Facts about London

• The first major settlement in London was founded by the Romans after the Roman conquest of Britain and London has been an important settlement for nearly two thousand years.

• In AD61 Queen Boudica of the Iceni trabe of Celts burnt London to the ground.

• By AD100 Londinium had become the Roman provice of Britannia.

• By the 3 rd century AD Londinium was in decline along with the Roman Empire and by the 5 th century AD London was pretty much deserted.

• By 600 AD a new settlement, Lundenwic, was created by the Anglo-Saxons.

• A Viking raid in 851AD razed Lundenwic to the ground.

• In 1666 The Great Fire of London destroyed many parts of the city.

• In 1863 the worlds first metro stystem was created in London due to rising traffic congestion – the London Underground.

• London was one of the first cities in history to achieve a population of one million and was the first city ever to go over five million.

• The Blitz and bombing of London in World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners.

• London is one of the most popular tourist locations in the world and has four World Heritage Sites. London is one of the leading financial centres in the world.

• There are five major international airports and a large port in the London area with Heathrow Airport being the busiest airport in the world transporting more passengers than any other airport.

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