Viewing London
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Essence
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Problems
Westminster Council (which deals with the most-visited part of the capital) removes 90 tons of rubbish per day from its streets. London holds the richest and poorest segments of the British population - seven out of ten of the country's most deprived local authorities are in the capital. Traffic Congestion
The average vehicle speed in London today is 16kph - not much faster than it was in 1900! No wonder then that some 5 million people per day choose to ride on the bus and tube network.
Geography
London is the largest city in Europe, a ragged oval stretching over 50km (30 miles) across. However, most of 'Visitors' London' is condensed into Inner London, the area bounded by the Underground's Circle Line. The best way to see the capital is by a combination of underground (tube) and walking. Locals and Visitors
London's population reached a peak of around 8.6 million in 1939 then declined slowly to below 7 million in 1983. Only recently has it started to grow again. Formerly the world's most populous conurbation, London now ranks number ten in the world. By contrast, visitor numbers have been booming. In 1991 London registered 16 million visitors (ie those staying at least one night); by 1999 this figure had increased to 28 million. London is a cosmopolitan city, with 20 per cent of its population comprising non-white ethnic groups. Government
Londoners have only recently restored city-wide government. Political wrangling in the 1980s had led to the previous Greater London Council being abolished by central government. Most local decisions are devolved to 32 borough councils. Croydon is the largest borough with over 315,000 residents. The City of London, covering the square mile in the financial centre, is the smallest with barely 4,000.
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