английский / Topics / London, the capital of GB

London, the capital of GB.

London is the capital of England and GB with the population about 12 million. London is not a simple city; it is a small country, where numerous achievements of mankind in the field of culture and art are concentrated. It is also the main industrial and business center of GB. This city can not be confused with another city in the world, because visiting cards of London are widely known all over the world. London taxi-cabs, red public telephones, policemen and other things can be considered as its visiting cards.

The gradual growth of the city helps to explain the fact that London doesn’t have just one centre, it has a number of centers, each with a distinct character: the financial and business centre called the City, the shopping and entertainment centre in West End, the government centre in Westminster.

The City is the heart of London; it’s the central business part, one of the financial centers of the world level not only GB. Numerous banks and offices are concentrated there; famous London Stock Exchange and the bank of England are among them. There is Fleet Street in this part; it is a street, which till now traditionally is a venue of journalists and reporters.

The city is the oldest part of London, the Tower of London is there, and it was constructed in 1087. It was a Palace, a fortress and a former prison transformed into a museum. The history of London is inseparably connected with the history of the Tower. As they say London is a key to England, and the Tower is a key to London.

If the city is the “money” of London, the East End is the “hands” of London.

The East End is an industrial district of London. There are many factories and the Port of London there. The region is densely populated by working families, those people who have built the palaces of the West End. Numerous immigrants from different countries coming to London in search of some job and money settled down precisely there. Old residents of the East End are proud to be called cockneys which mean true Londoners, hereditary inhabitants of the area.

Geographical center of London is Trafalgar Square; it was called with the purpose of commemoration of the British victory in the Trafalgar battle in 1805. At the square center the Nelson’s column is raised, Nelson headed the British Fleet in that battle and he perished as a true hero.

Speaking about London it is necessary to tell something about Parliament. The building of Parliament is well-known all over the world, it is not only a historical architectural monument, but also it is an original image of the British democracy.

Westminster is a political and administrative and cultural centre not only of London, but also of all the country. It includes Buckingham Palace which is one of the most known historical monuments. The Palace itself and, enclosing it, delightful gardens take huge territory and they are considered to be the most interesting places for numerous tourists of London. Especially they are attracted by the ceremony of the Changing of the Guard. The largest park of London, which is called Hyde Park, is also situated in that part of London. A lot of tourists frequently go to see traditional discussion in, so-called “Speaker’s Corner”, where everyone who wants, can make a speech.

It is necessary to add, that London was included into the list of the World Heritage.

It’s a city of everybody interested in English past and present.