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 plus 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.
Based on population estimates made in the middle of 2014, the borough has a permanent population of about 203515 people. Merton is served by a wide range of National Rail stations across the borough, plus the southern tip of the London Underground's Northern line and also the District line around the Wimbledon branch. It's 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 sized 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 happens over a fortnight at the end of June and start of July and it is the largest annual sporting event to take place in the UK, attracting more than 200000 guests in the course of the Wimbledon fortnight.