About London

* Greater London, at 1,584 sq km, is the smallest of the nine English regions (1.2% of the total land area of England). Source ONS

* With a population of 7.2m, London is the largest city in Europe. Estimates suggest the city will expand to over 8m by 2020. Source ONS, GLA

* London tends to have annual net inflows of people from outside the UK, with almost 30% of London's population from a minority ethnic group. There are 50 non-indigenous communities with populations over 10,000. Source: ONS, The Guardian 21/1/2005

* Open space accounts for 30% of the London area, with London containing 147 registered parks and gardens and eight royal parks. Source: English Heritage Attractions

* London has the greatest concentration of major attractions in Britain. In 2004, four of the top ten paid attractions, and eight and the top ten free attractions were in London. Source: DCMS, Association of Leading Visitor Attractions

* There are currently four World Heritage Sites, (Palace of Westminster, Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Gardens) and 17 national museums across the capital. Source: English Heritage, DCMS Entertainment

* There almost 150 theatres in London, including over 50 in the West End. London theatre accounts for 45% of all UK theatre admissions and over 70% of box-office revenues. Source: The Society of London Theatre, GLA Economics

* London has 3,800 pubs, 9% of Britain's public houses. There are 233 nightclubs in London or 15% of nightclubs across Britain. In Westminster alone, there are over 330 venues open after midnight. Source: GLA Economics, City of Westminster

* Leicester Square played host to 42 film premieres in 2004, including: 'The Incredibles', 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason' and 'The Aviator'. Source: Westminster Events Team Restaurants & Retail

* There are 6,128 licensed restaurants in London, a remarkable 22% of Britain's restaurants. They include menus from more than 50 major country cuisines, and 36 Michelin star rated restaurants. Source: GLA Economics, Time Out Guide to Eating & Drinking, Michelin Guide to Great Britain & Ireland

* London has over 40,000 shops and some 80 individual markets, including Walthamstow Market, Europe's longest daily street market. The capital is also home to ten Farmer Markets. Source: GLA Economics, Visit London, London Borough of Waltham Forest, London Farmers' Markets

* The West End is by some margin the largest retail area in the UK. In Oxford Street alone there over 300 shops, including Selfridges, which has some 40 retail departments. Source: GLA, Oxford Street Association, Selfridges Transport

* The number of passengers arriving and departing to or from London's airports equaled over 120m in 2004. Heathrow handled 67m passengers, making the airport the busiest and best connected in the world. Source: CAA, BAA

* There are almost 21,000 licensed taxis in London. 'Black Cabs' come in 12 different colours. Source: Transport for London, Mann & Overton

* Further information on the Visit London website

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