什麼是倫敦

英國的首都及最大城市。位於英格蘭東南部，濱泰晤士河。內倫敦的範圍包括最原始的倫敦市和倫敦33個自治市的其中13個，大倫敦則包括所有的33個自治市。西元1世紀時由羅馬人建立，當時名為倫迪尼烏姆（Londinium），6世紀時歸屬撒克遜人。丹麥人在865年入侵英格蘭時破壞了該城的防禦工事，後來重建。威廉一世建立了倫敦塔這個城堡要塞的中心堡壘。諾曼國王們挑選威斯敏斯特為行政首府，而愛德華建立了西敏寺這座教堂。這座在1085年之前阿爾卑斯山脈以北歐洲最大的城市在1348～1349年遭到黑死病的重創。16世紀中葉貿易日益成長，因英國海外帝國的擴張而加速發展。1664～1665年爆發的瘟疫造成七萬多名倫敦人死亡。1666年倫敦大火燒光了5/6的城市，後來加以重建（參閱Wren, Sir Christopher）。從18世紀末葉到1914年倫敦一直是世界的貿易中心。1890年完成世界第一座電氣地下鐵道。在第二次世界大戰期間的不列顛戰役中遭到德軍的嚴重轟炸。市內具有歷史價值的地點包括：白金漢宮、泰特藝廊、英國國立美術館、大英博物館與維多利亞和艾伯特博物館。人口︰都會區約7,007,000（1995）。

London

Capital and largest city (metro. area pop., 1995 est.: 7,007,000), United Kingdom, situated in southeastern England on the River Thames. Inner London includes the original City of London and 13 of London's 33 boroughs; Greater London, includes all 33 boroughs. Founded by the Romans as Londinium in the 1st century AD, it passed to the Saxons in the 6th century. City fortifications were destroyed by the Danes, who invaded England in 865, but were later rebuilt. William I the Conqueror established the central stronghold of the fortress known as the Tower of London. Norman kings selected Westminster as their seat of government, and Edward the Confessor built the church known as Westminster Abbey. The largest city in Europe north of the Alps by 1085, it was struck by the Black Death in 1348-49. In the mid-16th century it saw important growth in trade, fueled by the establishment of Britain's overseas empire. In 1664-65 the plague killed about 70,000 Londoners, and in 1666 the Great Fire of London consumed five-sixths of the City; it was afterwards rebuilt (see Christopher Wren). It was the center of world trade from the late 18th century to 1914. It opened the world's first electric underground railway in 1890. It was severely damaged by German bombs in the Battle of Britain during World War II. Among its sites of interest are Buckingham Palace, the Tate Gallery, the National Gallery, the British Museum, and the Victoria and Albert Museum.