After the fall of the Roman Empire, Londinium was abandoned; to the west of it appeared in the 7th century a Saxon settlement named Lundenwic, where Aldwych was today. At the beginning of the 10th century, the old Roman city was reoccupied. Initially, Westminster was a distinct city, but eventually London and Westminster integrated and evolved together, becoming the largest city in England, and in the twelfth century as the capital of the kingdom.
Between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, London flourished, being the capital of the British Empire. The great fire of 1666 destroyed much of the city. The reconstruction lasted more than 10 years and was led by Sir Christopher Wren, who, on that occasion, designed and built many of London's iconic buildings today, such as St. Paul's Cathedral. The rise of the city accelerated in the eighteenth century, so that at the beginning of the 1800s London was the largest city in the world.
Nazi bombing during the Second World War led to the destruction of many old buildings, in addition to the loss of more than 30,000 lives. Reconstruction over the next decades has given rise to the use of many modern architectural styles that give the city somewhat eclectic character.
London was targeted by the IRA's terrorist attacks, and more recently underwent a series of attacks on the transport system, resulting in 52 dead and attributed to al-Qaeda Islamist groups.
Greater London covers an area of 1579 km². London is the port of Tamisa, a navigable river. River has had a major influence on city development. The city was founded on the northern shore, and by the 18th century there was only one bridge, the Bridge of London, which made the city grow a lot north of the river. The Tamisa Canyon was a good ground for the city's expansion, some hills (eg the Hill Hill, Primrose Hill) were not significant hurdles.
London is a huge motor of the world economy. London produced $ 365 billion in 2004 (17% of UK GDP), and the entire London metropolitan area produced around 30% of the GDP of the Kingdom, more than Brazil's or Russia's GDP.
London is an international center of arts, music, museums, and many others.
London hosts five symphonic orchestras: the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The main symphonic concert halls are Royal Albert Hall, Barbican Center, Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden is home to the Royal Opera House and the Royal Ballet.
London hosts famous carnivals and parades, such as the Notting Hill Carnival, or St. Patrick's (17 March) or St. George's (April 23rd) parades.
In London there are over 30 theaters, most of them concentrated in the West End. Most are commercial and stage musicals and other popular songs. "Non-commercial" theaters are National Theater, The Globe, Old Vic and Young Vic, faithful reconstruction of Shakespeare's old theater.
The British National Collection of Old Western Art (before 1900) is hosted by the National Gallery. Tate Modern contains Western art collections since 1900, and Tate Britain hosts the British art collection. National Portrait Gallery has a collection of renowned British personalities portraits of all time.
London hosts not less than 240 museums. The most famous are the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Imperial War Museum, and the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Synthesis, both in Kensington, or the London Museum.
London is one of four major fashion capitals, alongside Paris, Milan and New York. Supermarkets such as Harrods, Selfridges or Harvey Nichols are present here, along with a host of top designer boutiques and stores.
London | London (in English London, French Londres) is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is the most important political, financial (thanks to City), cultural and artistic center of the United Kingdom, and one of the most important cities in the world