Central London, Geographic region in London, United Kingdom.
Central London is a geographic region at the heart of the city that covers several districts including the City of London, Westminster and Camden, stretching along the Thames. This zone brings together business areas, government buildings, residential neighborhoods and many public squares within a densely built urban space.
The region emerged from the Roman settlement of Londinium, founded in the year 43 and soon became the trading hub of the province. During the Middle Ages the city grew around two centers: the City as a trading place and Westminster as the seat of royal power and the church.
Most visitors come to this area for the theatres around Leicester Square or the shopping streets near Oxford Street and Covent Garden. Street performers often gather by the entrances to the large railway stations, and markets like Borough Market show how old trading sites have adapted to modern daily life.
Anyone wanting to find their way around can use the Thames as a main axis or the large parks like Hyde Park and Regent's Park as reference points. The area is easy to explore on foot, and many sights are no more than a 20-minute walk from each other.
Many streets in this region carry signs marking underground rivers that now flow hidden beneath buildings and asphalt. The Fleet River, for example, still runs below Farringdon and empties into the Thames, even though it has been built over since the 18th century.
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