The London Borough of Merton is a borough in south-west London, England. The borough was formed under the London Government Act 1963 in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon along with the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly inside Surrey. The borough derives its name from the historic parish of Merton, which was centred on the area now generally known as South Wimbledon. The local authority is Merton London Borough Council.
In accordance with population estimates made during 2014, the borough has a permanent population of about 203515 people. Merton is served by a wide array of National Rail stations across the borough, along with the southern tip of the London Underground's Northern line and the District line on the Wimbledon branch. It is the only London Borough which has tube, rail and tram services.
The key industrial centres in Merton are Mitcham, Morden and Wimbledon, of which Wimbledon is the largest. Other smaller centres include Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park and Pollards Hill. Every year, Wimbledon, one of the four tennis Grand Slam tournaments, is held at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Church Road Wimbledon. The occasion takes place over a fortnight at the end of June and start of July and it is the largest annual sporting occasion to take place in the UK, attracting over 200000 guests for the duration of the Wimbledon fortnight.