18 interesting facts about London

  1. London is the most densely populated area in Britain and is the ninth largest city in the world.
  2. According to rumors, ghosts of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Mad King George, and Charles I still haunt the Windsor Castle.
  3. During the time of the Roman Invasion, London was known as Londinium. In Saxon times, it was known as Lundenwic and during the kingdom of Alfred the Great, its name was changed to Lundenburg.
  4. In 1870, thanks to the potato famines in Ireland, there were more Irish living in London than there were in Dublin. (At the time, there were also more Catholics living in London than there were in Rome.)
  5. There are more than 100 theaters in London. Moreover, about sixteen percent of the country’s restaurants and food joints are located in London.
  6. The Thames is the oldest place name in Britain, and the river is a combination of four other rivers.
  7. The city of London is home to four World Heritage Sites - the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Botanical Gardens.
  8. About 25% of all people today living in London were born in another country.
  9. Windsor Castle of London is the largest and oldest castle of the world that is still in use.
  10. Gaslight was introduced in London in 1807; prior to this, torchlight was used.
  11. Thames River in London is the longest river in England.
  12. Her Majesty the Queen is not allowed to go into the House of Commons because she is not a commoner.
  13. The Great Fire of London in 1666 created widespread devastation, causing major reconstruction work all across the city.
  14. About sixteen percent of the UK’s restaurants are located in London, and there are more Michelin-rated restaurants in London than in any city except for Paris.
  15. The London Eye or Millennium Wheel of the city is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.
  16. The London Underground, built in 1863, and popularly called ‘Tube’, is the first metro of the world.
  17. London is one of the three command centers for the world economy, and has the sixth largest city economy in the world after Tokyo, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Paris.
  18. Each week, the 409 escalators in the London subway cover an astonishing distance: The equivalent of several trips around the globe!
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