The Cities of London and Westminster constituency was formed in 1950, and is created from two distinct areas: the City of London, representing the economic heart of the capital, and the City of Westminster, Britain's political and cultural centre.

The constituency contains some of our country's most iconic landmarks, revered institutions and famous streets, such as Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square and St Paul's Cathedral.

It is often assumed that the constituency houses only the superrich in the mansions of Mayfair or political figures in the Westminster village. However, the constituency actually contains a considerable amount of social housing, accommodating a uniquely cosmopolitan mix of different peoples.

The City of London is England's smallest ceremonial county, Britain's second smallest city and the ancient core of our capital. It has been administered as a separate entity since 886, and is run by the only completely autonomous local authority in the capital, the City of London (formerly known as the Corporation of London). The authority is headed by a Lord Mayor who is elected annually to preside over the City's governing bodies, the Court of the Common Council and the Court of Aldermen.

In the medieval period, the City was London, whilst Westminster was simply a neighbouring village. As the metropolis grew outside the City's boundaries, the surrounding villages were enveloped and Greater London was formed.

The City used to have a significantly larger population, standing at some 208 000 in the early 1700s. However many of the City's residential buildings have since been converted or knocked down to make way for commercial offices, and the City has developed into a major business centre, housing the London Stock Exchange and many of the world's biggest global finance companies. As a result, fewer than 10 000 people live in the City, and whilst the area bustles with workers during the week, at the weekends it can become so quiet that many of the shops shut.

In the 11th century, the Collegiate Church of St Peter was named 'west minster' to distinguish it from the nearby east minster of St Paul's Cathedral. The label stuck and the church became known as Westminster Abbey whilst the surrounding land was named Westminster.

The Abbey and the Palace of Westminster were in fact built on an island in the Thames which had been formed by a build-up of sediment in the river. Known as Thorney Island, it has since become part of the mainland after the Thames was embanked.

Westminster has now been the seat of government in England for over one thousand years, and many of the city's most famous sites have grown up around it, making it both the cultural and political centre of London.

In 1965, Westminster was joined with the areas of St Marylebone and Paddington to form the new London borough of the City of Westminster. However, Mark's constituency only takes in the lower half of this borough.

The people of the constituency come from an exciting variety of social and ethnic backgrounds, and the area's population changes relatively rapidly. Whilst many claimed that the 2001 census underestimated the constituency's population, the results nevertheless revealed some interesting facts about Cities of London and Westminster residents.

A relatively low proportion of those living in the constituency were found to be below 16, indicating that fewer families live here than in the rest of the UK. Over half of all households were occupied by only one person, with the majority of people renting, and the community was found to be more ethnically mixed than in other parts of the country, with a high level of migration into the area. Furthermore, almost twelve times as many people worked in the constituency as lived here, with the overwhelming number of jobs being in the service industries.

Source: 2001 Census of Population Source: Annual Business Inquiry