City of London

City of London The City • Square Mile
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Domine dirige nos Latin: Lord, guide us
Shown within Greater London
Coordinates: 51.5155°N 0.0922°W / 51.5155; -0.0922
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	England
Region	Greater London
Status	sui generis, City and Ceremonial County
Admin HQ	Guildhall
Roman settlement	c. 47 AD (Londinium)
Wessex resettlement	886 AD (Lundenburh)
Government
• Local authority	City of London Corporation
• Lord Mayor	Michael Bear
• MP	Mark Field
• London Assembly	John Biggs
Area
• Total	1.0 sq mi (2.6 km2)
Population (2005 est)
• Total	9,200
• Density	8,220/sq mi (3,172/km2)
• Ethnicity	84.4% White 68.3% British 12.8% non-British 3.3% Irish 6.8% South Asian 2.6% African-Caribbean 2.0% Chinese
• ONS code	00AA
	Population Ranked 353rd
Time zone	GMT (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Postal code	EC
Website	http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

London in 1300: most was still within the old Roman city wall.

The City of London is a district of London, capital city of England and the United Kingdom. It is in central London and is the oldest part of the city, dating back to Roman times.

The City of London has its own mayor, the Lord Mayor of London, and other ancient features of government, dating back to medieval times.

It is here in the City of London where most of the United Kingdom's financial trade is done. It is a very small area, covering only a square mile, and has a very small population too (8,000). However, many people come to work here and during the day it can be very busy, with some 300,000 people in it.

The City has its own police force, the City of London Police.

Financial markets

The City vies with New York City as the financial capital of the world: many banking and insurance institutions have their headquarters there. The London Stock Exchange (shares and bonds), Lloyd's of London (insurance) and the Bank of England are all based in the City.

Over 500 banks have offices in the City, and the City is an established leader in trading in Eurobonds, foreign exchange, energy futures and global insurance. The Alternative Investment Market, a market for trades in equities of smaller firms, is a recent development. In 2008, the City of London accounted for 4% of UK GDP.

London is the world's greatest foreign exchange market, with much of the trade conducted in the City of London. Of the $3.98 trillion daily global turnover, as measured in 2007, trading in London accounted for around $1.36 trillion, or 34.1% of the total. The Pound Sterling, the currency of the United Kingdom, is globally the fourth most traded currency and the third most held reserve currency.

Since 1991 Canary Wharf, a few miles east of the City in Tower Hamlets, has become a second centre for London's financial services industry and houses many banks and other institutions formerly located in the Square Mile. This development does not appear to have damaged the City: growth has continued in both locations.

History

The City is the site of Roman Londinium, and the archaeological remains are on display in the Museum of London, City Wall.

The City has many churches designed by Sir Christopher Wren, including St Paul's Cathedral. The City was the site of the Great Fire of London in 1666.

References

Greater London • London • City of London

London Boroughs: Barking and Dagenham • Barnet • Bexley • Brent • Bromley • Camden • Croydon • Ealing • Enfield • Greenwich • Hackney • Hammersmith and Fulham • Haringey • Harrow • Havering • Hillingdon • Hounslow • Islington • Kensington and Chelsea • Kingston • Lambeth • Lewisham • Merton • Newham • Redbridge • Richmond • Southwark • Sutton • Tower Hamlets • Waltham Forest • Wandsworth • Westminster Sui generis: City of London (Exclaves: Inner Temple • Middle Temple) See also: Greater London Authority • London Assembly • Mayor of London