City of London, today one of the world's most important financial centres
Photo Credit: JaT, public domain
On this page, we learn the geography of London is greater detail. For most visitors to London, especially first time visitors, the most important places to visit in London are located at the heart of Greater London, in the areas called the City of London and the City of Westminster. Most of the tourist attractions are located here. For more detail about the geography of London, please read on.
The term "London" can mean different things geographically, depending on the context. In common usage, London refers to "Greater London", that is to say, the administrative area created in 1965 and comprising the City of London and 32 London boroughs. Greater London covers an area of 1579 sq km (609 sq miles), and as of 2006, has an estimated population of 7.5 million people. Although foreigners would commonly regard Greater London as a city, in actual fact, it is really a municipality. This is because within Greater London are the City of London and the City of Westminster, both granted city status by the Crown.
The "City of London" is the ancient, original area within central London from which develops today's Greater London. This small area is today referred to simply as "The City" or "The Square Mile", and forms the financial district of London.
As mentioned, Greater London comprises the City of London and 32 London boroughs, as listed below:
 London Boroughs
Author: Morwen, GNU Free Documentation License
- City of London
- City of Westminster
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Hammersmith and Fulham
- Wandsworth
- Lambeth
- Southwark
- Tower Hamlets
- Hackney
- Islington
- Camden
- Brent
- Ealing
- Hounslow
- Richmond upon Thames
- Kingston upon Thames
- Merton
- Sutton
- Croydon
- Bromley
- Lewisham
- Greenwich
- Bexley
- Havering
- Barking and Dagenham
- Redbridge
- Newham
- Waltham Forest
- Haringey
- Enfield
- Barnet
- Harrow
- Hillingdon
The 32 boroughs of London is divided into Inner London and Outer London. What is Inner London depends on whom you talk to: the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) or the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The ILEA's definition of Inner London more or less corresponds to the area of the former County of London, an administrative entity that existed from 1889 to 1965, when Greater London was created. This places the following boroughs within Inner London:
Camden
Greenwich
Hackney
Hammersmith and Fulham
Islington
Kensington and Chelsea
Lambeth
Lewisham
Southwark
Tower Hamlets
Wandsworth
City of Westminster
The City of London is not part of the former County of London and is not a London borough. Nevertheless, it can be included as part of Inner London. North Woolwich, however, was part of County of London, but was transferred to Newham, an Outer London borough, when Greater London was created.
On the other hand, the ONS (which also collect census), includes Haringey and Newham as Inner London, but leaves Greenwich out. According to this definition, Inner London has as estimated population of close to 3 million inhabitants in 2005.
Greater London was created out of the City of London, the County of London, and part of the counties of Middlesex, Kent, Surrey, Essex and Hertfordshire. Although London is commonly regarded as the capital of the United Kingdom, this status has never been granted or officially confirmed by statute or in written form. Its position as capital is thorugh constitutional convention - when the capital of England was moved from Winchester to London in the 12th to 13th centuries, London became the permanent location of the royal court, and by extension, became the political capital of the country.
The most distinctive geographical feature of London's topography is the River Thames, which flows across London from southwest to the east. The area is mostly flat land surrounded by rolling hills including Parliament Hill, Addington Hills and Primrose Hill. During ancient times, the Thames was broader and shallower, with marshlands on both sides. The width of the river expands and contracts according to tide, and this tidal effect makes London prone to flooding. To counter this, the Thames Barrier was erected across the river. The barrier is expected to function as designed until 2030, and even now, work in on the way for its future enlargement and redesign.
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London Travel Tips is researched and written by Timothy Tye, universally known as Tim. The information provided is in goodwill and is believed to be correct and up-to-date at time of writing. We disclaim responsible for its usage, and encourage users to recheck the information before their trip. Some photos are provided by Panoramio. Photos provided by Panoramio are under the copyright of their owners. They may only be used under the terms & conditions specified by Panoramio. Photos by third-party owners are captioned and attributed. Photographs that belong to Tim are copyrighted and may not be reused unless you first obtain permission. All of Tim's photographs are available for commercial use under the following licensing terms. Tim is a Christian. Click here to know more about his beliefs.
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