Every race, colour, nation and religion on earth

Modern London can lay claim to being the most diverse city ever. Never have so many different kinds of people tried living together in the same place before. What some people see as the great experiment of multiculturalism will triumph or fail here. New York and Toronto would contest the cosmopolitan crown, but London's case is strong. According to census research, 30% of London residents were born outside England - that's 2. 2 million people, to which we can add the unknown tens of thousands who didn't complete a census form. And even this total takes no account of the contribution of the city's second- and third-generation immigrants, many of whom have inherited the traditions of their parents and grandparents. Over the last twenty years, Greater London was the fastest growing part of the UK - and yet the white population in that time actually fell. Altogether, more than 300 languages are spoken by the people of London, and the city has at least 50 non-indigenous communities with populations of 10, 000 or more. Virtually every race, nation, culture and religion in the world can claim at least a handful of Londoners. Yet life in the capital is hardly one great coffee-coloured carnival. Few lofty social ideals can be observed in Victoria station at 8am. Indeed, Londoners are notable for their lack of warmth. Their city is a place of business; they have the fewest public holidays in Europe and work by far the longest hours. On the whole, people come to London for the money. But money is not why they stay. Language is one reason; fluency in English is a great gift for one's children. Then there are the many refugees, who arrive expecting to return home, but find, over time, that home has come with them. But there is another, more surprising reason why people make their homes in London: Londoners themselves. Bilsen, a 40-year-old Turkish woman, couldn't understand the frosty atmosphere when she first arrived. "When you're on the underground, people don't talk, " she explained with horror. "They don't even make eye contact. " Quickly, however, the benefits of being left alone began to become apparent. "Like the English say, 'Mind your own business', " Bilsen remarked with approval.