London [ c ] is the capital and largest city [ d ] of both England and the United Kingdom , with a population of 8,, in London grew rapidly in the 19th century , becoming the world's largest city at the time. Since the 19th century, [ 10 ] [ 11 ] the name "London" has referred to the metropolis around the City of London, historically split between the counties of Middlesex , Essex , Surrey , Kent , and Hertfordshire , [ 12 ] which since has largely comprised the administrative area of Greater London , governed by 33 local authorities and the Greater London Authority.
As one of the world's major global cities , [ 14 ] [ 15 ] London exerts a strong influence on world art , entertainment, fashion , commerce, finance, education , healthcare , media , science, technology, tourism , transport , and communications.
It hosts Europe's largest concentration of higher education institutions , [ 21 ] some of which are the highest-ranked academic institutions in the world: Imperial College London in natural and applied sciences , the London School of Economics in social sciences , and the comprehensive University College London.
London's diverse cultures encompass over languages. London is an ancient name, attested in the first century AD, usually in the Latinised form Londinium.
This was then adapted into Latin as Londinium and borrowed into Old English. Until , the name "London" applied officially only to the City of London , but since then it has also referred to the County of London and to Greater London. In , remains of a Bronze Age bridge were found on the south River Thames foreshore , upstream from Vauxhall Bridge. Despite the evidence of scattered Brythonic settlements in the area, the first major settlement was founded by the Romans around 47 AD, [ 1 ] about 4 years after their invasion of 43 AD.
