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 London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is the
UK's largest and most populous metropolitan area and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures
A major settlement for two millennia, its history goes back to its
founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile' financial district, retains its mediaeval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, the name
"London" has also referred to the metropolis developed around it. Today, the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and
assembly.
London is a leading global city being one of the world's largest financial centres and has the largest city GDP in Europe. Central London is home to the headquarters of most of the UK's top 100
listed companies (the FTSE 100) and more than 100 of Europe's 500 largest. London's influence in politics, finance, education, entertainment, media, fashion, the arts and culture in general
contributes to its global position. It is a major tourist destination for both domestic and overseas visitors. London hosted the
1908 and 1948 Summer Olympics and will host the 2012 Summer Olympics. London contains four World Heritage Sites:
the Tower of London; the historic settlement of Greenwich; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church.
London has a diverse range of peoples, cultures and religions, and more than 300 languages are spoken within its boundaries.
In July 2007 it had an official population of 7,556,900 within the boundaries of Greater London, making it the most populous
municipality in the European Union. The Greater London Urban Area (the second largest in the EU) has a population of
8,278,251. while the metropolitan area (the largest in the EU) has an estimated total population of between 12 million and 14
million. The London Underground network, administered by Transport for London, is the oldest and most extensive
underground railway network in the world, London Heathrow Airport is the world's busiest airport by number of international passengers and the airspace is the busiest of any urban centre in the world.
Toponomy
The etymology of London is uncertain. It is an ancient name and can be found in sources from the 2nd century. It is recorded c. 121 as Londinium, which points to
Romano-British origin. The earliest attempted explanation, now disregarded, is attributed to Geoffrey of Monmouth in Historia Regum Britanniae. The name is
described as originating from King Lud, who had allegedly taken over the city and named it Kaerlud.
From 1899 it was commonly accepted that the name was of Celtic origin and
meant place belonging to a man called *Londinos; this explanation has since been rejected. Richard Coates put forward an explanation in 1998 that it is derived from the pre-Celtic Old European
*(p)lowonida, meaning 'river too wide to ford', and suggested that this was a name given to the part of the River Thames
which flows through London; from this, the settlement gained the Celtic form of its name, *Lowonidonjon. Until 1889 the
name officially only applied to the City of London but since then it has also referred to the County of London and now Greater London.
Prehistory and antiquity
Although there is evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the
Romans in 43 AD. This lasted for just seventeen years and around 61, the Iceni tribe led by Queen Boudica stormed it,
burning it to the ground. The next, heavily planned incarnation of the city prospered and superseded Colchester as the capital
of the Roman province of Britannia in 100. At its height during the 2nd century, Roman London had a population of around
60,000. By the 7th century, the Anglo-Saxons had created a new settlement called Lundenwic over a mile (2 km) upstream from the old Roman city, around what is now Covent Garden.
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By 1300 the City was still confined within the walls
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It is likely that there was a harbour at the mouth of the River Fleet for fishing and trading, and this trading grew, until the city was overcome by the Vikings and
forced to move east, back to the location of the Roman Londinium, in order to use its walls for protection. Viking attacks continued to increase, until 886 when Alfred
the Great recaptured London and made peace with the Danish leader, Guthrum. The original Saxon city of Lundenwic became Ealdwic ("old city"), a name
surviving to the present day as Aldwych, which is in the modern City of Westminster.
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