London

For the city in Canada, see London, Ontario.

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. London is the city region with the highest population in the United Kingdom. On the Thames, London has been a central city since it was founded by the Romans two millennia ago as Londinium.

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 London Location within Europe London Location within Earth
Coordinates: 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 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	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)
Population  (2018)
• Total	8,908,081
• Density	14,670/sq mi (5,666/km2)
• Urban	9,787,426
• Metro	14,257,962 (1st)
• City of London	8,706 (67th)
• Greater London	8,899,375
Demonyms	Londoner
GVA (2018)
• Total	£487 billion ($624 billion)
• Per capita	£54,686 ($70,110)
Time zone	UTC (Greenwich Mean Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
Postcode areas	22 areas E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, BR, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM, TW, UB, WD (CM, TN; partially)
Area codes	9 area codes 020, 01322, 01689, 01708, 01737, 01895, 01923, 01959, 01992
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's original city centre, the City of London is England's smallest city. In 2011 had 7,375 inhabitants on an area of 2.9 km².

The term "London" is also used for the urban region which developed around this city centre. This area forms the region of London, as well as the Greater London administrative unit, led by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

In modern times, London is one of the world's most important political, economic and cultural centres. London was the capital of the British Empire and so for almost three centuries the centre of power for large parts of the world.

The city has about 9.1 million inhabitants (2018). If one counts the entire metropolitan area of London (London Metropolitan Area), it has about 15 million people. The city is the largest in Europe by population. The climate is moderate.

History

The Romans built the city of Londinium along the River Thames in the year AD 43. The name Londinium (and later 'London') came from the Celtic language of the Ancient Britons. In the year AD 61, the city was attacked and destroyed. Then the Romans rebuilt the city, and London became an important trading hub.

After the decline of the Roman Empire, few people remained in London. This was partly because the Anglo-Saxon people of Sub-Roman Britain were primarily agricultural. Once the Romans had gone, trade with Continental Europe dwindled. In the 9th century, more people started living in London again. It became the largest city in England. However, it did not become the capital city of England again until the 12th century.

After the railways were built, London grew much larger. Greater London has 33 boroughs (neighbourhoods) and a mayor. The old City of London is only a square mile in size but has its own Lord Mayor.

Another famous old part of Greater London is Westminster, which was always a different city from the City of London. In Westminster is Westminster Abbey (a cathedral), The Palace of Westminster (the Houses of Parliament, with Big Ben), and 10 Downing Street (where the Prime Minister lives).

Events

• AD 43 – Londinium is founded by the Romans
• 61 – Londinium is sacked by Queen Boudica and the Iceni
• 100 – Londinium becomes the capital of Roman Britain
• 200 – The population is about 6,000
• 410 – The end of Roman rule in Britain
• 8th century – London is captured by Vikings
• 885 – King Alfred the Great recaptures the city and makes peace with the Viking leader Guthrum.
• 1045/50 – Westminster Abbey is rebuilt by Edward the Confessor who is buried there in January 1066.
• 1066 – William the Conqueror is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
• 1100 – The population is about 16,000.
• 1300 – The population of London has risen to 100,000.
• 1381 – The Peasants' Revolt – the first poll tax riots
• 1605 – The Gunpowder Plot is stopped
• 1665 – The Great Plague of London
• 1666 – The Great Fire of London
• 1780 – The Gordon Riots
• 1851 – The Great Exhibition held at the Crystal Palace
• 1908 – The Olympic Games take place in London.
• 1940/1941 – London was bombed by German planes during World War II. This is known as The Blitz.
• 1944/45 – London bombed by self-propelled bombs and V2 rockets.
• 1948 – The Summer Olympic Games take place in London for the second time.
• 1966 – The Football World Cup final took place in London. It was won by England.
• 1990 – The Second Poll Tax Riots
• 2005 – The 7 July bombings on the London Underground and a bus. 52 people die and over 700 people are injured.
• 2012 – The Summer Olympic Games take place in London for a third time.
• 2017 – There were two terrorist attacks. The first happened in March on Westminster Bridge and Parliament Square. Five people were killed outside the Palace of Westminster, including the attacker and a police officer. 40 more people were injured. Another attack happened on London Bridge in June. Seven people were killed before the Metropolitan Police shot down the three attackers near Borough Market. The Islamic State has said they were responsible for both attacks.

Landmarks

The Millennium Dome, seen from the River Thames.

• Big Ben (Elizabeth Tower)
• Buckingham Palace
• Millennium Dome
• London Eye
• Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square
• Tower Bridge
• London Underground
• Natural History Museum
• St. Paul's Cathedral
• Palace of Westminster
• The Shard
• Alexandra Palace

A panorama of modern London, taken from the Golden Gallery of Saint Paul’s Cathedral

Business and economy

London has five major business districts: the City, Westminster, Canary Wharf, Camden & Islington and Lambeth & Southwark.

The London Stock Exchange is the most international stock exchange and the largest in Europe.

Financial services

London's largest industry is finance. This includes banks, stock exchanges, investment companies and insurance companies The Bank of England is located in London and is the second oldest bank in the world.

Professional services

London has many professional services such as law and accounting firms.

Media

The British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which has many radio and TV stations, is in London.

Tourism

Tourism is one of London's biggest industries. London is the most visited city in the world by international tourists with 18.8 million international visitors per year. Within the UK, London is home to the ten most-visited tourist attractions. Tourism employed about 350,000 full-time workers in London in 2003. Tourists spend about £15 billion per year.

Technology

A growing number of technology companies are based in London.

Retail

London is a major retail centre, and in 2010 had the highest non-food retail sales of any city in the world, with a total spend of around £64.2 billion. The UK's fashion industry, centred on London, contributes tens of billions to the economy.

Manufacturing and construction

For the 19th and much of the 20th centuries London was a major manufacturing centre (see Manufacturing in London), with over 1.5 million industrial workers in 1960. Many products were made in London including ships, electronics and cars. Nowadays, most of these manufacturing companies are closed but some drug companies still make medicine in London.

Twinnings

The Tower Bridge in London

London has twin and sister city agreements with these cities:

• Sister cities:
  • Berlin, Germany (since 2000)
  • New York City, USA (since 2001)
  • Moscow, Russia
  • Beijing, China (since 2006)
• Partner cities:
  • Paris, France (since 2001)
  • Rome, Italy

London also has a "partnership" agreement with Tokyo, Japan.

Transportation (trains, airports and underground)

The city has a huge network of transport systems including trains, underground (metro) and five main airports.

The Victorians built many train systems in the mid-19th century (1850s). Their main stations are in London, and the lines go to every part of Great Britain. There were originally five major companies but the five companies became a national rail network in modern times. Their terminals at King's Cross, St. Pancras, Paddington, Waterloo and Charing Cross are still used as terminals.

There are five airports, though only one is actually in London (London City Airport). There is the London end of the London–Birmingham canal, which was important to the industrial 19th century. The most used airport is Heathrow Airport, although it is actually outside the city.

The metro or London Underground is a system of electric trains which are in London. It is the oldest underground railway in the world. It started running in 1863 as the Metropolitan Railway. Later, the system was copied in other cities, for example Paris, New York, Moscow and Madrid. Even though it is called the London Underground about half of it is above the ground. The "Tube" is the name used for the London Underground, because the tunnels for some of the lines are round tubes running through the ground. The Underground has got 274 stations and over 408 km of track. Over one billion passengers used the underground each year.

There is a black taxi system regulated by the Metropolitan Police, and various other private enterprise hire car companies. Efforts are being made to make roads safer for cyclists.

Climate

London has an oceanic, or temperate climate. It is not usually very hot or cold. It is often cloudy.

London has a temperate climate with regular, light rain throughout the year. July is the warmest month, with an average temperature at Greenwich of 13.6 ° C to 22.8 ° C. The coldest month is January, with an average of 2.4 ° C to 7.9 ° C. The average annual rainfall is 583.6 mm, and February is normally the driest month. Snow is uncommon in London itself, although there is regular snow in the surrounding area; this is because the extra heat the big city generates makes the city about 5 ° C warmer than surrounding areas in winter.

Climate data for Heathrow Airport
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	17.2 (63.0)	19.7 (67.5)	24.2 (75.6)	29.4 (84.9)	32.8 (91.0)	35.6 (96.1)	36.7 (98.1)	38.1 (100.6)	35.4 (95.7)	29.9 (85.8)	20.8 (69.4)	17.4 (63.3)	38.1 (100.6)
Mean maximum °C (°F)	13.1 (55.6)	14.1 (57.4)	17.2 (63.0)	21.3 (70.3)	25.8 (78.4)	28.5 (83.3)	30.1 (86.2)	29.7 (85.5)	25.5 (77.9)	20.5 (68.9)	16.2 (61.2)	13.5 (56.3)	31.5 (88.7)
Average high °C (°F)	8.1 (46.6)	8.4 (47.1)	11.3 (52.3)	14.2 (57.6)	17.9 (64.2)	21.0 (69.8)	23.5 (74.3)	23.2 (73.8)	19.9 (67.8)	15.5 (59.9)	11.1 (52.0)	8.3 (46.9)	15.2 (59.4)
Average low °C (°F)	2.3 (36.1)	2.1 (35.8)	3.9 (39.0)	5.5 (41.9)	8.7 (47.7)	11.7 (53.1)	13.9 (57.0)	13.7 (56.7)	11.4 (52.5)	8.4 (47.1)	4.9 (40.8)	2.7 (36.9)	7.5 (45.5)
Mean minimum °C (°F)	−4.2 (24.4)	−3.9 (25.0)	−2.0 (28.4)	−0.3 (31.5)	3.1 (37.6)	6.7 (44.1)	9.5 (49.1)	9.1 (48.4)	6.0 (42.8)	2.0 (35.6)	−1.7 (28.9)	−4.1 (24.6)	−6.1 (21.0)
Record low °C (°F)	−13.2 (8.2)	−9.6 (14.7)	−5.1 (22.8)	−2.6 (27.3)	−0.9 (30.4)	1.5 (34.7)	5.6 (42.1)	5.9 (42.6)	1.8 (35.2)	−3.3 (26.1)	−7.0 (19.4)	−11.8 (10.8)	−13.2 (8.2)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	55.2 (2.17)	40.9 (1.61)	41.6 (1.64)	43.7 (1.72)	49.4 (1.94)	45.1 (1.78)	44.5 (1.75)	49.5 (1.95)	49.1 (1.93)	68.5 (2.70)	59.0 (2.32)	55.2 (2.17)	601.7 (23.69)
Average rainy days	11.1	8.5	9.3	9.1	8.8	8.2	7.7	7.5	8.1	10.8	10.3	10.2	109.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours	61.5	77.9	114.6	168.7	198.5	204.3	212.0	204.7	149.3	116.5	72.6	52.0	1,632.6
Source: Met Office Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

Other websites

• London City Government
• WorldFlicks in London: Photos and interesting places on Google Maps Archived 2008-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
• Events [1]

Greater London • London • City of London

London Boroughs: Barking and Dagenham • Barnet • Bexley • Brent • Bromley • Camden • Croydon • Ealing • Enfield • Greenwich • Hackney • Hammersmith and Fulham • Haringey • Harrow • Havering • Hillingdon • Hounslow • Islington • Kensington and Chelsea • Kingston • Lambeth • Lewisham • Merton • Newham • Redbridge • Richmond • Southwark • Sutton • Tower Hamlets • Waltham Forest • Wandsworth • Westminster Sui generis: City of London (Exclaves: Inner Temple • Middle Temple) See also: Greater London Authority • London Assembly • Mayor of London