LONDON Short Info

ABOUT LONDON London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom and the largest city in the United Kingdom and the European Union by most measures

The city is governed by Mayor of London and London Assembly

HISTORY London has been a major settlement for two millennia Its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium

London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its square-mile mediaeval boundaries

London was the largest city in the world at the end of 19th century Since at least the 19th century, the name London has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core

GEOGRAPHY The River Thames is by far the largest river of the London area, flowing west to east across the London Basin

The hills in the City of London are Ludgate Hill, Corn Hill and Tower Hill

Central London is mostly flat

POPULATION More than 300 languages are spoken London had an official population of 8,174,100, making it the most populous municipality in the European Union

London had the largest population of any city in the world from around 1831 to 1925.

TRANSPORT The public transport network is administered by Transport for London (TfL) and is one of the most extensive in the world

Cycling is an increasingly popular way to get around London The lines that formed the London Underground, as well as trams and buses, became part of an integrated transport system

AIR London is a major international air transport hub with the largest city airspace in the world

London Heathrow Airport, in Hillingdon, West London, is the busiest airport in the world for international traffic, and is the major hub of the nation's flag carrier, British Airways

RAIL The London Underground is the oldest, and second longest metro system in the world, dating from 1863

The system serves 270 stations and was formed from several private companies

Since 2007 high-speed Eurostar trains link St. Pancras International with Lille, Paris, and Brussels

SPORTS London has hosted the Summer Olympics three times: in 1908, 1948, and 2012

London's most popular sport is football and it has fourteen League football clubs, including six in the Premier League: Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Tottenham Hotspur, and West Ham United

In May 2012 Chelsea become the first London club to win the UEFA Champions League

LANDMARKS

BRITISH MUSEUM

TATE MODERN

NATIONAL GALLERY

LONDON EYE

ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL

ELIZABETH TOWER (BIG BEN)

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