Greater London's population was estimated to be 8.63 million in January 2015, the highest level since 1939.
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London started as a small Roman settlement in AD 43
There's evidence of very early settlements near the Thames in the London area: a large timber structure dated to around 4,800 B.C.E. However, the first major one was founded by the Romans. Called "Londinium", it occupied a relatively small area --1.4 km2 or 0.5 sq mi--, but expanded quickly during the 1st century, becoming Great Britain's largest city. It served as a major commercial center until its abandonment by the Romans during the 5th century.The 1666 Great Fire of London destroyed 87% of homes
The fire destroyed St Paul's Cathedral, 87 parish churches, most of the government's buildings and the homes of 70,000 of the city's 80,000 inhabitants. Rebuilding took over ten years and the city grew quickly in the 1700s. By 1831, London was the world's largest city.London is one of the most diverse cities in the world
Immigrants from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Jamaica and other Commonwealth countries arrived since the 1940s. Between 1991 and 2001, 726,000 immigrants arrived in London. Today, over 36% of London's population are foreign-born, making London the city with the second largest immigrant population after New York City.London is home to Four World Heritage Sites
The Tower of London, Westminster, Kew Gardens and Greenwich were all declared World Heritage Sites. Other important places include Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, the British Museum and St Paul's Cathedral.The London Underground is the world's oldest underground railway network
The "Metropolitan Railway", as it was initially called, opened in 1863 as the world's first underground passenger railway. It's now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. Today, the system has 270 stations and 250 miles (400 km) of track, making it the third longest in the world. Despite its name, only 45% of the system is underground in tunnels.47% of London is green space
London is the greenest major city in Europe and the third greenest city of its size in the world. Since there are 8 million trees in the city, it can be considered the world’s largest urban forest.London was the first city to host the Olympics Games 3 times
The Summer Olympics came to London in 1908, 1948, and 2012. It also hosted the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final and the 2017 World Championships in Athletics. London is also home to Wimbledon, the oldest tennis tournament in the world.London has some of the highest real estate prices in the world
The average price per square metre in London is US$17,000, the most expensive in Europe. In 2015, London's residential property market alone was worth US$2.2 trillion, almost as much as Brazil's annual GDP.London being a Rainy city is a Myth
Despite its rainy reputation, London's average of 602 millimetres (23.7 in) of precipitation per year actually makes it drier than the global average.London voted to remain in the EU
While the UK decided to leave the European Union with the Brexit referendum in 2016, Londoners were hugely in favour of staying in the EU, with 2,263,519 votes compared to only 1,513,232 backing Brexit.London attracted over 16 million international visitors in 2014, making it the world's most visited city.
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London's "Big Ben" is not the tower. It's the bell inside it.
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Traffic in central London moves at the same speed as horse-drawn carriages a century ago.
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In 1891, London built a structure designed to surpass the Eiffel Tower in height. It was unsteady, never completed and demolished in 1907.
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London lost nearly a third of its population during the Black Death in the mid-14th century.
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In London in 1916, Harrods was selling a kit described as "A Welcome Present for Friends at the Front" containing cocaine, morphine, syringes and needles.
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Despite its name, more than half of the London's Underground network in fact runs above ground.
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Over 300 languages are spoken in London, one of the most diverse cities in the world.
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During London's "Great Smog" of 1952, between 4,000 and 12,000 people died in a few days due to air pollution.
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There's a Cereal Cafe in London where you can eat hundreds of different kinds of cereals from around the world.
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During the outbreak of WW2, London Zoo killed all their venomous animals in case the zoo was bombed and the animals escaped.
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To be a London black cab driver, one is expected to know over 25,000 roads and 50,000 points of interest and pass a test called "The Knowledge."
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Despite its reputation as being a rainy city, London receives less precipitation in a year than Rome, Toulouse, Naples and even Sydney in Australia, but those are spread over more days.
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During the 18th century, you could pay your admission ticket to the zoo in London by bringing a cat or a dog to feed the lions.
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Today's British accent first appeared among London's upper class around the time of the American Revolution. Before that, the British accent was similar to that of Americans.
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In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.
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In the 16th century, a London law forbade wife beating after 9:00 P.M., but only because the noise disturbed people's sleep.
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In Victorian London, people were paid to collect dog poop. It was used to tan leather.
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About one-fifth of all the gold held by the world's governments, worth about US$248 billion, is stored beneath the streets of London.
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The world's first traffic signal was short lived. Installed in London in 1868, it exploded less than a month later, injuring its policeman operator.
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London is still paying rent to the Queen on a property leased in 1211. Horseshoes, 61 nails, an axe and billhook are part of the rent.
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Despite being a 177 m (581 ft) tall structure in the middle of central London, the location of the Post Office Tower was a national secret for years.
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Every week, London Underground escalators travel the equivalent of twice around the world.
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10,000 foxes live in London.
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There are so many trees in London, it can be classified as a forest, according to a UN definition.
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Money left on unused London Transport's Oyster cards is increasing by £1 million a month and now stands at more than £235 million.
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According to research by University College, London, such is the concentration of dust particles, that travelling on London's Underground for 40 minutes is the equivalent to smoking two cigarettes.
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It is believed that London's Big Ben was named after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Works, whose name is inscribed on the bell. Others attest that the bell was named after Ben Caunt, a champion heavyweight boxer.
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The London Bridge built in the 1830s was dismantled in 1967 and relocated to Arizona.
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In 1986, London's bakers apologised for the Great Fire of London, 320 years after it happened.
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20 minutes spent on the London Underground's Northern Line is as bad for your lungs as smoking a cigarette.
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Tokyo is the city with the most millionaires in the world but London has the most multi-millionaires and New York the most billionaires.
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