THE UNITED KINGDOM
GREAT BRITAIN
VISITING
LONDON
London, the capital of England and the UK, is the world's
ninth-largest city (population 7.500.000) London is
situated on the banks of the river Thames, in southeast
England.
London is made up of two ancient cities:
• the City of London, know simply as 'the City' which is
the business and financial heart of the United Kingdom.
• the City of Westminster, where Parliament and most of
the government offices are located. Also Buckingham
Palace, the official London residence of the Queen and
the Royal family are located there too.
Together they all make up a region known as Greater
London
HYDE PARK
Hyde Park is the most famous London
park. It was part of a wild and ancient
forest.
It consists of 360 acres. In summer time
you can rent a boat in Serpentine lake.
The famous Speakers Corner, where you
can debate with strangers about topics
that interest you, is part of the park.
Another section of the park is
Kensington Gardens where you can
see Kensington Palace. In Kensington
Gardens there is a statue of Peter Pan
statue and The Diana, Princess of
Wales, Memorial Playground.
OXFORD STREET AND REGENT
STREET
Both streets are London's
busiest shopping areas.
There are lots of souvenir
shops, departments stores
and clothes shops. There are
big music shops, bookshops
too. Hamleys, in Regent
Street, is London's largest toy
shop. It has six floors filled
with all kinds of toys, from
dolls and teddy bears to
models, electronic toys and
robots.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM
The British Museum is a museum of human history and
culture. There are more than 7 million objects from all
continents, illustrating and documenting the story of
human culture from its beginning to the present.
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
Trafalgar Square was
built in honour of
Admiral Lord Nelson
after his victory in
1805 at the Battle of
Trafalgar. Britain's
most famous sea
Lord, Nelson died in
this famous battle
against Napoleon.
TOWER BRIDGE
Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London
since 1894 and is one of the most recognised bridges in the
world. Before it was built the only bridge in London was
London Bridge.
BIG BEN
Big Ben is one of the most famous clock in the world. The clock tower is
situated on the banks of the river Thames and is part of the Palace of
Westminster.
Officially "Big Ben" does not refer to the whole clocktower (also known as
St Stephen's Tower), it refers to the bell.
BUCKINGHAM PALACE
Buckingham Palace is one of the
most popular places in London.
It is the London home of the
British Royal family. The 600
room palace is surrounded by a
40 acre garden.
40,000 tulips are planted each
year in front of Buckingham
palace.
When the Queen is at home, you can see her royal flag
flying from the flag pole on top of Buckingham Palace.
This flag is called the Royal Standard.
Five regiments of Foot
Guards guard the
Palace. They wear red
jackets and tall, furry
hats called bearskins.
When the guards come
on duty, there is a
ceremony called the
Changing of the Guard
(usually at 11.30)
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
The present St Paul's Cathedral was built between 1675 and 1711 by
Sir Christopher Wren.
You can see the distinctive dome of St Paul's from miles away.
The dome of St Pauls Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the
world, after St Peter's in Rome.
GETTING AROUND
Underground Trains
(the Tube)
The quickest way to get
around London is the Tube,
London's version of the
subway, which is a vast
network of tunnels and
trains that will get you
anywhere in London that
you want to go. London's
Underground network,
the world's first, opened in
1863.
London's distinctive
taxis, black cabs, are as
much a feature of city life
as its red double-decker
buses. Like the buses,
black cabs are also
being modernised and
many are now painted
other colours with
advertising.
London’s double-decker
red buses are famous.
The city has narly 1000
bus routes.
