query: Game of Thrones (season 3) is a drama set in a fantasy world.

pos: Game of Thrones (season 3) The third season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered in the United States on HBO on March 31 , 2013 , and concluded on June 9 , 2013 . It was broadcast on Sunday at 9:00 pm in the United States , consisting of 10 episodes , each running approximately 50 -- 60 minutes . The season is based roughly on the first half of A Storm of Swords ( the third of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin , of which the series is an adaptation ) . The series is adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss . HBO renewed the series for a third season on April 10 , 2012 , nine days after the second season 's premiere . Production began in July 2012 . The show was filmed primarily in Ireland , Northern Ireland , Croatia , Iceland and Morocco .   The story takes place in a fictional world , primarily upon a continent called Westeros , with one storyline occurring on another continent to the east known as Essos . Like the novel , the season follows the climatic battle at Kings Landing . Season three like the previous season mainly centres around the war of the five kings ; after the death of Renly Baratheon ( Gethin Anthony ) , all four kings in Westeros believes to have a claim to the Iron Throne , besides Robb Stark ( Richard Madden ) , who seeks vengeance for the death of his father , Lord Eddard `` Ned '' Stark ( Sean Bean ) .   Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast , including Peter Dinklage , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Lena Headey , Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington . The season introduced a number of new cast members , including Ciarán Hinds , Nathalie Emmanuel and Iwan Rheon .   Critics praised the show 's production values and cast . Viewership yet again rose compared to the previous season . It won 2 of the 16 Emmy Awards for which it was nominated , it received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series ( Dinklage ) , Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ( Clarke ) and Outstanding Drama Series . It also won the Critics ' Choice Television Award for Best Drama Series .

pos: Game of Thrones Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss . It is an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire , George R. R. Martin 's series of fantasy novels , the first of which is A Game of Thrones . It is filmed at Titanic Studios in Belfast , on location in the United Kingdom , and in Canada , Croatia , Iceland , Malta , Morocco , Spain , and the United States . The series premiered on HBO in the United States on April 17 , 2011 , and its sixth season ended on June 26 , 2016 . The series was renewed for a seventh season , which is scheduled to premiere on July 16 , 2017 , and will conclude with its eighth season in 2018 .   Set on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos , Game of Thrones has several plot lines and a large ensemble cast . The first story arc follows a dynastic conflict among competing claimants for succession to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms , with other noble families fighting for independence from the throne . The second covers attempts to reclaim the throne by the exiled last scion of the realm 's deposed ruling dynasty ; the third chronicles the threat of the impending winter and the legendary creatures and fierce peoples of the North .   Game of Thrones has attracted record viewership on HBO and has a broad , active , international fan base . It has been acclaimed by critics , particularly for its acting , complex characters , story , scope , and production values , although its frequent use of nudity and violence ( including sexual violence ) has attracted criticism . The series has received 38 Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Drama Series in 2015 and 2016 , more than any other primetime scripted television series . Its other awards and nominations include three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation ( 2012 -- 2014 ) , a 2011 Peabody Award , and four nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series -- Drama ( 2012 and 2015 -- 2017 ) . Of the ensemble cast , Peter Dinklage has won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series ( 2011 and 2015 ) and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor -- Series , Miniseries or Television Film ( 2012 ) for his performance as Tyrion Lannister . Lena Headey , Emilia Clarke , Kit Harington , Maisie Williams , Diana Rigg , and Max von Sydow have also received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for their performances in the series .

neg: List of high fantasy films and TV series This is a list of films and TV series in the high fantasy genre . High fantasy is defined by being set in an imaginary fantasy world rather than in our real , mundane world .

neg: List of A Song of Ice and Fire characters George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire novels feature a massive cast of characters . The series follows three interwoven plotlines : a dynastic war for control of Westeros by several families ; the rising threat of the superhuman Others beyond Westeros 's northern border ; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen , the exiled heir of the previous ruling dynasty .   Each chapter is narrated in the third person limited point of view through the eyes of a single character . Beginning with nine POV characters in A Game of Thrones ( 1996 ) , the number grows to thirty-one by A Dance with Dragons ( 2011 ) .

neg: Game of Thrones (2014 video game) Game of Thrones is an episodic graphic adventure fantasy drama video game based on Game of Thrones , the TV adaptation of George R. R. Martin A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series , released in December 2014 for Android , iOS , Microsoft Windows , OS X , PlayStation 3 , PlayStation 4 , Xbox 360 , and Xbox One .   The game was developed by Telltale Games and follows the episodic format found in other Telltale titles , such as The Walking Dead , The Wolf Among Us , and Tales from the Borderlands , where player choices and actions influence later events across the 6-episode arc . The story revolves around the northern House Forrester , rulers of Ironrath , whose members , including the five playable characters , attempt to save their family and themselves after ending up on the losing side of the War of the Five Kings . The game includes settings , characters and voice actors from the novels and TV series .   The game was generally well received , and Telltale is currently working on a second season of the game .

neg: Gilly (A Song of Ice and Fire) Gilly is a fictional character in the A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin , and its television adaptation Game of Thrones .   Introduced in 1998 's A Clash of Kings , she is a wildling from the wild lands north of the Wall . She subsequently appeared in Martin 's A Storm of Swords , A Feast for Crows , A Dance with Dragons and will appear in the upcoming novel The Winds of Winter .   Gilly is portrayed by Hannah Murray in the HBO television adaptation .

neg: Friday Night Lights (season 3) The third season of the American serial drama television series Friday Night Lights began airing in the United States and Canada on October 1 , 2008 . It was the first season to be aired on DirecTV 's The 101 Network . The 13-episode season concluded on The 101 Network on January 14 , 2009 and then began its run on NBC two nights later , on January 16 , 2009 , and concluded its NBC run on April 10 , 2009 . The show was renewed for two more seasons in March 2009 , with both seasons airing in the same format as season 3 , containing 13 episodes each . The third season was released on DVD in region 1 on May 19 , 2009 .   The season continues to focus around the Dillon Panthers and the pressures faced on and off the field . This season also has four main characters leave the show by season 's end .

neg: Camelot (TV series) Camelot is a 2011 historical-fantasy-drama television series which premiered on 1 April 2011 . It was co-produced by the Starz cable network and GK-TV which began production during the summer of 2010 . The series , based on the Arthurian legend , was produced by Graham King , Morgan O'Sullivan and Michael Hirst .   A special preview showing of the pilot episode `` Homecoming '' was aired on Starz Friday night , 25 February 2011 . On 30 June 2011 Starz announced it was not going to order new seasons of Camelot , citing significant production challenges , predominantly scheduling conflicts with some members of the cast , including Joseph Fiennes , Jamie Campbell Bower and Eva Green .

neg: Sansa Stark Sansa Stark is a fictional character created by American author George R. R. Martin . She is a prominent character in Martin 's award-winning A Song of Ice and Fire series .   Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Sansa is the eldest daughter and second child of Lord Eddard Stark and his wife Lady Catelyn Stark . She subsequently appeared in the following three novels , A Clash of Kings ( 1998 ) , A Storm of Swords ( 2000 ) and A Feast for Crows ( 2005 ) . While absent from the fifth novel A Dance with Dragons as the books are separated geographically , Sansa is confirmed to return in the forthcoming next book in the series , The Winds of Winter .   In HBO 's adaptation of the series , Game of Thrones , Sansa Stark is played by Sophie Turner . The character has received critical acclaim , being praised as the 4th greatest character in the series by Rolling Stone . She and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2012 , 2014 , 2015 and 2016 .

neg: Ned Stark Eddard `` Ned '' Stark is a fictional character in the first book of George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire series of fantasy novels and the first season of its television adaptation . Introduced in 1996 's A Game of Thrones , Ned is the honorable lord of Winterfell , an ancient fortress in the North of the fictional continent of Westeros . Though the character is established as a primary character in the novel and the TV adaptation , Martin 's plot twist at the end involving Ned shocked both readers of the book and viewers of the TV series .   Ned is portrayed by Sean Bean in the first season of HBO 's adaptation of the series , Game of Thrones , and as a child and young man by Sebastian Croft and Robert Aramayo respectively in the sixth season . Bean was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television and a Scream Award for Best Fantasy Actor for the role . He and the rest of the cast were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series in 2011 .

neg: Glorantha Glorantha is a fantasy world created by Greg Stafford . It was first introduced in the board game White Bear and Red Moon ( 1975 ) by Chaosium , and thereafter in a number of other board , roleplaying and computer games , including RuneQuest and HeroQuest , as well as several works of fiction and the computer strategy game King of Dragon Pass . The Gloranthan world is characterised by its complex use of mythology , heavily influenced by the universalist approaches of Joseph Campbell and Mircea Eliade , its Howardian ethos , its long and distinctive history as a setting for role-playing games , its community development and expansion , and ( unusual among early American fantasy role-playing games ) its relative lack of Tolkienesque influence .   Stafford began imagining Glorantha in 1966 as a way to deepen his own understanding of mythology . He founded the company Chaosium to publish the board wargame White Bear and Red Moon in 1974 ( other sources say 1975 ) , which was set in Glorantha . Chaosium later published other games in the setting , including the critically acclaimed RuneQuest . Various later editions of RuneQuest , the narrative role-playing game HeroQuest ( the first edition of which was published as Hero Wars ) , and the video game King of Dragon Pass were also set in Glorantha , as were several prominent fan efforts . Stafford has also explored the Gloranthan setting in the fantasy novel King of Sartar and a number of unfinished works published under the collective name of `` the Stafford Library '' .   In Glorantha , magic operates from the everyday level of prayers and charms to the creation and maintenance of the world . Heroes make their way in the world , and may also venture into metaphysical realms to gain knowledge and power , at the risk of body and soul . In the more recent material competing magical outlooks , such as theism , shamanism and mysticism , exist to explain the world . Within each metaphysical system , adherents may also compete - such as when theistic worshipers of rival gods battle each other . The world is flat , with a dome-like sky , and it has been shaped in large and small ways by the mythic actions of the gods . The ` historical ' world of Glorantha is in a more or less fallen state , having recovered only partially from a universal battle against Chaos in the mythic Godtime .   Humans are the dominant race , but other sentient beings abound . Some , such as the mystic dragonewts , are unique to Glorantha . Familiar nonhuman races , such as elves and dwarves , are distinct from their common , Tolkienesque portrayals .

neg: Vikings (season 3) The third season of the historical drama television series Vikings premiered on February 19 , 2015 on History in Canada , and concluded on April 23 , 2015 , consisting of 10 episodes .   Filmed in Ireland , Vikings is inspired by the tales about the Viking Ragnar Lothbrok , one of the best-known mythological Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of France and England . It portrays Ragnar as a Viking farmer who pioneers the first daring raids into England , and eventually becomes a Scandinavian king , with the support of his family and fellow warriors : his brother Rollo , his son Björn Ironside , and his wives -- the shieldmaiden Lagertha and the princess Aslaug . The third season follows the development of Ragnar 's family , and the Vikings as they become more entwined in English affairs , and also begin to raid further afield .

neg: Essay of Dramatick Poesie Essay of Dramatic Poesy by John Dryden was published in 1668 . It was probably written during the plague year of 1666 . Dryden takes up the subject that Philip Sidney had set forth in his Defence of Poesie ( 1580 ) and attempts to justify drama as a legitimate form of `` poetry '' comparable to the epic , as well as defend English drama against that of the ancients and the French .   The treatise is a dialogue between four speakers : Eugenius , Crites , Lisideius , and Neander . The four speakers represented , respectively Charles Sackville ( Lord Buchhurst and later sixth Earl of Dorset ) , Sir Robert Howard -LSB- playwright and Dryden 's brother-in-law -RSB- , Sir Charles Sedley ( Edward Malone identified him as Lisideius ) and Dryden himself ( neander means `` new man '' and implies that Dryden , as a respected member of the gentry class , is entitled to join in this dialogue on an equal footing with the three older men who are his social superiors ) . On the day that the English fleet encounters the Dutch at sea near the mouth of the Thames , the four friends take a barge downriver towards the noise from the battle . Rightly concluding , as the noise subsides , that the English have triumphed , they order the bargeman to row them back upriver as they begin a dialogue on the advances made by modern civilization . They agree to measure progress by comparing ancient arts with modern , focusing specifically on the art of drama ( or `` dramatic poesy '' ) . The four men debate a series of three topics : ( 1 ) the relative merit of classical drama ( upheld by Crites ) vs. modern drama ( championed by Eugenius ) ; ( 2 ) whether French drama , as Lisideius maintains , is better than English drama ( supported by Neander , who famously calls Shakespeare `` the greatest soul , ancient or modern '' ) ; and ( 3 ) whether plays in rhyme are an improvement upon blank verse drama -- a proposition that Neander , despite having defended the Elizabethans , now advances against the skeptical Crites ( who also switches from his original position and defends the blank verse tradition of Elizabethan drama ) . Invoking the so-called unities from Aristotle 's Poetics ( as interpreted by Italian and refined by French scholars over the last century ) , the four speakers discuss what makes a play `` a just and lively imitation '' of human nature in action . This definition of a play , supplied by Lisideius/Orrery ( whose rhymed plays had dazzled the court and were a model for the new drama ) , gives the debaters a versatile and richly ambiguous touchstone . To Crites ' argument that the plots of classical drama are more `` just , '' Eugenius can retort that modern plots are more `` lively '' thanks to their variety . Lisideius shows that the French plots carefully preserve Aristotle 's unities of action , place , and time ; Neander replies that English dramatists like Ben Jonson also kept the unities when they wanted to , but that they preferred to develop character and motive . Even Neander 's final argument with Crites over whether rhyme is suitable in drama depends on Aristotle 's Poetics : Neander says that Aristotle demands a verbally artful ( `` lively '' ) imitation of nature , while Crites thinks that dramatic imitation ceases to be `` just '' when it departs from ordinary speech -- i.e. prose or blank verse . A year later , the two brothers-in-law quarreled publicly over this third topic . See Dryden 's `` Defense of An Essay of Dramatic Poesy '' ( 1669 ) , where Dryden tries to persuade the rather literal-minded Howard that audiences expect a play to be an imitation of nature , not a surrogate for nature itself .

neg: A Wizard of Earthsea A Wizard of Earthsea is a young adult fantasy novel written by the American author Ursula K. Le Guin , first published by the small press Parnassus in 1968 . The novel received highly positive reviews , initially as a work for children , and later among a general audience as well .   Set in the fictional archipelago of Earthsea , the story centers around a young mage named Ged , born in a village on the island Gont . Displaying great power while still a boy , he joins the school of wizardry , where his prickly nature drives him into conflict with one of his fellows . During a magical duel , Ged 's spell goes awry and releases a shadow creature that attacks him . The novel follows his journey as he seeks to be free of the creature .   The book has often been described as a Bildungsroman or coming of age story , as it explores Ged 's process of learning to cope with power and come to terms with death . The novel also carries Taoist themes about a fundamental balance in the universe of Earthsea , which wizards are supposed to maintain , closely tied to the idea that language and names have power to affect the material world and alter this balance . Although the structure of the story is similar to that of a traditional epic , critics also described it as subverting this genre in many ways , such as by making the protagonist dark-skinned , in comparison to more typical white-skinned heroes .   A Wizard of Earthsea is widely regarded as a classic of fantasy and young-adult literature and was one of the final recipients of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award . The book was widely influential within the genre of fantasy ; Margaret Atwood , for instance , called A Wizard of Earthsea one of the `` wellsprings '' of fantasy literature . Le Guin would later write five subsequent books that , together with A Wizard of Earthsea , are referred to as the Earthsea Cycle : The Tombs of Atuan ( 1971 ) , The Farthest Shore ( 1972 ) , Tehanu ( 1990 ) , The Other Wind ( 2001 ) , and Tales from Earthsea ( 2001 ) . George Slusser has described the series as a `` work of high style and imagination '' .

neg: Deliria Deliria : Faerie Tales for a New Millennium is an `` interactive urban fantasy setting '' created by Phil Brucato . The title refers to an altered state of awareness in which several levels of reality can be perceived at once , to both good and ill effect .   The core concept behind Deliria is one of `` ordinary people in an extraordinary world . '' Inspired by classical fairy tales and urban fantasy , the setting presents a multicultural world in which magic is always present but often invisible . To `` twilight people '' who encounter the magical realm , the world becomes a frightening yet wonderful place . Meanwhile , the immortal faeries , or aelderfolk , regard mortal humanity with a mixture of awe and terror . The accelerating pace of human imagination reverberates through both worlds , bringing changes that many aelders fear . Within the tensions of this setting , ordinary people become heroes - or villains - in their own new fairy tales .   Inspired by authors like Charles de Lint , Erik Davis and Francesca Lia Block , films like Edward ScissorHands and Practical Magic , world music and ethereal wave music , and TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer , Deliria 's setting emphasizes `` normal people '' over superheroes . As a role-playing game , it features a flexible rules system , collaborative storytelling , and a character-crafting process based on telling stories about the character . Deliria has also been noted for its vivid digital art , evocative short stories , and emphasis of `` courage rather than carnage . ''

neg: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Warcraft III : Reign of Chaos is a high fantasy real-time strategy video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment , and was released in July 2002 . It is the second sequel to Warcraft : Orcs & Humans , and it is the third game set in the Warcraft fictional universe . An expansion pack , The Frozen Throne , was released in July 2003 .   Warcraft III contains four playable races : Humans and Orcs , both of which had previously appeared in Warcraft : Orcs & Humans and Warcraft II : Tides of Darkness , and two new races , the Night Elves and the Undead . Warcraft IIIs single-player campaign is laid out similarly to that of StarCraft , also by Blizzard Entertainment , being told through all four of the game 's races in a progressive manner . Multiplayer mode allows for play against other players , via the Internet , instead of playing against computer-controlled characters as is done in the single-player custom game mode .   The game shipped 4.5 million units to retail stores and over one million units sold within a month . Warcraft III won many awards including `` Game of the Year '' from more than six different publications .

neg: Game of Thrones (season 6) The sixth season of the fantasy drama television series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO on April 24 , 2016 , and concluded on June 26 , 2016 . It consists of ten episodes , each of approximately 50 -- 60 minutes , largely of original content not found in George R. R. Martin 's A Song of Ice and Fire series . Some material is adapted from the upcoming sixth novel The Winds of Winter and the fourth and fifth novels , A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons . The series was adapted for television by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss . HBO ordered the season on April 8 , 2014 , together with the fifth season , which began filming in July 2015 primarily in Northern Ireland , Spain , Croatia , Iceland and Canada . Each episode cost over $ 10 million .   The season follows the continuing struggle between the Starks and other noble families of Westeros for the Iron Throne . The Starks defeat the Bolton forces in battle , and Jon Snow is proclaimed the King in the North . Tyrion attempts to rule Meereen while Daenerys is held captive by a Dothraki tribe . At King 's Landing , the Tyrell army attempts to liberate Margaery and Loras , but Margaery capitulates to the High Sparrow , who becomes more powerful by influencing King Tommen . At her trial , Cersei burns the Great Sept , killing her rivals , while Tommen kills himself . Unopposed , Cersei is crowned Queen of Westeros . Ellaria Sand and three of Oberyn Martell 's daughters kill Doran and Trystane Martell and seize control of Dorne , and Olenna discusses an alliance with Ellaria . In Essos , Daenerys Targaryen is captured by Khal Moro who takes her before the khals ; she burns them alive and takes command of the Dothraki .   Game of Thrones features a large ensemble cast , including Peter Dinklage , Nikolaj Coster-Waldau , Lena Headey , Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington . The season introduced new cast members , including Max von Sydow , Pilou Asbæk and James Faulkner .   Critics praised its production values , writing , plot development , and cast . Game of Thrones received most nominations for the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards , with 23 nominations , and won twelve , including that for Outstanding Drama Series for the second year in a row . U.S. viewership rose compared to the previous season , and by approximately 13 % over its course , from 7.9 million to 8.9 million by the finale .

neg: The Climb (Game of Thrones) `` The Climb '' is the sixth episode of the third season of HBO 's fantasy television series Game of Thrones , and the 26th episode of the series . Directed by Alik Sakharov and written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss , it aired on May 5 , 2013 .   The episode 's title comes from climbing of the wall by Jon Snow and Ygritte , and also the references from dialogue between Lord Petyr Baelish and Lord Varys .

neg: Throne of Glass Throne of Glass is a young adult high fantasy novel series by American author Sarah J. Maas , beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name . The story follows the journey of Celaena Sardothien , a teenage assassin in a corrupted kingdom with a tyrannical ruler . As the tale progresses , Celaena forms unexpected bonds and uncovers a conspiracy amidst her adventures . The series has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list . It has been optioned for a TV series by Mark Gordon and will premiere on Hulu .

neg: Strange Case `` Strange Case '' is the fourth episode of the sixth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time , which aired on October 16 , 2016 .   In this episode , the origins of Jekyll and Hyde with its ties to Rumplestiltskin are revealed , as Gold seeks vengeance to stop Hyde from threatening Belle , while Snow welcomes a new assistant who came from the Land of Untold Stories , who has an agenda of her own to deal with .

neg: Shadowhunters Shadowhunters ( also known as Shadowhunters : The Mortal Instruments ) is an American fantasy television series that is loosely based on The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare , and developed for television by Ed Decter . It is the second adaptation of the novel series , after the 2013 film The Mortal Instruments : City of Bones , which like Shadowhunters was produced by Constantin Film .   The show received a straight-to-series order on March 30 , 2015 , and premiered on January 12 , 2016 on Freeform . In March 2016 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a second season of 20 episodes , which premiered on January 2 , 2017 . In April 2017 , it was announced that the series had been renewed for a third season of 20 episodes .

neg: The Good Place The Good Place is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Mike Schur . It premiered on September 19 , 2016 on NBC .   The series focuses on Eleanor Shellstrop ( Kristen Bell ) , a recently deceased young woman who wakes up in the afterlife and is sent by Michael ( Ted Danson ) to `` The Good Place '' , a heaven-like utopia he designed , in reward for her righteous life . However , she quickly realizes that she was sent there by mistake , and must hide her morally imperfect behavioral past and present . William Jackson Harper , Jameela Jamil , and Manny Jacinto co-star as other residents of the Good Place , together with D'Arcy Carden as an artificial being helping the inhabitants .   The Good Place has received critical acclaim since its premiere , with many praising its performances , writing , originality , setting , and tone . On January 30 , 2017 , NBC renewed the series for a second season of 13 episodes .


query: Taiwan's high-tech industry plays a key role in the local economy.

pos: Taiwan Taiwan ( -LSB- taɪˈwɑːn -RSB- ) , officially the Republic of China ( ROC ) , is a state in East Asia . Its neighbours include China ( officially the People 's Republic of China , PRC ) to the west , Japan to the northeast , and the Philippines to the south .  Taiwan is the most populous state that is not a member of the United Nations , and also possesses the largest economy of any state outside of the UN .   The island of Taiwan , also known as Formosa , was mainly inhabited by Taiwanese aborigines before the 17th century , when Dutch and Spanish colonies opened the island to Han Chinese immigration . After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning , the island was annexed by the Qing dynasty , the last dynasty of China . The Qing ceded Taiwan to Japan in 1895 after the Sino-Japanese War . While Taiwan was under Japanese rule , the Republic of China ( ROC ) was established on the mainland in 1912 after the fall of the Qing dynasty . Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945 , the ROC took control of Taiwan . However , the resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the ROC 's loss of the mainland to the Communists , and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949 . Although the ROC continued to claim to be the legitimate government of China , its effective jurisdiction since 1949 has been limited to Taiwan and its surrounding islands , with the main island making up 99 % of its de facto territory . As a founding member of the United Nations , the ROC continued to represent China at the United Nations until 1971 , when the PRC assumed China 's seat , causing the ROC to lose its UN membership .   In the early 1960s , Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization , creating a stable industrial economy . In the 1980s and early 1990s , it changed from a one-party military dictatorship dominated by the Kuomintang to a multi-party democracy with a semi-presidential system . Taiwan is the 22nd-largest economy in the world , and its high-tech industry plays a key role in the global economy . It is ranked highly in terms of freedom of the press , healthcare , public education , economic freedom , and human development . The country benefits from a highly skilled workforce and is among the most highly educated countries in the world with one of the highest percentages of its citizens holding a tertiary education degree .   The PRC has consistently claimed sovereignty over Taiwan and asserted the ROC is no longer in legitimate existence . Under its One-China Policy the PRC refused diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes the ROC . Today only a few smaller nations recognize the ROC as the sole legal representative of China , but many other states maintain unofficial ties through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates . Although Taiwan is fully self-governing , most international organizations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor . Internally , the major division in politics is between the aspirations of eventual Chinese unification or Taiwanese independence , though both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal . The PRC has threatened the use of military force in response to any formal declaration of independence by Taiwan or if PRC leaders decide that peaceful unification is no longer possible .

neg: Telecommunications industry The telecommunications industry within the sector of information and communication technology is made up of all Telecommunications/Telephone companies and internet service providers and plays the crucial role in the evolution of mobile communications and the information society .   Traditional telephone calls continue to be the industry 's biggest revenue generator , but thanks to advances in network technology , Telecom today is less about voice and increasingly about text ( messaging , email ) and images ( e.g. video streaming ) .  High-speed internet access for computer-based data applications such as broadband information services and interactive entertainment , is pervasive . Digital Subscriber Line ( DSL ) is the main broadband telecom technology . The fastest growth comes from ( value-added ) services delivered over mobile networks .   Insight Research projects that telecommunications services revenue worldwide will grow from $ 2.2 trillion in 2015 to $ 2.4 trillion in 2019 .

neg: Gigabyte Technology Gigabyte Technology Co. , Ltd. . , is an international manufacturer and distributor of computer hardware products .   Gigabyte is a motherboard vendor , with shipments of 4.8 million motherboards in Q1 2015 , while ASUS shipped around 4.5 million motherboards in the same quarter . Gigabyte was ranked 17th in `` Taiwan 's 2010 Top 20 Global Brands '' by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council .   The company is publicly held and traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange , stock id number .

neg: List of Apostolic Nuncios to China The Apostolic Nuncio to China is the diplomatic representative of the Apostolic Nunciature of the Holy See , a diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the industrialized developed country Republic of China ( Taiwan ) , now commonly known to most of the world as Taiwan , which as far as the Vatican is concerned , is the state of `` China '' . Due to this difference in diplomatic recognition of `` China '' , unlike most of other countries who recognize the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) as `` China '' and whose embassies are located in Beijing , People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) , the `` Apostolic Nuncio to China '' is located in Taipei , Republic of China ( Taiwan ) .   The rank of a nuncio is equivalent to that of an ambassador . The post is currently vacant and is represented by a chargé d'affaires . The office of the nunciature is located at 7-1 , Lane 265 , Heping East Road Section 2 , Daan District , Taipei .

neg: Chunghwa Telecom Chunghwa Telecom is the largest telecommunications company in Taiwan and the incumbent mobile , PSTN and broadband carrier there . It has its headquarters in Zhongzheng District , Taipei on the remains of the old Taipei Prison .

neg: Chinese economic reform The Chinese economic reform refers to the program of economic reforms termed `` Socialism with Chinese characteristics '' in the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) that was started in December 1978 by reformists within the Communist Party of China , led by Deng Xiaoping .   China had one of the world 's largest and most advanced economies prior to the nineteenth century . In the 18th century , Adam Smith claimed China had long been one of the richest , that is , one of the most fertile , best cultivated , most industrious , most prosperous and most urbanized countries in the world . The economy stagnated beginning in the 16th century and even declined in absolute terms in the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century , with a brief recovery in the 1930s .   Economic reforms introducing market principles began in 1978 and were carried out in two stages . The first stage , in the late 1970s and early 1980s , involved the decollectivization of agriculture , the opening up of the country to foreign investment , and permission for entrepreneurs to start businesses . However , most industry remained state-owned . The second stage of reform , in the late 1980s and 1990s , involved the privatization and contracting out of much state-owned industry and the lifting of price controls , protectionist policies , and regulations , although state monopolies in sectors such as banking and petroleum remained . The private sector grew remarkably , accounting for as much as 70 percent of China gross domestic product by 2005 . From 1978 until 2013 , unprecedented growth occurred , with the economy increasing by 9.5 % a year . The conservative Hu-Wen Administration more heavily regulated and controlled the economy after 2005 , reversing some reforms .   The success of China 's economic policies and the manner of their implementation has resulted in immense changes in Chinese society . Large-scale government planning programs alongside market characteristics have greatly decreased poverty , while incomes and income inequality have increased , leading to a backlash led by the New Left . In the academic scene , scholars have debated the reason for the success of the Chinese `` dual-track '' economy , and have compared them to attempts to reform socialism in the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union ; as well as the growth of other developing economies .

neg: Yushan (mountain) Yushan , also Mount Jade or Mount Yu , is the highest mountain in Taiwan at 3952 m above sea level , giving Taiwan the fourth highest maximum elevation of any island in the world . The obsolete name of Mount Morrison is thought to have been named in honor of the 19th century missionary Robert Morrison . Today , the mountain is generally referred to as Yushan or Mt. Jade .   In the winter , Yushan is often capped with thick snow which makes the entire peak shine like stainless jade , hence its name . On July 21 , 2009 , Yushan was elected one of 28 finalists in the New7Wonders of Nature voting campaign . It even had held the top position in the `` Mountains and Volcanoes '' category on the list of first round voting of the 77 nominees ended on July 7 , 2009 .   Yushan and surrounding mountains belong to Yushan Range , which is part of Yushan National Park . The national park is Taiwan 's largest , highest and least accessible national park . It contains the largest tract of wilderness remaining in Taiwan and is also valued for its pristine forests and faunal diversity , including many endemic species .   The highest point of Yushan Range , Yushan , is 3952 m above sea level , and is the highest point in the western Pacific region outside of the Kamchatka Peninsula . Yushan was once in the ocean and raised to the current height because the Eurasian Plate slid over the neighboring Philippine Sea Plate .   The ocean waters off Taiwan 's east coast are deep ; in fact , submarine slopes plunge down to the Pacific Ocean at a grade of 1:10 and the ocean reaches a depth of more than 4000 m about 50 km from the coast .

neg: Tianjin Modern Industry The modern industry of Tianjin was started with Tianjin Machine Factory which was established by the Qing government during the Self-Strengthening Movement . Afterwards , Yuan Shikai promoted new policies in Tianjin . Numerous modern industrial enterprises mushroomed in Hebei New District in the northern bank of the Hai River . Including Zhou Xuexi , many industrialists established large enterprise groups that were managed by merchant and supervised by the government . By the beginning of the 20th century , Chinese private enterprises were booming . Among them is the most representative Yongli Alkali Factory which won the gold award and certificate in Philadelphia , the U.S. in 1926 by the soldium carbonate it produced . The factory was praised as `` the symbol of developing important chemical industry of the Republic China '' . The development of Tianjin 's modern industrial and the establishment of the Concessions in Tianjin contributed to the rapid expansion of modern Tianjin to become the biggest city and center of industry and commerce in northern China , as well as the second biggest city of industry , finance and trade in China . The development of Tianjin modern industry mainly went through four stages : initial period , evolution period , booming period and occupied period . Because of the industrial boom of Tianjin modern industry , the government of Tianjin built The Tianjin Museum of Modern Industry in Divergence estuary for commemoration .

neg: Service economy Service economy can refer to one or both of two recent economic developments :  The increased importance of the service sector in industrialized economies . The current list of Fortune 500 companies contains more service companies and fewer manufacturers than in previous decades .  The relative importance of service in a product offering . The service economy in developing countries is mostly concentrated in financial services , hospitality , retail , health , human services , information technology and education . Products today have a higher service component than in previous decades . In the management literature this is referred to as the servitization of products or a product-service system . Virtually every product today has a service component to it .   The old dichotomy between product and service has been replaced by a service-product continuum . Many products are being transformed into services .   For example , IBM treats its business as a service business . Although it still manufactures computers , it sees the physical goods as a small part of the `` business solutions '' industry . They have found that the price elasticity of demand for `` business solutions '' is much less than for hardware . There has been a corresponding shift to a subscription pricing model . Rather than receiving a single payment for a piece of manufactured equipment , many manufacturers are now receiving a steady stream of revenue for ongoing contracts .   Full cost accounting and most accounting reform and monetary reform measures are usually thought to be impossible to achieve without a good model of the service economy .

neg: Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park The Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park is a multi-purpose park in Hualien City , Hualien County , Taiwan .

neg: Technology company A technology company ( often tech company ) is a type of business entity that focuses primarily on the development and manufacturing of technology .   Apple , IBM , Lenovo , Huawei , Microsoft , BLOCK X and Oracle , among others , are considered prototypical technology companies .   Information technology ( IT ) companies and high tech companies are subsets of technology companies .

neg: Architecture of Taiwan The architecture of Taiwan can be traced back to stilt housing of the aborigines in prehistoric times ; to the building of fortresses and churches in the north and south used to colonize and convert the inhabitants during the Dutch and Spanish period ; the Tungning period when Taiwan was a base of anti-Qing sentiment and Minnan-style architechture was introduced ; in Qing dynasty period , a mix of Chinese and Western architecture appeared and artillery battery flourished during Qing 's Self-Strengthening Movement ; During the Japanese rule of Taiwan , the Minnan , Japanese and Western culture were main influencers in architectural designs and saw the introduction and use of reinforced concrete . Due to excessive Westernization as a colony , after the retrocession of Taiwan to the Republic of China in 1945 from Japan at the end of World War II , Chinese classical style became popular and entered into international mainstream as a postmodern design style . Today , Taiwanese architecture has undergone much diversification , every style of architecture can be seen .

neg: Historical GDP of China This article includes a list of China 's historical gross domestic product ( GDP ) values , the market value of all final goods and services produced by a nation in a given year . The GDP dollar estimates presented here are either calculated at market or government official exchange rates ( nominal ) , or derived from purchasing power parity ( PPP ) calculations . This article also includes historical GDP growth .   In 1985 , the State Council of China ( SCC ) approved the establishment of a SNA ( System of National Accounting ) , using GDP to measure the national economy . China started to study and then implement a new system of national economic accounting . In 1986 , as the first citizen of the People 's Republic of China to receive a Ph.D. in economics from an overseas country , Dr. Fengbo Zhang headed Chinese Macroeconomic Research - the key research project of the seventh Five-Year Plan of China , as well as completing and publishing the Chinese GDP data according to China 's own research and calculations . A summary of the above events has been included in the book `` Chinese Macroeconomic Structure and Policy '' ( June 1988 ) edited by Fengbo Zhang , and collectively authored by the Research Center of the SCC . This is the first GDP data which was published by China .   The research utilized the World Bank 's method as a reference , and made numerous appropriate adjustments based on China 's national condition . The GDP also has been converted to USD based data by utilizing the moving average exchange rate . The research systematically completed China 's GDP and GDP per capita from 1952 to 1986 and analyzed growth rate , the change and contribution rates of each component . The research also included international comparisons . Additionally , the research compared MPS and SNA , looking at the results from the two systems from analyzing Chinese economy . This achievement created the foundation for China GDP research .   The SCC issued `` The notice regarding implementation of System of National Accounting '' in August 1992 , the Western SNA system officially is introduced to China , replaced Soviet Union 's MPS system , Western economic indicator GDP became China 's most important economic indicator . Based on Dr. Fengbo Zhang 's research , in 1997 , the National Bureau of Statistics of China ( NBS ) , in collaboration with Hitotsubashi University of Japan , re-estimated China 's GDP Data from 1952 up to 1995 based on the SNA principal . In 2016 , the 2008 SNA was formally brought into use .   When comparing Fengbo Zhang 's GDP measurement in the 1980s and the GDP in 1997 by the NBS and Japan 's cooperative research , the two are found to be very consistent ; the deviation rate each year is very slight , between only 0.1 % and 7 % . During this period , there were many data adjustments , with weighting factors undergoing significant changes along with each years comparable price amendments , statistical method significant changes result in the substantial deviation . Even with science and technology as advanced as it is today , the single item survey is allowed at least ± 3 % , or a total of 6 % deviation . Despite the extremely difficult conditions of a destroyed economy , blank theory , a lack of data , and simple methods in 1980s , there is so little deviation for such a long period of time and the comprehensiveness of the national economic indicator , indicates that the research conducted by Fengbo Zhang with the support of the extensive group he trained is extremely rigorous , and their result very precise . Xie Fuzhan , former Director , and Ma Jiantang , current Director of the NBS , both participated in Dr. Fengbo Zhang 's research project in the 1980s , as assistant researcher and graduate student , respectively , of the Research Center of the SCC .

neg: Taiwanization Taiwanization , also known as the Taiwanese localization movement , is a conceptual term used in Taiwan to emphasize the importance of a ( separate ) Taiwanese culture , society , economy , nationality , and identity rather than to regard Taiwan as solely an appendage of China . This involves the teaching of the history of Taiwan , geography , and culture from a Taiwan-centric perspective , as well as promoting languages locally established in Taiwan , including Taiwanese Hokkien ( Taiwanese ) , Hakka , and aboriginal languages .   Originally part of the Taiwan independence movement and related to the Taiwan Name Rectification Campaign , some of Taiwanization 's aims are now endorsed by some supporters of Chinese Unification on Taiwan .   The localization movement has been expressed in forms such as the use of language or dialect in the broadcast media and entire channels devoted to aboriginal and Hakka affairs . Textbooks have been rewritten by scholars to more prominently emphasize Taiwan . The political compromise that has been reached is to teach both the history of Taiwan and the history of mainland China .   Some Taiwanese-owned companies or organizations established in earlier times have names containing the words `` China '' or `` Chinese '' . They have been encouraged in recent years to change the word `` China '' in their names to `` Taiwan '' as an act of Taiwanization . This campaign for changing the names is known as the `` Name Rectification Campaign '' or `` Taiwan Name Rectification '' . Many Taiwan-based companies in international sectors already identify themselves as `` Taiwan '' - based for clarity 's sake . This keeps international customers from confusing them with an enterprise based in the People 's Republic of China . Other Taiwan-based companies decline to change to a `` Taiwanese '' name because of expense or the political views held by important clients and company leaders .

neg: City Telecom (Hong Kong) City Telecom ( H.K. ) Limited ( CTI , ) was established in 1992 . It is a provider of residential and corporate fixed network and international telecommunications services in Hong Kong , currently the second largest provider of broadband internet in the country . CTI played a significant role in liberalizing the international telecommunications market monopoly in Hong Kong since their launch of services .   CTI 's wholly owned subsidiary , Hong Kong Broadband Network Limited ( `` HKBN '' ) , is a major fixed telecom network services operator , providing the world 's fastest residential 1 Gbit/s , 200Mbit/s , 100Mbit/s , 50Mbit/s and 25Mbit/s broadband Internet access , telephony , IP-TV and corporate data services with their self-built Metro Ethernet IP network , which is the largest alternative end-to-end network in Hong Kong . Since their establishment , the Group has aggressively marketed itself and its services to capitalize on the growth and deregulation of the Hong Kong telecommunications market . HKBN is the first ISP to deploy Fibre-To-The-Home ( FTTH ) in the local residential market in September 2007 while the other competitors still predominately use copper wires for their last mile .   City Telecom was listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited ( Stock Code : 1137 ) in August 1997 with an ADR Listing on the Nasdaq National Market ( Ticker Symbol : CTEL ) in the US in November 1999 . In addition to the operations in Hong Kong , the Group also has branch offices in Canada and Guangzhou .   The Group had the strongest turnover growth since FY2000 , with the consolidated turnover grew by 14.2 % year-on-year to HK$ 1,303.0 million for the year ended 31 August 2008 . This solid growth was primarily contributed by their increase in Fixed Telecommunications Network Service business ( FTNS ) of 23.8 % to HK$ 1,011.0 million . Besides , the Group 's profits attributable to their shareholders increased by 333.2 % to HK$ 125.2 million with basic earnings per share reaching HK$ 19.7 cents .

neg: History of the People's Republic of China (2002–present) The People 's Republic of China became more influential economically in the 1990s and 2000s and was beginning to be widely recognized as an emerging superpower . In 2010 , China became the world 's second largest economy by GDP . At the same time , numerous social problems emerged and intensified . As Paramount leader Jiang Zemin , NPCSC Chairman Li Peng and PRC Premier Zhu Rongji , gradually retired from their position of power , `` fourth-generation '' leaders , led by CPC General Secretary Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao , faced with increasing social unrest , attempted to steer the country towards a new direction . From the path of focusing solely on economic development , Hu and Wen placed focus on creating an overall balance under the idea of the Scientific Outlook on Development to create a socialist harmonious society . In this process , there was an unprecedented shift in stance towards favouring rural development and farmers , as well as other generally populist policies . The Hu-Wen government , on the same token , attempted to restrict some personal freedoms , especially those associated with political content on the Internet .   China 's increased prominence on the global stage has also brought with it general skepticism and intense scrutiny , especially in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympics and after the March 2008 protests in Tibet . The government continues to be criticized on human rights abuses and the various product quality scandals that have increasingly damaged the country 's integrity and continues to raise suspicions about the country 's safety standards . The majority of China 's population , however , point to the immense progress the country has made and generally discredit criticisms of China as being embedded in cultural and historical misunderstandings and rooted in paranoia of China 's potential dominance on the world stage . These ideological clashes , fused with rhetoric from Beijing , has led to an intense wave of nationalism ( or Socialist patriotism ) surfacing in Chinese populations around the world .   As of mid-2012 , government statistics show that for the first time ever over 50 % of the Chinese population now live in urban areas , marking a milestone in the urbanization of China . The majority of modern city dwellers are migrants and their children who moved to cities during the economic boom of the last 30 years started by Deng Xiaoping 's policy of economic liberalization .

neg: Visa requirements for Taiwanese citizens Visa requirements for Taiwanese passport holders are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on nationals of Republic of China ( ROC ) , commonly known as Taiwan . Although the ROC has only one type of nationality under its nationality law , its nationals ' right of abode in Taiwan is based on whether they have established household registration in Taiwan , hence ROC nationals are divided into two categories : nationals with household registration ( `` NWHRs '' ) , with right of abode in Taiwan ; and nationals without household registration ( `` NWOHRs '' ) , without right of abode in Taiwan . Only NWHRs are entitled to a National Identification Card , and the National ID number is imprinted on the passport 's biodata page to signify the holder 's status as an NWHR . Holders of such passports can travel to more countries and territories without visas than holders of passports without National ID number , as NWOHRs using ROC passports to enter Taiwan require an entry permit and are subject to immigration controls .   Taiwanese passport is one of the five passports with the most improved rating globally since 2006 in terms of number of countries that its holders may visit without a visa . As of 1 January 2017 , nationals of Republic of China with rights of abode in Taiwan had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 134 countries and territories , ranking the ordinary Taiwan passport 31st in terms of travel freedom ( tied with Costa Rican and Vatican passports ) according to the Henley visa restrictions index . The Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs , however , listed 164 countries with visa-free or visa on arrival access , which included a large number of countries requiring pre-arrival documentations such as invitations or visa approval letters ( such as Kazakhstan , Uzbekistan and Vietnam ) . Such countries are not considered as providing visa-free or visa-on-arrival access , since the visa is usually approved before arrival and during the process of obtaining such documentations . The graph below only lists those countries which provide visa-free or visa on arrival without additional documentations prior to travelling as per international-accepted definitions .

neg: New Taipei Vocational Industrial High School New Taipei Municipal New Taipei Industrial High School is an industrial high school district in the New Taipei City , Taiwan .

neg: Pegatron Pegatron Corporation ( , lit . Grand Mastery United Technology Corporation ) is a Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company that develops mainly computing , communications and consumer electronics to branded vendors , but also engages in the development , design and manufacturing of computer peripherals and components . Pegatron 's primary products include notebooks , netbook computers , desktop computers , game consoles , handheld devices , motherboards , video cards , LCD TVs , as well as broadband communication products such as smartphones , set-top boxes and cable modems .

neg: List of metropolitan areas in Taiwan Metropolitan areas were recognized by the Taiwan government until 2010 . This was the definition of metropolitan areas used by the government of Taiwan .  A metropolitan area is an economically and socially integrated area with one or more core cities . The population has to be over 300,000 .  Core city : A core city has to satisfy the following three conditions :  Its population more than 200,000 .  More than 70 % of its residents living in the urbanized area .  More than 70 % of the employed residents working within the city .  Satellite city : Within the same region of the core city , a city or township is defined as a satellite city if one of the following conditions is satisfied . A satellite city has to connecte to the core city either directly or through its satellite cities .  More than 10 % of the employed residents commuting to the core city .  More than 5 % of the employed residents commuting to the core city and more than 40 % of the residents living within the same urbanized area as the core city .  surrounded by satellite cities .  If a city is qualified to be a satellite city for more than one core cities , it is defined to be of the core city with more commuters .  A metropolitan area is named after the most populous core city .  Two metropolitan areas are combined into one if the distance between the largest core cities is less than 25 km or if they are bordered with each other for more than 1 km , and if there is close connection of their commuters .

neg: Gongguan Gongguan is located in between Zhongzheng District and Da'an District of Taipei City , Taiwan . It is a popular shopping and leisure area with a night market and also the location of the Gongguan Station of the Taipei Metro . National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and National Taiwan University , the highest academy of Taiwan , as well as the prestigious International Chinese Language Program ( ICLP ) are also located here .


query: London has an elected official.

pos: London London -LSB- ˈlʌndən -RSB- is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom . Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain , London has been a major settlement for two millennia . It was founded by the Romans , who named it Londinium . London 's ancient core , the City of London , largely retains its 1.12 sqmi medieval boundaries . Since at least the 19th century , `` London '' has also referred to the metropolis around this core , historically split between Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , which today largely makes up Greater London , See also : Independent city § National capitals . governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.The London Mayor is not to be confused with the Lord Mayor of London who heads the City of London Corporation , which administers the City of London .   London is a leading global city in the arts , commerce , education , entertainment , fashion , finance , healthcare , media , professional services , research and development , tourism , and transportation . It is crowned as the world 's largest financial centre and has the fifth - or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world.Rankings of cities by metropolitan area GDP can vary as a result of differences in the definition of the boundaries and population sizes of the areas compared , exchange rate fluctuations and the method used to calculate output . London and Paris are of broadly similar size in terms of total economic output which can result in third party sources varying as to which is the fifth-largest city GDP in the world . A report by the McKinsey Global Institute published in 2012 estimated that London had a city GDP of US$ 751.8 billion in 2010 , compared to US$ 764.2 billion for Paris , making them respectively the sixth - and fifth-largest in the world . A report by PricewaterhouseCoopers published in November 2009 estimated that London had a city GDP measured in purchasing power parity of US$ 565 billion in 2008 , compared to US$ 564 billion for Paris , making them respectively the fifth - and sixth-largest in the world . The McKinsey Global Institute study used a metropolitan area with a population of 14.9 million for London compared to 11.8 million for Paris , whilst the PricewaterhouseCoopers study used a metropolitan area with a population of 8.59 million for London compared to 9.92 million for Paris . London is a world cultural capital . It is the world 's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the world 's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic . London is the world 's leading investment destination , hosting more international retailers and ultra high-net-worth individuals than any other city . London 's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe . In 2012 , London became the first city to have hosted the modern Summer Olympic Games three times .   London has a diverse range of people and cultures , and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region . Its estimated mid-2015 municipal population ( corresponding to Greater London ) was 8,673,713 , the largest of any city in the European Union , and accounting for 12.5 % of the UK population . London 's urban area is the second most populous in the EU , after Paris , with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census . The city 's metropolitan area is the most populous in the EU with 13,879,757 inhabitants , while the Greater London Authority states the population of the city-region ( covering a large part of the south east ) as 22.7 million .  London was the world 's most populous city from around 1831 to 1925 .   London contains four World Heritage Sites : the Tower of London ; Kew Gardens ; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster , Westminster Abbey , and St Margaret 's Church ; and the historic settlement of Greenwich ( in which the Royal Observatory , Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian , 0 ° longitude , and GMT ) . Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace , the London Eye , Piccadilly Circus , St Paul 's Cathedral , Tower Bridge , Trafalgar Square , and The Shard . London is home to numerous museums , galleries , libraries , sporting events , and other cultural institutions , including the British Museum , National Gallery , Natural History Museum , Tate Modern , British Library , and West End theatres . The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world .

pos: Mayor of London The Mayor of London is an elected politician who , along with the London Assembly of 25 members , is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London . The current mayor is Sadiq Khan , who took up office on 9 May 2016 . The position had been held by Ken Livingstone from the creation of the role on 4 May 2000 , until he was defeated in May 2008 by Boris Johnson , who served two terms before being succeeded by Khan .   The role , created in 2000 after the London devolution referendum in 1998 , was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom .   The Mayor of London is the mayor of the entirety of Greater London , including the City of London , for which there is also the ceremonial Lord Mayor of the City of London . Each London Borough also has a ceremonial mayor or , in Hackney , Lewisham , Newham or Tower Hamlets , an elected mayor .

neg: Westminster City Council election, 1978 The 1978 Westminster Council election took place on 4 May 1978 to elect members of Westminster City Council in London , England . The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party stayed in overall control of the council .

neg: Geography of London London is the largest urban area and capital city of the United Kingdom , located in southeastern Great Britain . The London region covers an area of 1579 km2 , and had a population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 4,542 people per square kilometre . A larger area , referred to as the London Metropolitan Region or the London Metropolitan Agglomeration covers an area of 8382 km2 , and had a population of 12,653,500 and a population density of 1,510 people per square kilometre . London is a port on the Thames ( see main article Port of London ) , a navigable river . The river has had a major influence on the development of the city . London began on the Thames ' north bank and for a long time the main focus of the city remained on the north side of the Thames . For many centuries London Bridge was the only bridge in or close to the city . When more bridges were built in the 18th century , the city expanded in all directions as the mostly flat or gently rolling countryside presented no obstacle to growth .

neg: Ian Luder Ian David Luder ( born 1951 ) was the 681st Lord Mayor of London , serving from 2008 to 2009 .

neg: Stanley Johnson (London politician) Sir ( Louis ) Stanley Johnson ( 11 October 1869 -- 30 November 1937 ) was an English solicitor and Conservative Party politician .   Johnson was the son of Edward Johnson , of Hackney . He was educated privately and admitted as a solicitor in 1899 , becoming a partner in the firm of Downer and Johnson , based in 426 Salisbury House , London Wall . ( The partnership was dissolved in 1928 , when Johnson formed a new partnership known as Stanley Johnson & Allen ) .   Johnson was a member of Hackney Council .  He stood for Parliament , twice in 1910 , in the Walthamstow division of Essex . At the January 1910 general election he lost to the Liberal MP Sir John Simon . When Simon faced a by-election in November 1910 after being appointed as Solicitor General , Johnson again failed to unseat him .   Johnson did not contest the general election in December 1910 , but in 1914 he became Mayor of Hackney , a position he held until 1919 . He finally entered the House of Commons at the 1918 general election when he was elected as the first Member of Parliament ( MP ) for the newly created Walthamstow East ( a division of the Municipal Borough of Walthamstow . Johnson had stood as a Coalition Unionist , and with the assistance of the `` coalition coupon '' , he won nearly twice as many votes as his old adversary , John Simon . He was re-elected in 1922 and in 1923 , and stood down from Parliament at the 1924 general election .   He was Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel of the London Regiment , and was knighted in 1920 .

neg: Coat of arms of the City of London The coat of arms of the City of London is the official coat of arms of the City of London , which is one of a number of cities and boroughs in Greater London .   The Corporation of the City of London has a full achievement of armorial bearings consisting of a shield on which the arms are displayed , a crest displayed on a helmet above the shield , supporters on either side and a motto displayed on a scroll beneath the arms .   The blazon of the arms is as follows :  Arms : Argent a cross gules , in the first quarter a sword in pale point upwards of the last .  Crest : On a wreath argent and gules a dragon 's sinister wing argent charged on the underside with a cross throughout gules .  Supporters : On either side a dragon argent charged on the undersides of the wings with a cross throughout gules .   The coat of arms is `` anciently recorded '' at the College of Arms . It was in use in 1381 , forming part of the design of a new mayoralty seal taken into use on 17 April of that year . The arms consist of a silver shield bearing a red cross with a red upright sword in the first quarter . They combine the emblems of the patron saints of England and London : the Cross of St George with the symbol of the martyrdom of Saint Paul . The 1381 arms replaced an earlier shield , found on a charter of 1319 , that depicted St Paul holding a sword . The sword is often erroneously supposed to commemorate the killing of Peasants ' Revolt leader Wat Tyler by Lord Mayor of London William Walworth . However the arms were in use some months before Tyler 's death , and the tradition that Walworth 's dagger is depicted may date from the late 17th century .   The crest and supporters came into use in the 17th century , but were used without authority until 30 April 1957 , when they were confirmed and granted by letters patent from the College of Arms .   The crest is a dragon 's wing bearing the cross of St George , borne upon a peer 's helmet . A primitive form of the crest first appeared in 1539 on the reverse of a new common seal . This showed a fan-like object bearing a cross . Over time this evolved into a dragon 's wing , and was shown as such in 1633 when it appeared above the city 's coat of arms in the frontispiece to the fourth edition of John Stow 's Survey of London . The wing is specified as a dragon 's left wing , i.e. its proper left wing ( which can be compared to heraldic left ) . It has been speculated that the use of a peer 's helmet ( rather than that of a gentleman , in other civic arms ) relates to the use of the honorific prefix `` The Right Honourable '' by the Lord Mayor . The helm was confirmed in 1957 . However , there are various representations of the arms being surmounted by a ` Muscovy Hat ' as worn by the City Swordbearer over the Stuart and Georgian period most notably as carved on the George Dance Porch of the Guildhall .   On the seal of 1381 two lions were shown supporting the arms . However , by 1609 the present supporters , two silver dragons bearing red crosses upon their wings , had been adopted . The dragons were probably suggested by the legend of Saint George and the Dragon .   The Latin motto of the City is `` Domine dirige nos '' , which translates as `` Lord , direct ( guide ) us '' . It appears to have been adopted in the 17th Century , as the earliest record of it is in 1633 .   A banner of the arms ( the design on the shield ) is flown as a flag of the City .

neg: Mayor of Gloucester The Mayor of Gloucester is the first citizen of the City of Gloucester , England , and acts as Chair of the Council . The Mayor represents the Council and the City at civic , ceremonial and community events both inside the City boundaries and elsewhere .   The first recorded mayor of Gloucester was Richard the Burgess , who derived his authority from a royal order in 1228 . No further use of the title is recorded until the Letters Patent of Richard III in October 1483 , whereby the burgesses of Gloucester were given the right to elect their first mayor . The first mayor to be so elected was John Trye .

neg: Tower Hamlets First __ NOTOC __   Tower Hamlets First was a British political party represented in Tower Hamlets London Borough Council , which was launched to contest the 2014 local elections . At the 2014 London borough council elections , it was the second largest party on Tower Hamlets Council and the fifth largest political party out of all London borough councils .   Established by Lutfur Rahman on 18 September 2013 , Tower Hamlets First was led by him until 23 April 2015 , when the party was suspended following an Election Court report that found Rahman `` personally guilty of ` corrupt or illegal practices ' or both '' with the party labelled as a `` one-man band '' . The party was removed from the list of political parties maintained by the Electoral Commission on 29 April 2015 .

neg: Westminster City Council election, 1964 The 1964 Westminster Council election took place on 7 May 1964 to elect members of Westminster City Council in London , England . The whole council was up for election and the Conservative party gained control of the council .

neg: City of London (disambiguation) The City of London is the historic centre and main financial district of London , England .   City of London may also refer to :  London , the capital city of England  London , Ontario , Canada  City of London Corporation , the governing body of the City of London , England

neg: New York City mayoral elections The Mayor of the City of New York is elected in early November every four years and takes office at the beginning of the following year . The city , which elects the mayor as its chief executive , consists of the five boroughs ( Manhattan , The Bronx , Brooklyn , Queens and Staten Island ) , which consolidated to form `` Greater '' New York on January 1 , 1898 .   The consolidated city 's first mayor , Robert A. Van Wyck , was elected with other municipal officers in November 1897 . Mayoral elections had previously been held since 1834 by the City of Brooklyn and the smaller , unconsolidated City of New York ( Manhattan , later expanded into the Bronx ) .   The current mayor , now in his first term , is Bill de Blasio . He was elected on November 5 , 2013 , to a four-year term that began on January 1 , 2014 .

neg: London County London County may refer to :   Greater London , England , a present-day county  City of London , England , a city-county , and enclave of Greater London  County of London , England , a former county  London County Cricket Club , a short-lived English cricket club

neg: London West London West ( London-Ouest ) is a federal electoral district in London , Ontario , Canada , that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 1968 .

neg: London Borough of Ealing The London Borough of Ealing -LSB- ˈiːlɪŋ -RSB- is a London Borough in west London , England , and forms part of Outer London . It is the 3rd largest London Borough in population , and 11th largest in size , covering part of west London and a small part of north west London . Its administrative centre is Ealing Broadway . Other major centres include Acton , Greenford and Southall . The local authority is Ealing London Borough Council .

neg: Directly elected mayor of Newham The directly elected mayor of Newham is a directly elected mayor responsible for the executive function of Newham London Borough Council in east London , England . The position is different from the previously existing ( and largely ceremonial ) annually appointed mayors of Newham , known as ` Civic Ambassador ' from 2002 until the office was discontinued in 2009 . The incumbent since the post was created on 2 May 2002 is Robin Wales .

neg: Her Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition (United Kingdom) Her Majesty 's Most Loyal Opposition , or the Official Opposition , in the United Kingdom is led by the Leader of the Opposition . This is usually the political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons , as the largest party will usually form Her Majesty 's Government . Since May 2010 , the Official Opposition has been the Labour Party , currently led by Jeremy Corbyn .

neg: St Paul's Cathedral St Paul 's Cathedral , London , is an Anglican cathedral , the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London . It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grade 1 listed building . Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site , founded in AD 604 . The present cathedral , dating from the late 17th century , was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren . Its construction , completed in Wren 's lifetime , was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London .   The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London . Its dome , framed by the spires of Wren 's City churches , dominated the skyline for 300 years . At 365 ft high , it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967 . The dome is among the highest in the world . St Paul 's is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral .   St Paul 's Cathedral occupies a significant place in the national identity . It is the central subject of much promotional material , as well as of images of the dome surrounded by the smoke and fire of the Blitz . Services held at St Paul 's have included the funerals of Lord Nelson , the Duke of Wellington , Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher ; jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria ; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars ; the wedding of Charles , Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer ; the launch of the Festival of Britain ; and the thanksgiving services for the Silver , Golden and Diamond Jubilees and the 80th and 90th birthdays of Elizabeth II .   St Paul 's Cathedral is a working church with hourly prayer and daily services . The tourist entry fee at the door is # 18 for adults ( March 2017 , cheaper online ) , but no charge is made to worshippers .

neg: Crown Estate The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation sole , making it the `` Sovereign 's public estate '' , which is neither government property nor part of the monarch 's private estate . As a result of this arrangement , the sovereign is not involved with the management or administration of the estate , exercising only very limited control of its affairs . Instead , the estate 's extensive portfolio is overseen by a semi-independent , incorporated public body headed by the Crown Estate Commissioners , who exercise `` the powers of ownership '' of the estate , although they are not `` owners in their own right '' . The revenues from these hereditary possessions have been placed by the monarch at the disposition of Her Majesty 's Government and thus proceed directly to Her Majesty 's Treasury for the benefit of the British nation . The Crown Estate is formally accountable to the Parliament of the United Kingdom , where it is legally mandated to make an annual report to the sovereign , a copy of which is forwarded to the House of Commons .   The Crown Estate is one of the largest property managers in the United Kingdom , overseeing property worth # 12 billion , with urban properties valued at # 9.1 billion representing the majority of the estate by value . These include a large number of properties in central London , but the estate also controls 792000 ha of agricultural land and forest , more than half of the UK 's foreshore , and retains various other traditional holdings and rights , including Ascot Racecourse and Windsor Great Park . Naturally occurring gold and silver in the UK , collectively known as `` Mines Royal '' , are managed by The Crown Estate and leased to mining operators .   Historically , Crown Estate properties were administered by the reigning monarch to help fund the business of governing the country . However , in 1760 , George III surrendered control over the Estate 's revenues to the treasury , thus relieving him of the responsibility of personally paying for the costs of the civil service , defence costs , the national debt , and his own personal debts . In return , he received an annual grant known as the Civil list . By tradition , each subsequent monarch agreed to this arrangement upon his or her accession . However , from 1 April 2012 , under the terms of the Sovereign Grant Act 2011 ( SSG ) , the Civil List was abolished and the monarch was thenceforth provided with a stable source of revenue indexed to a percentage of the Crown Estate 's annual net revenue ( currently set at 15 % ) . This was intended to provide a long-term solution and remove the politically sensitive issue of Parliament having to debate the Civil List allowance every ten years . Subsequently , the Sovereign Grant Act allows for all future monarchs to simply extend these provisions for their reigns by Order in Council . The act does not imply any legal change on the nature of the estate 's ownership , but is simply a benchmark by which the sovereign grant is set as a grant by Parliament .

neg: Municipal Borough of Wimbledon Wimbledon was a local government district in north-east Surrey from 1866 to 1965 covering the town of Wimbledon and its surrounding area . It was part of the London postal district and Metropolitan Police District .   Wimbledon Local Government District was formed in 1866 when the parish of Wimbledon adopted the Local Government Act 1858 , forming a local board of 15 members to govern the area . The Local Government Act 1894 reconstituted the area as an urban district . The town was granted a charter of incorporation to become a municipal borough in 1905 . A borough council consisting of a mayor , six aldermen and eighteen councillors replaced the urban district council . The original Wimbledon Town Hall was built on The Broadway . This was replaced by a new Town Hall on the corner of Queen 's Road and Wimbledon Bridge in 1931 .   The borough was granted a coat of arms in 1906 . The arms incorporated heraldic elements associated with the history of the borough through the centuries . A black double-headed eagle refers to the legend that Julius Caesar once made camp on the common , a sheaf of corn is borrowed from the arms of the Cecil family and the two Cornish Choughs above the crown are taken from the arms of Thomas Cromwell . The new borough took as its motto `` Sine Labe Decus '' meaning : `` Honour without Stain '' .   In 1914 Wimbledon unsuccessfully promoted a bill to become a county borough .   The borough was abolished in 1965 by the London Government Act 1963 and the area was transferred to Greater London to be combined with that the Municipal Borough of Mitcham and the Merton and Morden Urban District to form the present-day London Borough of Merton .

neg: London Councils London Councils is the local government association for Greater London , England . It is a cross-party organisation that represents London 's 32 borough councils and the City of London . It was formed in 1995 as a merger of the London Boroughs Association and the Association of London Authorities . In April 2000 it gained further functions as strategic local government in London was reorganised . London Councils is a think tank and lobbying organisation , and also provides some services directly through legislation that allows multiple local authorities to pool responsibility and funding . London Councils is based at 59 1/2 Southwark Street .

neg: Clerk of the House of Commons The Clerk of the House of Commons is the chief executive of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom , and before 1707 of the House of Commons of England .   The formal name for the position held by the Clerk of the House of Commons is Under Clerk of the Parliaments . The chief clerk of the House of Lords is the Clerk of the Parliaments .