London

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For other uses, see London (disambiguation).

London

From upper left: Buckingham Palace, St Pancras International station, The Shard, Canary Wharf, St James's Park, Palace of Westminster

Nickname(s): the (big) smoke, the Great Wen

Greater London shown within England

Coordinates: Sovereign state Country County Districts Settled by Romans Government Regional authority Regional assembly Mayor UK Parliament London Assembl y European Parliament Area City Urban Metro Elevation[1] Population (2012)[2][3][4] City Density Urban Urban zone Metro 8,308,369 Boris Johnson

513026N 0739WCoordinates:

513026N 0739W

United Kingdom England Greater London City and 32 boroughs as Londinium, c. 43 AD

Greater London Authority

London Assembly

74 constituencies 14 constituencies London constituency

1,572.00 km2(606.95 sq mi) 1,737.9 km2 (671.0 sq mi) 8,382.00 km2(3,236.31 sq mi) 24 m (79 ft)

5,285/km2 (13,690/sq mi) 9,787,426 11,905,500 15,010,295

Demonym Time zone Summer (DST) Postcode areas

Londoner GMT (UTC0) BST (UTC+1) E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W,WC, BR, CM, CR, DA, EN,HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TN, TW,UB, W D

Area code(s) Website

020, 01322, 01689, 01708, 01737, 01895, 01923, 01959, 01992 london.gov.uk

London

/lndn/ 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, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium.[5] London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1.12-square-mile (2.9 km2)mediaeval boundaries and in 2011 had a resident population of 7,375, making it the smallest city in England. Since at least the 19th century, the term London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core.[6] The bulk of this conurbation forms the London region[7] and the Greater London administrative area,[8][note 1] governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.[9] London is a leading global city,[10][11] with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.[12] It is one of the world's leadingfinancial centres[13][14][15] and has the fifth- or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement.[note
2][16][17]

London is a world cultural capital.[18][19][20][21] It is the world's most-visited city as measured by

international arrivals[22] and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic.[23] London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education in Europe. [24] In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern Summer Olympic Games three times.[25] London has a diverse range of peoples and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.[26] London had an official population of 8,308,369 in 2012,[2] making it the most populous municipality in the European Union,[27] and accounting for 12.5% of the UK population.[28] The Greater London Urban Area is the second-largest in the EU with a population of 9,787,426 according to the 2011 census.[3]The London metropolitan area is the largest in the EU with a total population of 13,614,409,[note
3][4][29]

while the Greater London Authorityputs the population of London metropolitan region at 21

million.[30] London had the largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to 1925.[31] 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 of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory, Greenwich marks the Prime Meridian, 0 longitude, and GMT).[32] Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, and The Shard. London is home to numerous museums,

galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 West End theatres.[33] TheLondon Underground is the oldest underground railway network in the world.[34][35]