London is enormous, a sprawl of homes, offices and factories, which stretches 30 miles from east to west and 27 miles from north to south. About 8 million people live in London, mainly in the suburbs which were once towns and villages. London is not only the capital of Britain and the seat of the government. It is also port and one of the greatest commercial centres in the world. The wealth that poured into England from her colonies mainly through the Port of London was the basis for the continual expansion of the capital. Most big organizations have a office in London and it is the place for students. London has been built up gradually in the course of many centuries. If people were to study the history of London, they should see how the city reflected the life of the entire country. The area within the boundaries of the old Roman and medieval cities is now called the City of London.
For a thousand years the City has been an important force in English history. Now the City is a tightly packed square mile of mainly office buildings. The wealth and the power of the City comes from banking, insurance and the selling of stocks and shares as well as from trade in goods and cargoes from all over the world. The capital has 14 bridges in all, among them the famous Tower Bridge. The only bridge in London until the 18 century, it is still one of the most important. Less than a mile upstream from the City is Westminster which has been the seat of government for nine hundred years. Here the medieval kings had their palace and to it they summoned, about 700 years ago, the first parliaments. Two groups of men met to advise the king. The Lords and the Commons. Standing on the site of the old royal palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament is a very large and majestic building, a fine example of 19th century Gothic architecture in Britain. It stands on the left bank of the river Thames and it stretches for about 1000 feet.
