?LONDON
? London, the capital of the United Kingdom of Great Britain, is situated on the banks of the river Thames. The city is very old, it's more than 20 centuries. Its population is nearly 9 million people. The area known as "Great London" occupies the territory of about 1.8 thousand square km.
? The capital of the country is the important financial centre and one of the largest ports of the world. Administratively London is divided into 33 districts, but at the same time there are some parts of London, which have some distinctive features: the West End, the East End, the City, Westminster.
? The City of London is the commercial centre of all the country. It contains the Bank of England, business firms, companies, corporations, office buildings. Besides the Bank of England, London has 5 largest commercial banks of the United Kingdom and well-known London Stock Exchange.
? The masterpiece of architecture in the City today is St. Paul's Cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren, the famous English architect of the 17th century. In this Cathedral there are statues and tombs of the national English heroes: Nelson, Wellington and others.
? The Tower of London is an old castle, situated in the City. It was used as a fortress, a palace and a prison. During its long period of existence it was time when the Tower was even the Zoo. It was the Royal Zoo, of course. Now the Tower is a museum and houses the Crown jewels and other treasures. There is a legens in England that the Tower will fall if it loses it's ravens. That's why these birds are carefully guarded.