project "London" Shaydurova Ekaterina

London

London  is the capital city of  England and the United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames:

London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, governed by the elected Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

The heart of the City is the Stock Exchange Westminster is the most important part of the capital :

The Houses of Parliament, the seat of the British Government, are there. It's a very beautiful building with two towers and a very big clock called Big Ben. Big Ben is really the bell which strikes every quarter of an hour.

London is a leading global city, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all c contributing to its prominence. 

It is the world's leading financial centre alongside New York City and has the fifth-largest city GDP in the world (and the largest in Europe). London has been described as a world cultural capital. It has the third most international visitors in the world  and London Heathrow is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers.

London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In 2012 London will become the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.

London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries. In July 2010 Greater London had an official population of 7,825,200, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union, and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population.

The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of  while London's metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with an estimated total population of between 12 million and 14 million.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London:

Kew Gardens:

the site comprising the Palace of Westminster:

Westminster Abbey:

and St Margaret's Church:

 and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and GMT)

Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace:

the London Eye:

Piccadilly Circus:

 St Paul's Cathedral:

Tower Bridge:

Trafalgar Square:

Wembley Stadium:

and the Shard London Bridge tower:

 London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library, Wimbledon and 40 theatres. The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world and the second-most extensive (after the Shanghai Metro)

The largest parks in the central area of London are the Royal Parks of Hyde Park

 its neighbour Kensington Gardens at the western edge of central London and Regent's Park on the northern edge.

 Regent's Park contains London Zoo, the world's oldest scientific zoo, and is located near the tourist attraction of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

All London's long-past history is told by its streets. There are many streets in London which are known all over the" world. Among them Oxford Street, Downing Street and a lot of others can be mentioned. And tourists are usually attracted not only by the places of interest but by the streets too. In conclusion I should say if you are lucky enough to find yourself in London some day you will have a lot to see and enjoy there

Dictionary

• kingdom    - [ˈkɪŋdəm] – королевство
• large - [lɑ:dʒ] – большой
• urban  - [ˈə:bən] – городской
• major - [ˈmeɪdʒə] – главный
• settlement - [ˈsetlmənt] – урегулирование
• millennium - [mɪˈlenɪəm] - тысячелетие 
• square-mile - квадратная миля
• tower - ['tauə] - башня 
• quarter -  четверть
• strength - [streŋθ] - сила 
• prominence - [ˈprɔmɪnəns]-выдающееся положение, выпуклость
• boundary - [ˈbaundərɪ] - граница 
• diverse-[daɪˈvə:s]-разнообразный
• boundary - [ˈbaundərɪ] – граница
• municipality - [mju:ˌnɪsɪˈpælɪtɪ] – муниципалитет
• accounting - [əˈkauntɪŋ] - бухгалтерский учет
• old - [əuld] – старый, опытный
• extensive - [ɪksˈtensɪv]-обширный широкий далеко идущий
• enjoy - [ɪnˈdʒɔɪ]-любить, наслаждаться, обладать, пользоваться