Londinium: a global microcosm

It's taken me the best part of 19 years but I think I've finally cracked it! It occurred to me today that London is in a way a microcosm of the Mercator projection map and also of global socioeconomic status.

North West London is known to be an affluent and fairly exclusive leafy area including such towns as St. John's Wood, Hampstead Heath, Harrow, Moor Park and of course mini-hollywood: GX. Additionally, it has a fine collection of extremely reputable preparatory and grammar schools (Harrow School, Merchant Taylors, NLCS, Northwood College, DCGS) - all of which appear towards the higher end of the country's league tables. For this reason, NW London represents Europe and North America in the world of today.

Islington would represent Turkey/Israel as it is an upcoming area that could become highly visible in the near future. Turkey could possibly be entering the EU and with a large, increasing, working-age population - it will quite possibly also get a signing on bonus. Israel, already a world leader in various technologies (and with all the know-how of occupying foreign lands), is already three quarters of the way there. On the other hand, if one were to venture further north west into Hackney and God forsaken forbid Walthamstow, the smell of vodka wouldn't be the only thing that was reminiscent of Russia. I shall say no more about the evident parallels that may be drawn between Walthamstow and Russia just in case regions of E17 have now got access to the internet.

Central London is the Middle East. Rich in natural reserves of investment banks and other such financial institutions which the world depend on, and teeming with its fair share of high-rise glass buildings - London is like an oil rich Dubai (before it went bankrupt and with less fat arabs) which doesn't exploit the Nepalese.

As for East London, it's pretty much identical to the sub-continent in every possible way. Overflowing with asians living in squalid slums, run down and with the odd cow on the road - it's no wonder why they call it "little India". I guess everything's little in comparison to India though?

The River Thames roughly represents the boundary of the North-South divide. South London, much like Africa, is for the most part fairly deprived, illiterate and black. Richmond, the only exception to stereotypical South London, could be the Australia of the Southern Hemisphere (without the crazy cannibalistic Aborigines).

And thus concludes my 19 year long work!