London

This article is about the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. For other uses, see London (disambiguation).

London
Capital city
River Thames and Tower Bridge with The Shard and Southwark (left), and Tower of London and City of London (right) London Eye Westminster Abbey St Paul's Cathedral Piccadilly Circus Canary Wharf Palace of Westminster with Big Ben (right)
Map of the Greater London administrative area, encompassing the City of London and 32 additional boroughs
London Location within England London Location within the United Kingdom London Location within Europe
Coordinates: 51°30′26″N 0°7′39″W
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	England
Region	London
Ceremonial counties	Greater London City of London
Settled by Romans	AD 47 (47), as Londinium
Administrative HQ	City Hall
Local government	32 London boroughs, the City of London and Queen's Park parish
Government
• Type	Executive mayoralty and deliberative assembly
• Body	Greater London Authority
• Mayor	Sadiq Khan (L)
• London Assembly	14 constituencies
• UK Parliament	74 constituencies
Area
• Total	607 sq mi (1,572 km2)
• Urban	671 sq mi (1,738 km2)
• Metro	3,236 sq mi (8,382 km2)
Population  (2024)
• Total	9,089,736
• Rank	1st in the UK 3rd in Europe
• Density	14,980/sq mi (5,782/km2)
• Urban  (2021)	10,558,797
• Metro  (2026)	15,400,000
Demonyms	Londoner
Ethnicity (2021)
• Ethnic groups	List 53.8% White 20.7% Asian 13.5% Black 6.3% other 5.7% Mixed
Religion (2021)
• Religion	List 40.7% Christianity 27.1% no religion 15.0% Islam 5.1% Hinduism 1.7% Judaism 1.6% Sikhism 0.9% Buddhism 1.0% other 7.0% not stated
Time zone	UTC+00:00 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+01:00 (BST)
Postcode areas	22 areas E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, BR, CM, CR, DA, EN, HA, IG, KT, RM, SM,UB, WD, TN, TW
Dialling codes	020 01689 01708 01895
GSS code	E12000007 (region) E61000001 (GLA)
GeoTLD	.london
Website	london.gov.uk

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.14 million people in 2025. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.4 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the site of the national government and parliament for centuries. London grew rapidly in the 19th century, becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split among the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire. Since 1965 it has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London, governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.

As one of the world's major global cities, London exerts a strong influence on world art, architecture, culture, cinema, entertainment, commerce, finance, education, healthcare, media, science, technology, tourism, transport and communications. London is Europe's largest city economy and one of the world's major financial centres. London is home to several of the world's leading academic institutions and hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions, comprising over 50 universities and colleges collectively enrolling more than 500,000 students in 2023. It is the most-visited city in Europe and has the world's busiest city airport system. The London Underground is the world's oldest rapid transit system.

London's diverse cultures encompass over 300 languages. The 2025 population of Greater London of just over 9.8 million made it Europe's third-most populous city, accounting for 13.1 per cent of the United Kingdom's population and 15.5 per cent of England's population. The Greater London Built-up Area is the fourth-most populous in Europe, with about 9.8 million inhabitants as of 2011. The London metropolitan area is the third-most-populous in Europe, with about 15 million inhabitants as of 2025, making London a megacity.

Landmarks include the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square. The city has the most museums, art galleries, libraries and cultural venues in the UK, including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, Tate Modern, the British Library and numerous West End theatres. Annual sporting events include the FA Cup Final (held at Wembley Stadium), the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the London Marathon. It became the first city to host three Summer Olympic Games upon hosting the 2012 Summer Olympics after previously hosting in 1908 and 1948.