       When we think of Paris, Madrid, Rome, Lisbon and other European capitals, we think of them as "cities". When we think of the whole of London, the capital city of England, and the UK, we do not think of it as a city that has grown during the past centuries. It is a number of cities and towns, villages that have grown together into one enormous agglomeration.
       London is without doubt one of the most fascinating cities in the world. It has a long history. The birthplace of London is the Old City. Here, on the banks of the Thames was a small settlement, called Lyndin that means "a lonely port". To this place in the year 55 before our era Julius Caesar came from Rome. Britain was conquered and for 400 years remained Roman province The Romans called the place Londinium and unclosed it in wall (for defense) parts of which still remain. There is a street called London Wall (which follows part of the route of the wall) аnd there are a number of districts named after gates in the old wall — Oldgate, Older gate...
       The Romans made it a large and rich city and built long and straight roads, beautiful palaces, shops and villas. Trade was growing.
       In the 5-th century the Romans left Britain. The Saxon and Brides and Danes came to the British shores. They conquered the land and ruined the city. During nearly 400 years Londinium lay in ruins.
       In the 8-th century and later the Saxon kings began to rebuild the ruined city of Londinium. Soon 2 miles west from it, another centre, Westminster Abbey was founded.
       In 1066 William the Conqueror, the duke of Normandy came and decided to make London the capital of Norman Britain, as the Norman were masters of Britain for 500. They brought with them Latin and French civilization.
       Westminster Abbey was finished and William was the first king to be crowned there. Since then for nearly 1000 years, all English monarchs have been crowned in Abbey. Many of them are buried there too.
       At that time the Tower of London was built on the Thames.
       London has overcome two big catastrophes. In the year 1665 the Plague broke out and it carried of 1/5 of London's population. So many people left the city and escaped to the villages in the surrounding countryside. The second was the Great Fire of London. It was burning for 4 days. The wind blew from the sea and all houses were built of wood. It's also interesting to note that the Plague has gone with the fire. It also destroyed much of the city. These days not many people live in the city centre, but London has spread further towards into the country, including surrounding villages.
       Now London is the largest city in the world. London is the chief port of the country and the most important commercial manufacturing and cultural centre. London consists of three parts: the City, the West End and the East End.
       The City, the financial and business heart of London refers to a small area of the centre, which includes the site of the original Roman town. It's an area of 2,650 sq. km; popularly called "the Square Mile'. There are numerous banks of many nations in the famous Threadneedle Street and the surrounding area, offices and firms, including the Bank of England and the Old Bailey are concentrated here. The City is also a market for goods of almost every kind from all parts of the world. Few people live in the city but over 800 000 men come to work here.
       Westminster is the aristocratic official part of London, the administrative centre. It includes Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives and the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British government stretching for nearly 1000 feet along the north bank of the Thames.
       The West End is the name given to the area of central London. Here are the historical palaces as well as the famous parks. The name West End came to be associated with wealth, luxury department stores (Oxford Street is the busiest street with various shops, which attract customers from different countries of the world); cinemas, hotels, theatres, concert halls, many museums. Visitors with plenty of money to spend and who came chiefly for enjoyment are likely to pass most of their time in the West End.
       The port of London is to the East of the city. Here, today, are miles and miles docks upon shipping. This is the East End of London, its industrial district, unattractive in appearance with its dark and gloomy streets, densely populated by working class families, but very important to the country's commerce. It's also one of those areas of London where people from abroad have come to find work. Old residents of the East End are proud to be called cockneys, which mean true Londoners, hereditary inhabitants.        In recent times London has grown so large, that the government has decided that it must spread no farther. It's now surrounded by a green belt — a belt of agricultural and wooden land on which new buildings may be put up only with the permission of the planning authorities.