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'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 

 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

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 in the City of 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 

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 LondonBirmingham canal, which was important to the industrial 19th century. The most used airport is Heathrow Airport, although it is actually outside the city.

The 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.

References

Other websites 

 London City Government
 WorldFlicks in London: Photos and interesting places on Google Maps 
 Events 

 
Olympic cities