The London Boroughs are government-defined administrational
areas of the capital, created when London got too big to be
centrally administrated.
In 1889, the London County Council was created, consisting of the
City of London and 28 Metropolitan Boroughs taking areas from
Middlesex, Surrey and Kent.
In 1965, the administrative unit of Greater London was created,
though the name itself had previously been used in an informal
sense. This comprised the old County of London, with the old
Metropolitan Boroughs merged into a smaller number of boroughs,
plus the remaining parts of Middlesex and parts of Essex, Herts,
Surrey and Kent. Middlesex ceased to exist as an administrative
county, though the name is still used in postal addresses.
Present-day boroughs of Greater London: