The Tiny One

Which is the smallest of the following cities located within the United Kingdom: Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast or London? Most assuredly this is a trick question. Try not to over-think it. OK, I can see all of our readers in the UK raising their hands, saying “pick me, I know, I know.” Of course you do, but let’s not spoil the surprise for everyone else.

The counter-intuitive answer is the City of London. I was taken aback when I stumbled across this little factoid by chance recently. Perhaps I’d simply overlooked it or maybe I’m the last person to figure it out. Whatever, it amused me. So the little thing tend to please me and put a smile on my face most days. I doesn’t take much to make me happy.


Yes, It’s London

London? Really? There are more than seven million inhabitants of Greater London and more than twelve million in the larger metropolitan area. When I think of London, I think of this:

That’s not wrong, but that’s Greater London, not the City of London, which is actually this:


The Square Mile

The Square Mile. Photo by Michael Garnett; (CC BY-NC 2.0)

This area is sometimes called the Square Mile because of its approximate size. Well actually it’s 1.12 square miles or 2.90 square kilometres if you want a more exact figure, but that doesn’t sound as good as the Square Mile. From this spot arose the original London of the Middle Ages.

Towns sprung up around its walls and continued to spread and fill until the City of London remained just a tiny speck in a massive megalopolis. Nonetheless the City retains its independence and its size, and is now the smallest ceremonial county by area and population anywhere in England.

It’s a truly odd situation. Less than ten thousand people live here but more than three hundred thousand work here. The City of London Corporation serves as its governing body. The majority of voters aren’t even residents, rather they represent businesses or other entities that operate within its confines based upon various formulas.

And now you know.

This entry is a special tip-of-the-hat to my London-based readers. There are several of you judging by the maps I see in my Google Analytics account. Welcome!


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One response to “The Tiny One”

  1. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    I love this one. Also, in my more pedantic moods, I’ve been known to refer to Westminster as the capital of the UK since all the main governmental entities (Crown, Parliament, courts) are based within the City of Westminster itself. Of course, the City of Westminster is part of Greater London, but “technically correct” is the best kind of correct.

    Come to think of it, given that the seat of government has always been in Westminster (and assumedly Westminster is thus more important than the City of London), why didn’t the whole metropolitan conurbation get the name “Greater Westminster” instead of “Greater London?”

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