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 and 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 called 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 around 203515 people. Merton is served by a wide array of National Rail stations across the borough, plus the southern tip of the London Underground's Northern line along with the District line around the Wimbledon branch. It's the only London Borough which has tube, rail and tram services.
The primary industrial centres in Merton are Mitcham, Morden and Wimbledon, of which Wimbledon is the biggest. Other smaller centres consist of Raynes Park, Colliers Wood, South Wimbledon, Wimbledon Park and Pollards Hill. Each 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 beginning of July and it is the biggest annual sporting event to take place in the United Kingdom, attracting over 200000 visitors for the duration of the Wimbledon fortnight.