London Listeni/ˈlʌndən/ is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom.[3][4] Standing on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. It was founded 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) medieval 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 Greater London,[7][8][note 1] a region of England governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.[9][note 2] The conurbation also covers two English counties: the small district of the City of London and the county of Greater London. The latter constitutes the vast majority of London,[10] though historically it was split between Middlesex (a now abolished county), Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire.
London is a leading global city,[11][12] 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.[13][14][15][16] It is one of the world's leading financial centres[17][18][19][20] and has the fifth-or sixth-largest metropolitan area GDP in the world depending on measurement.[note 3][21][22] London is a world cultural capital.[23][24][25][26] It is the world's most-visited city as measured by international arrivals[27] and has the world's largest city airport system measured by passenger traffic.[28] London is the world's leading investment destination,[29][30][31] hosting more international retailers[32][33] and ultra high-net-worth individuals[34][35] than any other city. London's 43 universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe,[36] and a 2014 report placed it first in the world...