5 interesting facts about London that will surprise you

Friends, we all have chosen the United Kingdom as a place to live and as our field of progress. Here we study English with the goal to successfully fit into both work environment and pastimes. Now let’s study more about the UK’s heart – London – with this new article!

Did you know:

            Fact 1. London is actually a forest! There are so many trees in the UK’s capital that according to the United Nations’ classification of afforestation density, it is considered a forest. It even has its Tree Protection Committee. Of course, this is good for Londoners having in mind the quantity of harmful gases, emitted by cars into the air. Every tree is like a small air treatment plant, releasing oxygen which betters the air.

            Fact 2. Norway has gifted London with a Christmas tree every year at Christmastime since 1947 till nowadays. The tree is specially chosen and transported to London, where it adorns Trafalgar Square during the whole festive season. Why have the Norwegians done that? They still remember the World War II alliance with the Brits and they are still grateful for that collaboration.

            Fact 3. The Lord Mayor of the City of London is almost the most important figure in the city and all decisions about London are made with his participation. His swearing-in ceremony happens in almost absolute silence. This ceremony is known as the Silent Ceremony, because it is conducted with almost no words. Unlike this “silent” day, the next day continues with lavish celebrations, called the Lord Mayor’s Show. This spectacular performance has had its own scenario for already 800 years.

            Fact 4. The Bank of England had demanded that the Bank of London had to be within 10 minutes’ walking distance. This rule is repealed in 1980, but until that year all of London’s banks had to follow it. The idea behind this rule was that the governor of the Bank of England could call an emergency meeting on occasion needing a swift decision and the managers of the banks would be able to attend almost instantly.

            Fact 5. London has been the host of the Olympic games three times, which makes it a unique city in the world. It welcomed the best athletes on the Planet in 1908, 1948 and 2012. Also, the Olympics in 1908 was the longest ever – it lasted as long as 187 days. Numerous records were set in front of the Londoners’ very eyes.

Dear friends of Training Center Raya  London, you have also likely heard some other interesting facts about the city. We will be delighted if you share them with your tutors in class. To support your education, we remind you to switch the language version on our website and to read this text in English, too. Look up the unfamiliar words in the dictionary! Until next time!

Author: Iveta Radeva

Photo: Freepik.com