LONDON
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Culture And Heritage
One of the most attractive qualities of London is its diversity. With residents from over 90 different countries, you'll find shops and restaurants catering for all their different needs and tastes. The Notting Hill Carnival, said to be Europe's largest such carnival, is one visible and fun way that Londoners celebrate this diversity.
There are also endless attractions to visit. The current top ten are the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, the London Dungeon, the London Tour, the Houses of Parliament, the Dali Universe, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court Palace and Kensington Palace. There are four World Heritage Sites in the capital: the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Gardens.
Visitors and residents are spoilt for choice in terms of cultural events. For example, there are more than 100 theatres, showing the most famous musicals and plays as well as more obscure productions. There are many galleries, cinemas and concert halls providing year-round entertainment. The Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank is the largest arts centre in Europe. There are also 200 museums to visit, including the National Gallery, the Victoria and Albert museum, the British Museum, the National History museum and the Science museum. London also has five symphony orchestras.
There are also some of the best universities here, including London School of Economics, King's College and University College London.
Economy
London's economy - at £162 billion - is larger than that of Finland or Portugal. It accounts for 17% of the UK's GDP. As a result, London is considered the driving force of the UK's economy and average earnings in the capital are almost a third higher than the national average. This reflects the fact that London's workforce is the most highly qualified in the UK with over a third of the workforce holding a university degree.
The capital's economic base is quite diverse, although finance, media and arts, and tourism dominate. The City of London is the world's leading international financial and business centre, while media and art businesses generate about £21 billion in income each year. Tourism is an important contributor to the London economy, with visitors spending £9 billion in the capital each year.
Transport
Londoners have a comprehensive network of buses, trains and underground trains to get around the city. There are 570 local railway stations, 275 tube stations and 649 bus routes.
There are train services from Marylebone, Paddington, King's Cross, Waterloo and Euston to cities and towns throughout the UK. You can also take the Eurostar from Waterloo to France and Belgium.
The M25 motorway surrounds London and gives residents access to the M1, M4, M11 and M23.
Two of the world's busiest airports, Gatwick and Heathrow, are located near London with flights to almost every destination in the world. To the east of London is London City airport which provides connections to many business destinations in Europe. Low-budget airlines fly to Europe and further afield from Stanstead and Luton airports - both to the north of the capital.