London

London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million.^[1]

It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) estuary down to the North Sea. It has been a major settlement for two millennia.^[9] The City of London, its ancient core and financial centre, was founded by the Romans as Londinium and retains its medieval boundaries.^{[note 1][10]} The City of Westminster, to the west of the City . It has for centuries hosted the national government and parliament. Since the 19th century,^[11] the name  has also referred to the metropolis around this core.  Historically split between the counties of Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire.^[12] Which since 1965 has largely comprised Greater London,^[13] which is governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater  Authority.^{[note 2][14]}

As one of the world’s major global cities,^[15] Its exerts a strong influence on many spheres. It is arts, entertainment, fashion, commerce and finance, education, health care, media, science and technology, tourism, and transport and communications.^[16][17] Its GDP (€801.66 billion in 2017) makes it the largest urban economy in Europe.^[18] It is one of the major financial centres in the world. With Europe’s largest concentration of higher education institutions.^[19] It is home to some of the highest-ranked academic institutions in the world  This is Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences. The London School of Economics in social sciences. Such comprehensive University College London.^[20][21] London is the most visited city in Europe. This city has the busiest city airport system in the world.^[22] The London Underground is the oldest rapid transit system in the world.^[23]