LONDON as obviously everybody in the civilized world knows is the capital of the United Kingdom, that lonely piece of island off the European mainland otherwise known as Great Britain. That island may be lonely but it certainly is home to one of the most influential governments in the world, second only to the United States. It currently has a population of 12 million people (roughly similar with other metropolitan centers in the world). The city is so dense and so important that it has five international airports – Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City Airport. Heathrow is of course the largest and the busiest in the whole continent with 240,000 flights landing a year. Large as it is, this airport is surprisingly not owned by the British government. It is owned and operated by a Spanish private group. It has a total of four terminals and a fifth terminal under construction will open in April 2008. Heathrow International Airport began its operation in the 1930s. Metro trains have a railway station at the airport. The airport also has a multi-faith chapel. On the other hand, the Gatwick International Airport only has one runway and as such, it retains the title as the world’s busiest single runway airport.

Before going to London, it is imperative that the tourist must learn first about its government. London is a sovereign state of the United Kingdom under the country of England. Its 32 boroughs is governed by the Greater London Authority led by Mayor Ken Livingstone. Aside from the four UNESCO-sanctioned World Heritage Sites situated all around the city, London’s City Hall is also one of its tourist attractions. It is open for public viewing during office hours. The structure’s architecture itself is already considered unique because of its bulbous shape many thanks to Foster and Partners. With its very distinctive shape, the structure is considered to have no front or back. Current exhibitors using the London City Hall are the Dakar City of Bangladesh, an exhibit of potters based in London (obviously banking on the fame of Harry Potter) and exhibitors from India and Poland. The UNESCO World Heritage Sites mentioned earlier are the Palace of Westminster, the Tower of London, the Church of Westminster and the Westminster Abbey. Other notable London architectures are the Gherkin, Tower 42, One Canada Square, British Library, British Museum, The O2, The London Ark, The Monument of London, Marble Arch, Wellington Arch, Albert Memorial, Royal Albert Hall and Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square. Even the Port of London is a tourist magnet in itself. It is the site of cruising for small craft, kayaking and sailing. As such, it’s got facilities like the moorings, yacht clubs and marinas.

London’s climate is temperate with temperatures reaching as high as 22 degrees Celsius during the summer months of July and August. The lowest temperature is at 2 degrees during the winter months of January and February.

London’s largest industry is financial exports. The second’s most prolific sector is the media. BBC and Soho are the media giants in the city.