Oxford

Oxford is a city in England. A river called the Thames flows past it.

Oxford has a very old university, where students come to learn.

Oxford lies on the River Thames, upstream from London, at the place where the river cuts through a ridge of limestone, Universalis says. Several rivers meet there, which helped Oxford become a crossroads for roads and railways.

In mid-2024 the city had about 166,034 people, according to the official estimate. Its fame comes above all from its university, which Universalis calls the oldest in Britain.

Universalis: a city of England (134,000 inhabitants in 2001) on the Thames upstream of London, where the river breaks through the cuesta of Corallian limestone; a remarkable convergence of rivers favored its role as a rail and road junction; its reputation rests above all on the oldest British university and, with Cambridge's, the most famous.

Office for National Statistics (via City Population), Oxford district: 134,248 (census 2001), 151,906 (2011), 162,041 (2021) and 166,034 (estimate, 30 June 2024).

Look at the pointed towers and the big round dome! Fields and trees are in front, and the sky is gray.

This photo shows Oxford from Boars Hill, a village southwest of the city, on 30 September 2007. Across green fields and trees, the city's pale buildings rise with many pointed spires, square towers and a large pale dome.

Two construction cranes stand on the left, and wooded hills line the horizon under a gray sky.

Commons: own work by Andrew Gray, 30 September 2007, first posted on Flickr, GFDL and CC BY-SA 3.0; description: 'Oxford, photographed from Boars Hill'. Wikidata places the village of Boars Hill 4.55 km SW of the city point.

In the picture: a red-roofed house with two chimneys, fields with hedges and large trees in front; the pale skyline of the city, with spires, pinnacled towers and a large dome among the roofs; an electricity pylon and two tower cranes at the left; wooded hills on the horizon; a heavy gray sky.

Most people in Oxford work in services, like offices and shops. Cars are made there too, and visitors come to see the colleges.

In the 21st century most people in Oxford work in services, Universalis says: 89 percent of working people in 2008. The car works at Cowley, now owned by BMW, is still its main industry.

Visitors come to see the university's colleges, most of them from other countries, Universalis says. The Bodleian Library, the university's main research library, has an opening year of 1602 on Wikidata.

Universalis: long one of the main industrial centers of the London basin, Oxford has in the 21st century largely turned to services (89% of the working population in 2008); the Cowley car works remains the main industrial activity; the appeal of its university colleges has made it a tourist center attracting mostly foreigners.

Wikidata: Bodleian Library (Q82133), main research library of the University of Oxford, official opening 1602, 0.29 km NE of the city point; Radcliffe Camera (Q1602700), a library building, 1748, 0.31 km ENE.