London

London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It is Britain's largest and most populous metropolitan area.

London is a leading global city being the world's largest financial centre alongside New York City . 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 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 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.

Within London, both the City of London and the City of Westminster have city status and both the City of London and the remainder of Greater London are the ceremonial counties . [ 80 ] The current area of Greater London has incorporated areas that were once part of the counties of Middlesex , Kent , Surrey , Essex and Hertfordshire . London's status as the capital of England, and later the United Kingdom, has never been granted or confirmed officially—by statute or in written form.

The capital of England was moved to London from Winchester as the Palace of Westminster developed in the 12th and 13th centuries to become the permanent location of the royal court , and thus the political capital of the nation. More recently, Greater London has been defined as a region of England and in this context known as London .

Greater London covers an area of 1,579 square kilometres (610 sq mi), an area which had a population of 7,172,036 in 2001 and a population density of 4,542 people per square kilometre.
West and central London seen from SPOT satellite

London has traditionally been Christian, and has a large number of churches , particularly in the City of London.
London is also home to sizeable Muslim , Hindu , Sikh , and Jewish communities. London is home to the largest mosque in western Europe, the Baitul Futuh Mosque, of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

London's large Hindu community is found in the north-western boroughs of Harrow and Brent , the latter of which is home to one of Europe's largest Hindu temples , Neasden Temple . [ 137 ] Sikh communities are located in East and West London, which is also home to the largest Sikh temple in the world outside India.

The red double-decker bus is an iconic symbol of London.
London's bus network is one of the largest in the world, running 24 hours a day, with 8,000 buses, 700 bus routes, and over 6 million passenger journeys made every weekday.

London is home to designers Vivienne Westwood , Galliano , Stella McCartney , Manolo Blahnik , and Jimmy Choo among others; its renowned art and fashion schools make it an international centre of fashion alongside Paris, Milan and New York.

London is one of the major classicalLondon is one of the major classical and popular musicLondon is one of the major classical and popular music capitals of the world and is home to major music corporations, such as EMI , as well as countless bands, musicians and industry professionals.

London has hosted the Summer Olympics twice, in 1908 and 1948 . In July 2005 London was chosen to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 , which will make it the first city in the world to host the Summer Olympics three times. London was also the host of the British Empire Games in 1934 . London's most popular sport is football and it has thirteen League football clubs, including five in the Premier League : Arsenal , Chelsea , Fulham , Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United .

Wembley StadiumWembley Stadium is home to English football and is the world's most expensive stadium.