Descriptive Text : London

            London, the capital city of England, has been one of the major cities in Europe for centuries. Because of its long history, it has many old buildings.

            The historical centre of London is now a relatively small area still known as the City, which covers only about 2.6 sq km (about 1 sq mi). The City is capitalized, to distinguish it from the larger metropolis. This is where the Romans built the first bridge in London. Today this area is one of the world’s leading financials centres. Most of the financials activities are crowded along Threadneedle Street, near the intersection known as the Bank, which includes the huge Bank of England complex, the Royal Exchange, and the Stock Exchange. The permanent residential population of the City is now less than 6000, but about 350,000 commute here daily to work. The only large residential portion of the City is the Barbican Centre, a concrete complex of towers, parking garages, and pedestrian walkways located on the northern edge of the City. The Barbican was built to replace older buildings destroyed in World War II (1939 - 1945), when the Germans heavily bombed London.