The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough towards the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. Covering a total area of approximately 7.63 square miles, it is within the eastern part of London and covers much of the conventional East End. The London Borough of Hackney lies to the north of the borough whilst the River Lea forms the boundary with the London Borough of Newham towards the east. On the other side of the Thames is the London Borough of Southwark towards the southwest, The London Borough of Lewisham towards the South, plus the Royal Borough of Greenwich towards the southeast. The River Lea also forms the boundary between these parts of London historically in Middlesex, with those formerly in Essex.
In line with population estimates made during 2014, the borough has a permanent population of about 284015 inhabitants. In addition, it contains a great deal of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks and Canary Wharf.
The borough is also fairly well-known for being home to the Women's Library in Aldgate, which is Great Britain's primary library and museum resource on women and the women's movement, especially concentrating on Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, a part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is in Tower Hamlets.