Geography and Climate London

Geography and Climate

Greater

London covers

an area of 609 square miles (1,579 km²). Its primary geographical feature is

the Thames, a navigable river which crosses

the city from the southwest to the east. The Thames Valley

is a floodplain surrounded by gently rolling hills such as Parliament Hill and

Primrose Hill. These hills presented no significant obstacle to the growth of London from its origins as a port on the north side of the

river, and therefore London

is roughly circular.

The Thames was once a much broader, shallower river with

extensive marshlands. It has been extensively embanked, and many of its London tributaries now

flow underground. The Thames is a tidal river, and London is vulnerable to flooding. The threat

has increased over time due to a slow but continuous rise in high water level

by the slow 'tilting' of Britain (up in the north and down in the south) caused

by post-glacial rebound. The Thames Barrier was constructed across the Thames at Woolwich in the 1970s to deal with this threat,

but a more substantial barrier further downstream may be necessary in the

near-future.

London has a temperate climate with regular but generally light precipitation

throughout the year. Snow is uncommon, particularly because heat from the urban

area can make London

5пїЅC hotter

than the surroundings.

London's vast urban area is often

divided into a large set of districts (e.g. Bloomsbury, Mayfair,

Whitechapel, among dozens of others). These are for the most part informal

designations which have become commonplace through tradition, with no official

boundaries. One area of London which does have a

strict definition is the City of London (usually

just called The City), the principle financial district of the UK. The City

has its own governance and boundaries, giving it a distinctive status as a

"city within a city". London's other financial hub is the Docklands

area in the east of the city, dominated by the Canary Wharf complex, whilst

many other businesses locate in the City of Westminster which is the home of

the UK's national government.

The

West End (actually in Central London, in the City of Westminster)

is London's main entertainment and shopping

district, with locations such as Oxford

Street, Leicester

Square and Piccadilly Circus

acting as tourist magnets. The actual West London region, further out from the

centre, is traditionally known for fashionable and expensive residential areas

such as Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea

пїЅ amongst the most expensive places to live in the country.

Meanwhile,

the eastern side of London contains the East End

пїЅ the area closest to the original Port

of London, known for its high

immigrant population, as well as for being one of the poorest areas in London. The surrounding

East London area, of which the East End is seen to form a part, saw much of London's early industrial

development, and is currently part of the Thames Gateway regeneration that

includes the 2012 Olympics.

North

London and South London are divisions of the

capital made by the River Thames although informally can cover varying areas.