London Flashcards
where is London
Northern Hemisphere
Europe
South East England - borders Scotland and Wales
Island surrounded by North Atlantic ocean
give 4 reasons why is London important to the UK
London generates 22% of the UK’s income, despite having only 14% of the population
London is the UK capital city and home to the UK government so decisions affecting the country are made here
Multi-cultural environment and range of entertainment e.g 300 theatres, 240 museums and galleries as well as various sporting and music venues
London is a major retail centre and in 2010, had the highest non-food retail sales of any city in the world with a total spend of £64.2 billion
London is home to the UK government and royal family who oversee the Commonwealth
London contains 4 of the World Heritage sites - Tower of London, Kew Gardens, Westminster Abbey and Greenwich
London is a hub for transport networks, many of which converge on the capital providing onward connections around the country
London has many unique historical and cultural activities e.g Buckingham Palace
give 4 reasons why is London important internationally
London has many universities e.g UCL where over 100,000 international students go to study
Many of London’s iconic building e.g the Shard are owned by foreign investors
London is a city where businesses thrive - around 40% of the world’s foreign currency is traded here
London has close links to Europe and the wider world with 5 airports as well as international rail connections e.g Heathrow and EuroStar
London is the world’s leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and high-net-worth individuals than any other city
London has the most start-up internet firms in Europe and is host to 68 of the world’s top 2000 companies
London’s second financial district at Canary Wharf includes the global headquarters of two of the world’s largest banks, HSBC and Barclays as well as the international news form, Reuters
Four of London’s five airports are the busiest in the UK which brings in business and cargo from across the county and world
London has the second best global air connections in the world after Dubai
Greenwich, London is where the longitude and latitude measurements start and is where all the world’s time zones are measured from
London attracts nearly 20 million tourists a year who spend around £20 billion
what has national migration done to London
Created lots of student accommodation in some areas which has attracted services and facilities aimed at a younger population
Led to the growth of large housing estates in the suburbs which lack character and communities from the inner city have been broken up
Suburbanisation has led to dereliction in the inner city areas which has led to higher crime rates as people don’t feel their environment is cared for
Wealthy young graduates can afford luxury apartments changing the character from run-down and derelict factories to smart post-industrial accommodation
what has international migration done to London
Led to the clustering of people from the same background in certain areas e.g. Chinese near Leicester Square in Chinatown which means that services and shops cater for that group and building styles reflect the culture and architecture of the ‘home’ country which has increased racial and ethnic tension between groups and led to London being a target for terrorist attacks
Led to more than 100 different languages being spoken in London which is challenging, particularly for services like schools, doctors, hospitals and the police
give 4 reasons how has London grown nationally
the population growth rate was high at around 20% per decade which was mostly through national migration
the Industrial Revolution caused high rates of rural-to-urban migration as people were attracted by the jobs in factories and shipping
in 1851, London was the largest city in the world and almost 40% of Londoners were born elsewhere
during WW2, many children were evacuated and many others left the city to seek safety and this national migration led to the city population falling
during WW2, the city suffered serious bombing and many inner city areas were destroyed and this led to the growth of suburbs and housing estates on the outskirts of the city
new towns like Stevenage and Milton Keynes were created in the 1950s with bigger houses, more open space and the opportunity to live in a better environment
better transport and communication technology means that people can live outside London and still commute in, or work from home which has lead to counter urbanisation
today, young people from around the UK or abroad move to London to study or work in the wide range of graduate jobs and this national and international migration has lead to a young population
give 4 reasons how has London grown internationally
following the Great Famine in Ireland, there was an influx of Irish migrants which is another example of international migration
in 1851, London was the largest city in the world and almost 40% of Londoners were born elsewhere
there is a long history of international migration of Jews into London, most fleeing prosecution which began in the 1860s leading to large Jewish communities across the city
immigration from Commonwealth countries like India and Pakistan has been significant since the 1948 British nationality Act which allowed migration and lead to large Asian communities in London
International migration from across the Commonwealth, starting after WW2 when there was a labour shortage, established a pattern of migration that has continued to today
Until 1968, citizens from across the Commonwealth could come to the UK with no restrictions, this changed the ethnicity make-up of London
in 1973, the UK joined the EU and this allowed free movement around Europe, and London was the destination for many European migrants
in 1998, the ‘iron curtain’ fell and this meant that Eastern Europeans fleeing racial and political persecution found asylum in the UK - many in London
today, young people from around the UK or abroad move to London to study or work in the wide range of graduate jobs and this national and international migration has lead to a young population
how has London created a cultural mix
by building more houses for people to live in as well as more job / education opportunities
they host events such as Nottinghill Carnival which attract more people to London through migration
how is London’s diverse cultural mix an opportunity for people
it allows people to try new foods and music as well as meeting new people and explore other cultures
3 facts about Brick Lane
Brick Lane is the heart of London’s Bangladeshi community since the 1970s and is known as Banglatown
It has a history of immigration and has been home to many different cultures, races and ethnic groups
Bangladeshi people migrated here looking for work
Food and curry outlets opened up catering for the largely male workforce
There are many award winning restaurants and curry houses and you can also find Bengali foods on sale in the local shops and markets, and the street plays host to an annual Curry Festival with live entertainment laid
3 facts about Nottinghill Carnival
Close to one million people attend this two-day celebration of Caribbean heritage on the streets of Notting Hill
Celebrations include costume-clad Caribbean’s dancing to traditional reggae, meringue, calypso, rumba, and zouk music, and street vendors selling foods like seasoned jerk chicken, callaloo, and traditional goat stew
The carnival celebrates the diversity of Caribbean cultures found in London and as a result of the losses during WW2, the British government encouraged mass immigration from the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth to fill shortages in the labour market
Laws were passed so that people could settle in the UK with no visa or immigration restrictions (although this has led to huge issues recently with the Windrush scandal which saw the UK government apologise for deportation threats made to Commonwealth Citizen’s children)
Many Caribbean’s were attracted by better prospects in what was often referred to as the mother country and there was plenty of work in post-war Britain and industries such as British Rail, the National Health Service and public transport recruited almost exclusively from Jamaica and Barbados
what are 3 recreation and entertainment opportunities in London
Lord’s cricket ground
Nottinghill Carnival
Buckingham Palace
Musicals / theatres
Museums / galleries
Tower bridge
65% of London is made up of gardens, lakes and eight Royal Parks
Wembley
China town
Wimbledon
what is a social opportunity of London
A social opportunity of living in London is access to a wide range of recreation and entertainment
what is an economic opportunity of London
An economic opportunity of living in London is the amount and variety of employment
what is an intergrated transport system in London
it involves coordinating different forms of transport to provide a single, easy use system e.g oyster card to make public transport more attractive, faster and easier to use
it helps economic growth and reduces environmental problems such as air pollution and congestion
