significantly drier-than-average conditions that persisted from May through December. There was a record-breaking dry spell of 73 days in the spring of 1893.

Little fluctuation in temperature characterizes the winters here. It rarely snows heavily, yet every winter brings at least one snowstorm. Seasons like spring and fall often have lovely weather. London's central business district can be as much as 5 °C (9 °F) warmer than the surrounding suburbs and outskirts due to the city's high population and the resulting urban heat island effect. This is demonstrated below in a comparison between London Heathrow, which is located around 24 kilometers west of London, and the London Weather Centre.

Economy

The City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden and Islington, Lambeth and Southwark, and the boroughs of Southwark and Camden are the five main commercial hubs in London. Comparing the square footage of respective offices can provide some insight into their relative importance. In 2001, there were 27 million square meters of office space in Greater London, with 8 million square meters located in the City alone. London home prices are among the highest in the world. According to a 2015 research from international property journal, the London office market is the most costly in the world. In 2015, the value of London's residential property was $2.2 trillion, equal to Brazil's GDP for the entire year.

London Tourism

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is a global city with a rich history and culture. London is a popular tourist destination, with millions of visitors coming to the city each year to see its famous landmarks, museums, and shopping districts.

Here are some of the top tourist attractions in London:

Buckingham Palace: Buckingham Palace is the official residence of the British monarch. Visitors can tour the State Rooms during the summer months.

Tower of London: The Tower of London is a historic castle that has been used as a royal palace, a prison, and an execution site. Visitors can see the Crown Jewels, the White Tower, and the Bloody Tower.

British Museum: The British Museum is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive museums. It has a collection of over eight million objects from all over the world, including the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, and the Egyptian mummies.

Natural History Museum: The Natural History Museum is a museum dedicated to the natural world. It has a collection of over 80 million specimens from plants, animals, fossils, minerals, and rocks, including dinosaur skeletons, the blue whale skeleton, and the Darwin Centre.

Science Museum: The Science Museum is a museum dedicated to science and technology. It has a collection of over 300,000 objects from all over the world, including the Apollo 10 command module, the Stephenson's Rocket locomotive, and the IMAX cinema.

Victoria and Albert Museum: The Victoria and Albert Museum is a museum dedicated to art and design. It has a collection of over 2.3 million objects from all over the world, including the Raphael Cartoons, the Great Bed of Ware, and the Fashion Galleries.

Tate Modern: The Tate Modern is a museum of modern and contemporary art. It is housed in a former power station and has a collection of works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Henri Matisse.

Tate Britain: The Tate Britain is a museum of British art, from the 16th century to the present day. It has a collection of works by artists such as J.M.W. Turner, William Hogarth, and David Hockney.

London Eye: The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel that offers stunning views of the city. Visitors can see the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace from the top of the wheel. 

Houses of Parliament: The Houses of Parliament are the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Visitors can tour the Houses of Commons and the House of Lords.

Westminster Abbey: Westminster Abbey is a Gothic abbey church that has been the coronation church for British monarchs since 1066. It is also a popular burial place for British monarchs, poets, and scientists. Visitors can see the tombs of many famous people, including William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking.

London is also home to a number of other popular tourist attractions, such as the Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, and Buckingham Palace Road. The city also has a vibrant theater scene, with a wide variety of shows to choose from.

London is a great place to visit for people of all ages and interests. The city has something to offer everyone, from history and culture to shopping and entertainment.

Kent

You'll find the county of Kent in Southeastern England. It faces the French department of Pas-de-Calais across the Strait of Dover and shares borders with Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west. Maidstone is the county seat. This county has the highest population of any home county and is the most populous non-Metropolitan county in England.

After the Romans left Britain, one of the first areas to be colonized by Germanic tribes was Kent, specifically by the Jutes.

Since Saint Augustine's initial conversion of England to Christianity in the sixth century, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury has been at Canterbury Cathedral in Kent. In the county of Medway, you'll find Rochester Cathedral, the second-oldest cathedral in all of England. Kent, which lies between London and the Strait of Dover, which divides England from mainland Europe, has played host to both battles and peace talks, such as World War II's "Battle of Britain" and the peace conferences held at Leeds Castle in 1978 and 2004.

The Cinque Ports in the 10th -14th centuries and Chatham Dockyard in the 16th-20th centuries were particularly important in providing warships for England. From Folkestone and the White Cliffs of Dover, France is visible on a clear day. Most of the county's twenty-six castles can be found in the Vale of Holmesdale, which is located between the North Downs and the Greensand Ridge in the south.

The economy of Kent is diverse, featuring multiple sectors such as agriculture, transportation, logistics, and tourism. The county of Kent is often referred to as "The Garden of England" due to its abundance of fruit orchards and backyard gardens. Aggregate mining, printing, and scientific study are just a few of the major employers in the region of northwest Kent. Kent's industrial history also includes the mining of coal. Much of Kent lies inside the London commuter zone, and the county as a whole benefits from excellent transportation links to both London and the continent. The North Downs and The High Weald together make up 28% of the county, and both are designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Geography

Kent occupies a southeastern position in the United Kingdom. The north is the North Sea and the Thames Estuary, and the south is the Straits of Dover and the English Channel. In fact, France is only 21 miles (34 kilometers) away across the Strait. 

A sequence of mountains and valleys that trend in an east-west direction characterize the county's topography. The Wealden dome, which spans Kent and Sussex and was formed by alpine movements 20–10 million years ago, has been eroded to reveal these features. Upper Greensand, Gault Clay, Lower Greensand, Weald Clay, and Wealden sandstone are all found inside this dome's descending layers. These undulations are the result of differential erosion between the underlying clay and the overlying chalk, greensand, or sandstone.

Many Kentish towns, including Sevenoaks, Maidstone, Ashford, and Folkestone, are constructed on greensand, while Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells are laid out on sandstone.

The Kentish towns of Dartford, Gravesend, Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury, Deal, and Dover were all constructed on chalk.  Where a chalk ridge called the North Downs meets the coast, cliffs like the White Cliffs of Dover can be found.The eastern portion of the Wealden dome has been washed away by the sea. The Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is located between the cities of Dover and Westerham.

It is possible that the Wealden dome, a Mesozoic structure resting on a Palaeozoic base, provided the ideal circumstances for coal to originate. It's in the area of East Kent that includes Deal, Canterbury, and Dover. Coal Measures in the Westphalian Sandstone range in depth from around 250 to 400 meters (820 to 1,310 feet) and frequently experience flooding. They are located in two large troughs that run under the English Channel. 

Offshore epicentres have occasionally been detected, but seismic activity has been seen on occasion in Kent. Two earthquakes with Richter magnitudes greater than 6.0 occurred in 1382 and 1580. Quakes of about 4.3 magnitude occurred in 1776, 1950, and on 28 April 2007. Folkestone had actual damage in that quake back in 2007. On May 22, 2015, there was another quake that registered 4.2 on the Richter scale. Its epicenter was located some ten miles below the surface in the Sandwich region of east Kent. Almost no damage was reported.

Because to processes like geological uplift and coastal erosion, Kent's coastline is always shifting. The Isle of Thanet was once an island, divided from the mainland by the Wantsum channel, which was built around a deposit of chalk; however, the channels have now become silted up with alluvium. Alluvium deposition has also created Romney Marsh and Dungeness. 

The River Medway, the main river of Kent, begins at East Grinstead, Sussex, and runs east to Maidstone. It then makes a sharp bend to the north, passing past Rochester and the North Downs on its way to the Thames near Sheerness. There are about 112 kilometers (70 miles) of the Medway. Even though the river is currently tidal only up to the Allington lock, in the past cargo ships were able to travel as far upstream as Tonbridge. The Medway now receives water that once flowed in rivers like the River Darent. To the east, you'll find the River Stour, which is another of Kent's rivers

According to a study conducted in 2014, Kent and its surrounding counties have shale oil reserves totaling 4.4 billion barrels of oil. At the time, Business and Energy Minister Michael Fallon said that these reserves "will bring jobs and business opportunities" and would go a long way toward ensuring energy independence for the United Kingdom. In order to accomplish these goals, fracking must be conducted in the region, despite the fact that this practice has been strongly contested by environmental activists. 

The county of Kent is known as one of the UK's warmest. On August 10, 2003, the hamlet of Brogdale, located close to Faversham, reached 38.5 degrees Celsius (101.3 degrees Fahrenheit), marking the hottest day in British history at the time.

Economy

Employment rates in Kent and Medway as of the 2001 UK census out of date Employment status breaks down as follows: 41.1% are working full time, 12.4% are working part time, 9.1% are self-employed, 2.9% are unemployed, 2.3% are students with jobs, 3.7% are students without jobs, 12.3% are retired, 7.3% are caring for home or family, 4.3% are permanently sick or disabled, and 2.7% are economically inactive for other reasons. About one-sixth of people aged sixteen to seventy-four held a bachelor's degree or its equivalent, compared to about one-fifth of Americans in general. 

Men in Kent put in an average of 43.1 hours each week, while women put in an average of 30.9 hours. In terms of occupation, 17.3% worked in wholesale, 12.4% in manufacturing, 11.8% in real estate, 10.3% in health and social work, 8.9% in construction, 8.2% in transportation and communications, 7.9% in education, 6.0% in government, 5.6% in finance, 4.8% in hotels and restaurants, 1.6% in agriculture, 0.8% in energy and water supply, 0.2% in mining, and 0.1% in private households. Construction, transportation, and communications are all higher here, while manufacturing is lower than in all of England.

Due to its many fruit orchards and hop farms, Kent is often called "Garden of England." Specifically, the county is known for its tree-grown fruit, berry, and nut production.  Oasts, the distinctive buildings originally used for drying hops, may be seen all over the countryside; many of them have since been turned into homes. The market gardens that are located closer to London are likewise rather successful. The majority of the United Kingdom's hazelnuts come from the state of Kent.

England, UK Description

England is the UK's largest constituent unit, occupying more than half of the island. Despite its political, economic, and cultural legacy, England is no longer a governmental or political unit. 

With its rich soil and crisscrossing network of rivers and streams, England has been and remains a thriving agricultural economy. England became the epicenter of the global Industrial Revolution in the early 1800s, quickly rising to the top of the global industrialization rankings. Manufacturing industries in Manchester, Birmingham, and Liverpool turned raw materials into finished goods for export. London, the country's capital, became one of the world's most important cities, a hub for a global political economy. The London metropolitan area continues to be Europe's financial center and a hotbed of innovation, particularly in the fields of popular culture.

One of the most fundamental features of the English language is its diversity within a limited compass. Even England's most remote regions are accessible by car or train within a day's drive or train ride of London. Many English people identify with the regions or shires from which they are descended—for example, Yorkshire, the West Country, or the Midlands—and maintain strong ties to those regions even if they live in other parts of the country. Some differences exist, but many more, especially as England transitioned from a rural to an urban society, began to fade after 1945. The country's island location has shaped the English character, which values social harmony, social harmony, and good manners that ensure orderly relations in a densely populated landscape, among other characteristics.

During the dismantling of Britain's vast overseas empire in the mid-20th century, England suffered an identity crisis, and much attention has been paid to discussions of "Englishness"—that is, what it means to be English in a country that now has large immigrant populations from many former colonies and is far more cosmopolitan than insular. Although influenced by other cultures, English culture is distinct and difficult to define. The Lion and the Unicorn by George Orwell, a self-described "revolutionary patriot" who chronicled politics and society in the 1930s and 1940s, makes this observation. 

Geographical Description of England

Except for Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire in the east, England's topography is low-lying but rarely flat. The area has many rolling hillsides, with the highest elevations in the north, north-west, and southwest. Intricate underlying structures have resulted in intricate patterns in the landscape. The oldest sedimentary rocks and some igneous rocks (found in isolated granite hills) are found in Cornwall and Devon, while the most recent alluvial soils are found in the Fens of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Norfolk. Both the sandstone and limestone bands that separate these two regions date from prehistoric times when large sections of central and southern England were submerged under warm seas. Geological forces lifted and folded some of these rocks, forming northern England's spine. Scafell Pike, England's highest point, stands at 3,210 feet (978 metres) and is part of the world's highest mountain range. The northern mountains are mostly slate, while the southern mountains are mostly lava flows. Mountain ranges have developed from the North Downs at 965 feet (294 meters) to the Cotswolds at 1,083 feet (330 meters).

The Chiltern Hills, North Yorkshire Moors, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds, and Yorkshire and Lincolnshire Wolds were rounded into distinctive plateaus with west-facing escarpments during the Pleistocene Epoch (about 2,600,000 to 11,700 years ago). A land bridge connecting Britain to the rest of Europe was engulfed as the last glacial sheet melted. The retreating glaciers left behind gravel, sand, and glacial mud, further altering the land surface. Rain, rivers, and tides, as well as subsidence, have shaped the hills and coastline of eastern England. Limestone, gritstone, and carboniferous strata plateaus are associated with major coalfields, some visible as surface outcrops.

A great example of England's geologic complexity is its cliff structure. The chalk cliffs of Dover are made up of a series of sedimentary rocks of varying ages that start at Land's End in the far southwest and end at the Isle of Wight. The English coastline is dotted with cliffs, bays, and river estuaries that add to the overall beauty of the landscape. 

England's weather is as varied as its topography. The average temperature in England, like other temperate maritime zones, is moderate, ranging from around 35 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) in January to 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) in July in the Thames river valley (32 degrees Celsius). Tacitus, the Roman historian, described it as "unpleasant" with "frequent rains and mists but no extreme cold." However, the higher elevations of England receive snow for roughly 50 days out of the year. In fact, the northwest and southwest of England are particularly "wet". These areas receive less than 30 inches (750 mm) of rain per year and are frequently subject to severe drought. Rainfall averages only 20 inches in parts of the southeast (500 mm). The weather has influenced English art and literature not only seasonally but also day-to-day and even hour-to-hour. The bumbershoot's moniker as the stereotypical English gentleman's walking stick is not accidental.

The Economy of England

In the 18th and 19th centuries, England's economy was primarily agricultural until the Industrial Revolution transformed it into a highly urbanized and industrialized region as a result of the Industrial Revolution. A result of the close proximity of coal and iron ore deposits, heavy industries (iron and steel, textiles, and shipbuilding) sprang up in the north-eastern counties, and they continue to thrive today. During the 1930s, the Great Depression and foreign competition both contributed to a decline in manufactured goods production and an increase in unemployment in the industrial north, which contributed to the Great Depression. Residents of these northern counties who were out of work were forced to relocate south to London and its environs. Because of urbanization and industrialization, the southeast has become dominated by industries such as automotive, chemical, electrical, and machine tool manufacturing. Despite the fact that population growth and urbanization significantly reduced farmland in England during the twentieth century, the geographical counties of Cornwall, Devon, Kent, Lincolnshire, Somerset, and North Yorkshire have retained a significant proportion of their agricultural land.

Another period of industrial decline occurred in the late twentieth century, during which coal mining was virtually phased out and job losses in industries such as iron and steel production, shipbuilding, and textile manufacturing were particularly severe. The decline of these industries had a disproportionately negative impact on the economies of the north and the Midlands, while the economies of the south remained relatively prosperous. By the turn of the twenty-first century, the service sector had taken over as the dominant sector of the English economy, with banking and other financial services, retail, distribution, media and entertainment, education, health care, and hotels and restaurants among the leading sectors.