London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom.

It is the most populous region, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames, ondon has been a ma!or settlement for t"o millennia, its history going bac# to its founding by the Romans, "ho named it Londinium. ondon$s ancient core, the %ity of ondon, largely retains its &.&'(s)uare(mile *'.+ #m', mediaeval boundaries and in '-&& had a resident population of .,/.0, ma#ing it the smallest city in England. Since at least the &+th century, the term London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The bul# of this conurbation forms the ondon region and the 1reater ondon administrative area, governed by the 2ayor of ondon and the ondon 3ssembly. ondon is a leading global city, "ith strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence. It is one of the "orld$s leading financial centres and has the fifth(or si4th(largest metropolitan area 156 in the "orld depending on measurement. ondon is a "orld cultural capital. It is the "orld$s most(visited city as measured by international arrivals and has the "orld$s largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic. ondon$s 7/ universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. In '-&', ondon became the first city to host the modern Summer 8lympic 1ames three times. ondon has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than /-- languages are spo#en "ithin its boundaries. ondon had an official population of 9,/-9,/:+ in '-&', ma#ing it the most populous municipality in the European Union,;'9< and accounting for &'.0= of the UK population. The 1reater ondon Urban 3rea is the second(largest in the EU "ith a population of +,.9.,7': according to the '-&& census. The ondon metropolitan area is the largest in the EU "ith a total population of &/,:&7,7-+, "hile the 1reater ondon 3uthority puts the population of ondon metropolitan region at '& million. ondon had the largest population of any city in the "orld from around &9/& to &+'0. ondon contains four >orld ?eritage Sites@ the To"er of ondonA Ke" 1ardensA the site comprising the 6alace of >estminster, >estminster 3bbey, and St 2argaret$s %hurchA and the historic settlement of 1reen"ich *in "hich the Royal 8bservatory, 1reen"ich mar#s the 6rime 2eridian, -B longitude, and 12T,. 8ther famous landmar#s include Cuc#ingham 6alace, the ondon Eye, 6iccadilly %ircus, St 6aul$s %athedral, To"er Cridge, Trafalgar S)uare, and The Shard. ondon is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the Critish 2useum, Dational 1allery, Tate 2odern, Critish ibrary and 7- >est End theatres. The ondon Underground is the oldest underground rail"ay net"or# in the "orld