SOUTH London is the 250 square miles (650 square kilometres) of Greater London south of the River Thames.
It is home to nearly three million people and produces more than six per cent of the United Kingdom‘s gross domestic product.
The area has fewer historic and business sites than central London because the country's capital grew out of the cities of London (the financial district) and Westminster (the seat of national government) on the north bank of the Thames.
During that formative period the south bank was more or less a swamp and unsuitable for building, while the rest of south London was a collection of towns and villages, much of it under the direct control of the church.
But south London still boasts some world renowned places
of interest.
Among the best known are the London Eye (pictured by Gary T. Palmer); the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew; the Royal
Observatory at Greenwich; and the former power station that is now Tate Modern.
It is also home to the
South Bank arts complex that includes the Royal
Festival Hall, built to celebrate the Festival of Britain in 1951.
South London is world famous for international sport too, hosting athletics at
Crystal Palace; cricket at Kennington Oval; rugby union at Twickenham;
and tennis at Wimbledon.
Large-scale commercial redevelopment is planned across the area.
Initiatives
include urban regeneration at Elephant & Castle; Kidbrook;
and Lewisham. And there are major developments proposed at Battersea Power Station; in Croydon town centre; and at the Greenwich
Peninsular, adjacent to the former Millennium Dome, now the O2 arena.
South London is divided into 12 administrative areas - Bexley, Bromley,
Croydon, Greenwich, Kingston, Lambeth, Merton, Lewisham, Richmond,
Southwark, Sutton and Wandsworth - each of which is designated a London
Borough Council.
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SLEC is sponsored by HSBC - the world's local bank
But south London still boasts some world renowned places
of interest.