London

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This article is about the capital city. For the region and county of England,
see Greater London. For the historic city and financial district within London,
see City of London. For other uses, see London (disambiguation).

London

Capital city

Clockwise from top: City of London in the foreground with Canary

Wharf in the far background, Trafalgar Square, London Eye, Tower
Bridge and a London Underground roundel in front of Elizabeth
Tower
 London

Location within the United Kingdom

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Coordinates:  51°30′26″N 0°7′39″WCoordinates:  51°30′26″N 0°

7′39″W

Sovereign state United Kingdom

Constituent country England
Region London (coterminous)
Counties Greater London
City of London

Settled by Romans AD 47[1]

as Londinium

Districts City of London & 32 boroughs

Government
 • Type Executive mayoralty and deliberative
 assembly within unitary constitutional
monarchy
 • Body Greater London Authority
• Mayor Sadiq Khan (L)
• London Assembly
 • London Assembly 14 constituencies
 • UK Parliament 73 constituencies

Area
 • Total[A] 607 sq mi (1,572 km2)
 • Urban 671.0 sq mi (1,737.9 km2)
 • Metro 3,236 sq mi (8,382 km2)
 • City of London 1.12 sq mi (2.90 km2)
 • Greater London 606 sq mi (1,569 km2)

Elevation 36 ft (11 m)

[2]

Population
 (2018)[4]
 • Total[A] 8,908,081
 • Density 14,670/sq mi (5,666/km2)
 • Urban 9,787,426
 • Metro 14,257,962[3] (1st)
 • City of London 8,706 (67th)
 • Greater London 8,899,375

Demonyms Londoner

GVA (2018)
[5]

 • Total £487 billion

($649 billion)
 • Per capita £54,686
($72,915)

Time zone UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)

 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (British Summer Time)

Postcode areas
22 areas[show]
Area codes
9 area codes[show]

Police City of London

Metropolitan
 Fire and rescue London
Ambulance London
Airports Heathrow (LHR)
City (LCY)
Outside London:
Gatwick (LGW)
Stansted (STN)
Luton (LTN)
Southend (SEN)

GeoTLD .london

Website london.gov.uk

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom.[7]

[8]
 Standing on the River Thames in the south-east of England, at the head of its 50-
mile (80 km) estuary leading to the North Sea, London has been a major
settlement for two millennia. Londinium was founded by the Romans.[9] The City of
London, London's ancient core − an area of just 1.12 square miles (2.9 km2) and
colloquially known as the Square Mile − retains boundaries that closely follow its
medieval limits.[10][11][12][13][14][note 1] The City of Westminster is also an Inner
London borough holding city status. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of
London and the London Assembly.[15][note 2][16]
London is considered to be one of the world's most important global cities[17][18][19] and
has been called the world's most powerful, [20] most desirable,[21] most influential,
[22]
 most visited,[23] most expensive,[24][25] innovative,[26] sustainable,[27] most investment-
friendly,[28] and most-popular-for-work[29] city. London exerts a considerable impact
upon the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare,
media, professional services, research and development, tourism and
transportation.[30][31] London ranks 26th out of 300 major cities for economic
performance.[32] It is one of the largest financial centres[33] and has either the fifth or
the sixth largest metropolitan area GDP.[note 3][34][35][36][37][38] It is the most-visited city as
measured by international arrivals[39] and has the busiest city airport system as
measured by passenger traffic.[40] It is the leading investment destination,[41][42][43]
[44]
 hosting more international retailers[45][46] and ultra high-net-worth individuals[47]
[48]
 than any other city. London's universities form the largest concentration of higher
education institutes in Europe,[49] and London is home to highly ranked institutions
such as Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences, the London
School of Economics in social sciences, and the comprehensive University College
London and King's College London.[50][51][52] In 2012, London became the first city to
have hosted three modern Summer Olympic Games.[53]
London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages
are spoken in the region.[54] Its estimated mid-2018 municipal population
(corresponding to Greater London) was 8,908,081,[4] the third most populous of
any city in Europe[55] and accounts for 13.4% of the UK population.[56] London's
urban area is the third most populous in Europe, after Moscow and Paris, with
 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census.[57] The London commuter belt is the most
populous in Europe with 14,040,163 inhabitants in 2016.[note 4][3][58] Prior to Brexit,
London had been the largest city in the EU.
London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens;
the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St
Margaret's Church; and the historic settlement in Greenwich where the Royal
Observatory, Greenwich defines the Prime Meridian (0° longitude) and Greenwich
Mean Time.[59] Other landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London
Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar
Square and The Shard. London has numerous museums, galleries, libraries
and sporting events. These include the British Museum, National Gallery, Natural
History Museum, Tate Modern, British Library and West End theatres.
[60]
 The London Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.

Contents

 1Toponymy
 2History
o 2.1Prehistory
o 2.2Roman London
o 2.3Anglo-Saxon and Viking period London
o 2.4Middle Ages
o 2.5Early modern
o 2.6Late modern and contemporary
 3Administration
o 3.1Local government
o 3.2National government
o 3.3Policing and crime
 4Geography
o 4.1Scope
o 4.2Status
o 4.3Topography
o 4.4Climate
o 4.5Districts
o 4.6Architecture
o 4.7Cityscape
o 4.8Natural history
 5Demography
o 5.1Age structure and median age
o 5.2Ethnic groups
o 5.3Religion
o 5.4Accent
 6Economy
o 6.1The City of London
o 6.2Media and technology
 o 6.3Tourism
 7Transport
o 7.1Aviation
o 7.2Rail
o 7.3Buses and trams
o 7.4Cable car
o 7.5Cycling
o 7.6Port and river boats
o 7.7Roads
 8Education
o 8.1Tertiary education
o 8.2Primary and secondary education
 9Culture
o 9.1Leisure and entertainment
o 9.2Literature, film and television
o 9.3Museums, art galleries and libraries
o 9.4Music
 10Notable people
 11Recreation
o 11.1Parks and open spaces
o 11.2Walking
 12Sport
 13See also
 14Notes
 15References
o 15.1Bibliography
 16External links

Toponymy