About London in Greater London

London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. It was founded by the Romans, who named it Londinium. London's ancient core, the City of London, largely retains its 1.12-square-mile (2.9 km2) medieval boundaries. Since at least the 19th century, "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent and Hertfordshire, which today largely makes up Greater London, a region governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly.

Today, Greater London is home to more than 9 million people and is the largest urban area in both England and the United Kingdom. Greater London is governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly and consists of 33 boroughs, although information on Greater London often includes parts of neighbouring counties such as Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire. The term Greater London was in use before 1965 and is now used to describe a much larger area that includes not only the City of London but also all of its suburbs. The Greater London region covers an area of 1,572 square miles (4,060 km2) and had a population of 8,174,000 at the 2011 census.