London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom (UK). It is Britain's largest and most populous metropolitan area. A major settlement for two millennia, City of London, or the 'square mile' financial district, largely retains its mediaeval boundaries. Today, the bulk of this conurbation forms the London region and the Greater London administrative area, with its own elected mayor and assembly.

Samuel Johnson You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.

Nickname: The Big Smoke

The Greater London Authority is based in City Hall, Southwark The administration of London is formed of two tiersa city- wide, strategic tier and a local tier. City-wide administration is coordinated by the Greater London Authority while local administration is carried out by 33 smaller authorities.The GLA consists of two elected components; the Mayor of London, who has executive powers, and the London Assembly, who scrutinise the mayor's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year.

History its history goes back to its founding by the Romans, who called it Londinium. London's core, the ancientits history Romans Londinium The Great Fire of London destroyed many parts of the city in 1666Great Fire of London

Since at least the 19th century, the name "London" has also referred to the metropolis developed around this core. The Natural History MuseumNatural History Museum

The Blitz and other bombing by the German Luftwaffe during World War II killed over 30,000 Londoners and destroyed large tracts of housing and other buildings across London.

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

The tube map, with its schematic non- geographical layout and colour-coded lines, is considered a design classic, and many other transport maps worldwide have been influenced by ittube mapcolour-coded

Immediately after the war, the 1948 Summer Olympics were held at the original Wembley Stadium, at a time when the city had barely recovered from the warWembley Stadium