Beautiful places of the planet: London.

London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom.

It is situated on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain.

Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster and is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower. Every year the clock is adjusted using an old English penny. If the clock is running fast, a penny is added to the pendulum. If the clock is running slow, a penny is removed from the pendulum. The clock gains 2/5 of a second a day from each penny added.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. Tower Bridge was built between 1886 and 1894.

London’s Hyde Park is one of the greatest city parks in the world. Covering 142 hectares (350 acres) and with over 4,000 trees, a large lake, a meadow and ornamental flower gardens. Hyde Park was created in 1536 by Henry VIII for hunting.

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel located along the River Thames. The design is similar to an enormous bicycle wheel, with a central hub and spindle connected to outer and inner rims by cable spokes. It is over 200 times larger than the average bike wheel. The structure is 135 meters (443 feet) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 meters (394 feet).

The London Bus is one of London’s principal icons, the archetypal red rear-entrance AEC Routemaster being recognized worldwide. There are 8,600 buses in the whole fleet, operating on 700 routes, serving 19,000 bus stops.