BEIJING, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- Backgrounder: London

    East London

    Home of the London 2012 Olympic Park, east London is a culturally diverse area with a fascinating history. Decades of hard-working east Londoners have earned their living from the changing industrial landscape of the area.

    Thousands of migrants have started out in east London, finding a foothold to a better life.

    An area of great potential, east London will be vastly improved as a result of hosting the 2012 Games - with new jobs, new homes, new facilities and the largest new urban park in Europe for 150 years.

    London at a glance

    London is the largest city in Western Europe and home to eight million people, 200 different national groups, 300 different languages. It is home to the world's largest stock market and more than 500 overseas banks have offices in the city.

    London's tourist attractions are amongst the most popular and diverse in the world - from Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London to the new Tate Modern Gallery and the London Eye.

    Four international airports make London a world hub for air travel. London Heathrow is the world's busiest international airport. London has Europe's biggest bus network, 20,000 licensed and accessible taxis and over 186 miles (300km) of underground railway with approximately 300 stations.

    Cultural capital

    London is one of the most vibrant and artistically influential of capital cities and it is against this background that London will stage a spectacular, four-year cultural Olympic and Paralympic program, beginning this month and reflecting the diverse peoples, cultures and youth of the city, the United Kingdom and the world.

    With its world famous theatres, art galleries, concert halls and museums, dance centers and sculpture spaces, London is a city that loves to share its cultural diversity, which spans the spectrum from traditional performance to urban and disability arts, one of the most vibrant of the developing arts sectors.